Make a Titanium Ring

Titanium is an awesome metal. If you have the patience it makes an equally awesome ring. It's a very hard material. My guess is that it takes twice as long to make compared to a nickel ring.  

I first tried using a scroll saw and a diamond wheel to cut the metal. You'd think I was trying to cut it with a butter knife. I ended up drilling several holes and breaking it free in a vice.

First drill a pilot hole. Then proceed to a 1/4" bit. Now you can mount it in a nut and bolt making it ready for the lathe.

Really you're making a titanium washer. I never did any measuring. I just machined it down until I thought it looked good. It's about 3/4" in diameter.

As you hammer the ring against a mandrel (I'm using a pry bar) it will expand the wall of the ring. A few things to keep in mind. While you're hammering the ring will have sharp edges. As you're trying on the ring these edges will catch on your finger; making you think the ring is smaller than it really is. Remember you can always keep hammering but you cannot shrink the ring. Make sure to check that you're not over hammering any single section of the ring. It should have an even thickness all the way around.

Once the ring is the proper size I put it in my lathe. Use extreme caution if you're going to do like you see here. A flying tool bouncing off  1100 RPMs can land you in the emergency room. This it where I rounded over the edges on both the inside and out. To make sure the ring stayed square I used several nickels to line it up in the jaws.

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I've found that socket bits make a great ring holder. Make sure you don't press it on with too much force. You can split the ring. If your in between sizes you can use electrical tape to build up the socket's circumference. Though that's not the way I'm using it in the photo. Once the ring is sanded on the outside you can use tape to keep it from getting scratched by the jaws. I used 800, 1000, and 2000 grit sand paper.

Lastly I used polishing compound with a buffing wheel to shine up the ring. It's the same kind of polish for your car. Thanks for reading.