All day I've been working on two projects - the first was a continuation of last week's spinning rings. I split the project into two parts, earlier in the week I made the ring components and saved the sanding, polishing and forming for today. The second project consisted of two pairs of cuff links for a friend. The cuff links are tedious to say the least, but I love the design and imagine how classy they will look on the lucky man who will get to wear them.
The rings have caused me a big headache...after forming, sanding and tumbling them, I started the flaring process. This part is my favorite step because it's when the ring really starts to take shape and look like something other than a simple tube. I began to flare the first ring and as I hit the dapper with my hammer, the solder seam cracked, splitting halfway down the length of the shank. I set it aside, annoyed, picked up another ring and repeated the process. That seam split as well. And on the third try when I noticed a crack beginning to form, I decided it was time for me to put the hammer down and step away from the bench for awhile. I repaired the splits and decided I was done for the day. So tomorrow, I hit the bench again and we'll see if I can get through the forming process without any further mishaps.
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