Coin Rings

[greendragon]

ok, lets start with some basics.

you need the slowest speed possible for your drill.

the problem normally is that a hand drill is just too fast

you want the drill bit to  cut, so use a cutting fluid. each is a  different fluid depending what metal you are cutting

look it up on your favourite search engine, its usually something simple like paraffin 

use the correct cutting angle on the drill bit. different angles for different metals or plastics

a pillar drill works well because it runs at about a quarter the speed of your drill, and you can apply a constant pressure so it cuts into it instead of skipping around

you need a better way of holding the coin too

try sandwiching it between two pieces of plywood and clamping them flat down with two g clamps 

 

keep it up, and good luck

 

it would be easy to laugh at your fails....but you are learning new skills 

and collecting more tools,   cant go wrong with more tools :-)

 

 

 

 

[PansPurse]

12 minutes ago, greendragon said:

it would be easy to laugh at your fails....but you are learning new skills 

Thanks that's some really helpful advice.

For what it's worth, it'd be equally easy to just quietly keep my struggles to myself and only share successes, but I think there's something worthwhile in taking a 'warts-and-all' approach

[Roy]

@greendragon has given good advice. Drilling a coin should not be difficult.

Just be careful....home projects/DIY mishaps are putting strain on the NHS ?

 

[boon]

Yes, good advice there- and I agree, you need a drill press ideally. I've had a "cheap" bench drill (clarke, machine mart, about £40) for many years and it is still servicable so you dont need to spend a lot if it's not in constant use.

Infact I was in LIDL the other day and i always have a quick look to see what they have in tools wise, and they had one for £29 i'm sure.

[PansPurse]

Quick update. Thank you everyone for the feedback and helpful suggestions. I'm going to give drilling one more try, this time with a variable speed drill, cutting oil and better clamping for the coin (special thanks to @greendragon I'll try out the G-clamp idea, sounds like a winner)

More soon

[AgD]

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F292590700123 don'tknow if this will be of any help with your progress @PansPurse but this seller has some equipment that might be of use.

I think the link might be for some of his coins but check his other items for sale 

[PansPurse]

Ok, so, some progress. Variable speed drill and cutting oil definitely helps, but drill jams when trying to cut anything beyond a 3mm hole. Tried using an old half crown and annealing before drilling but to no avail:

However, hole was big enough to get a needle file in and several hours later I have a neat round hole:

Going to enlarge the hole a bit more (aiming for 12mm diameter) then will have a look at the actual folding.

 

[PansPurse]

Quick update (video to follow... Eventually)

It ain't perfect but for my first go I am extremely proud of this. More pictures once I've antiqued it.

[AgD]

?nice work and for your first one it looks great can'twait to see the finished look and more that you make well done ?

[augur]

1 hour ago, PansPurse said:

Quick update (video to follow... Eventually)

It ain't perfect but for my first go I am extremely proud of this.

Yes, that nail varnish came out nicely, indeed ? 

[boon]

Looking good indeed sir! Keep up the good work ?

this thread did prompt me to get one of my own sorted- bought though not built, so not as cool, but very happy ?

 

[PansPurse]

Quick couple of pics after antiquing:

 

[PansPurse]

Last update for now, a 1935 penny I worked yesterday and today:

[kimchi]

@PansPurse you're certainly getting the hang of it by the looks of it!

Looking forward to your vid showing the actual ring creation

I'm also very interested about how you get the rings to a certain size to fit the intended fingers, but that's very likely putting the cart before the horse (though I think you'll get there!).

[PansPurse]

https://youtu.be/Y6KeaRrTP3o

 

[caloundracats]

Watched the videos, great work and an inspiration. Well done.