Casting your own ring

[pvag]

Hi,
Question from a new subscriber. I have designed my wedding ring and I would like to have it cast (I have the CAD file plus I can make a plastic models of it if needed).
My thinking is that if I could find a place to cast it an polish it for me I could save the overhead added by a jeweler (which can be pretty high).
I have tried calling a few casting places I found online, but all of them seem to only want to work directly with jewelers so as to not compete with their costumers...
Has anybody ever tried to do this?
My design is pretty simple and I would like to cast it in platinum (5%), I only need two pieces, I am an engineer and I am very confident on the specs, shrinkage, etc (I have sent parts to cast
in the past, not for jewelry though).
Any thoughts or pointers would be very welcome.

Thanks!

 

[D&T]

you''ll still need a jeweler to put the diamonds in inspect it and polish the rough cast. unless you are a metalsmith as well?

 

[pvag]

Hi,
Thanks for the reply. I trying to cast my wedding band. It won''t have a diamond or any other stone on it, only platinum...

 

[Lady_Disdain]

There are several casting firms that do work for hobbyists. I think Ganoksin.com has a reputable vendors list or check out art jewelry magazine. I am not sure if the finishing work is good though.

Generally, jewelry is cast from a wax model. I am not sure how the plastic will burn out. Another thing to consider is sprue placement. Check if the casting company work from the object you send them or if they expect you to send a wax already sprued. If they want the second, I would recommend you get a good jewelry book for tips on sprueing (Tim McCreigh is a good place to start, Oppi is the expert resource).

Do you plan on using stones in your ring? If you are casting a stone setting, be very careful as a badly designed setting (from the stone point of view, not the asthetic) may not be secure.

 

[D&T]

Date: 7/14/2009 11:41:13 AM
Author: pvag
Hi,
Thanks for the reply. I trying to cast my wedding band. It won''t have a diamond or any other stone on it, only platinum...

well no stones, sound simple enough, I''m sure if the finishing is not super fine, you could probably just end up going to another jeweler to just polish up and refine the finish.

 

[Michael_E]

Date: 7/14/2009 11:39:31 AM
Author: D&T
you''ll still need a jeweler to put the diamonds in inspect it and polish the rough cast. unless you are a metalsmith as well?

This is right on the mark. Even with no stones in it, you still have all of the difficulties of working with platinum. First of all it generally casts with a very rough finish and has a greater tendency to have pits or porosity. Assuming that you don''t have any casting problems and can get it smooth, you still need to polish it and that is the real challenge. Platinum is very difficult and time consuming to polish, requiring the right tools...you may end up spending as much on those tools as you would save in doing this yourself. If you really want to do this I would suggest getting a good book on platinum smithing and reading up on what you''ll need to get it done right and find an old platinum ring to practice on before committing to your own ring.

 

[blingergrrrl]

maybe take a look here: http://hooverandstrong.com/category/Casting+-+We+Make+It+Happen/

"Custom Casting

Send us your drawing and have our experts build your item with our CAD programs, we can CAST using your MODEL or wax, finish and SET your designs in any of our standard or non-standard metals including palladium, platinum and you will receive...

•Quality casting manufactured in HARMONY 100% recycled casting grains
•Competitive pricing; we have volume discounts for annual purchase commitments
•Quick and reasonable turn-around times
•FREE consultation and technical advice
•Hand finishing available at additional charges requires extended delivery time"


They can make it from CADs or molds too. I haven't purchased from them but I am thinking about it...

Any CAD images to share?

 

[ksinger]

If it were me, I''d go with a jeweler. I doubt you''re going to save enough to make it worth the thrash you may very well go through attempting to do this on the cheap. And your chance of having them mess it up is greater, with no one to go to locally to fix it properly. I''m extrapolating all the headaches here. If a casting company is going to charge you, I suspect it won''t be THAT much less than a jeweler. Besides, having a good local bench jeweler you trust is a good thing. They ARE engineers in their own right, the good ones. Why would you not respect that and pay them what they''re worth?

FYI - I come from a family of do-it-yourself''ers on my mom''s side, and the farm-it-out intellectuals on my dad''s side (with a fair number of engineers, even so).
I split down the middle. On this one, I would have the best guy in town do it. It''s your WEDDING RING after all...not a "project".

 

[DiamanteBlu]

Very cool idea. I think that you should go for it!

 

[MonkeyPie]

Contact a seller on Etsy with work you like - I bet they could help.