Bicentennial Half Dollar Coin Ring

 As I annealed and formed this Kennedy Bicentennial Half Dollar into a beautiful coin ring, I could not help but admire the engraving of the original coin. A true double-sided coin ring, where the details of the original coin remain visible both inside and outside the coin is unique today. Only a scant few coin ring makers know how to create a real double-sided artistic piece. This 1776-1976 US Kennedy Half Dollar is a size 10, and would make a great gift for the man who appreciates a unique coin ring specimen. This ring is currently available from my Etsy shop, as well as several others.

How To Make Double-Sided Coin Rings - #5

Next comes the fun part.  You can put down your hammer and mandrel and start finishing the now fully shaped coin ring.

There are at least two ways you can finish inside and outside surfaces of the ring. Generally, the annealing process will leave a certain amount of colored residue on the outside surface of the coin.  Depending on what the base metal is, the color of this "jewelers scale" will range from dark grey (almost black) to a lighter range of grey or possibly a brown color. In either case, you may finish the coin so that much of the background retains the darker color; or alternatively you can choose to polish the entire surface to a mirror finish.  The choice is yours.

If you leave a lot of the color in the background of the coin, the details of the original engraving will be more prominent. To acheive this finish you need to first lightly sand only the tops of the highlights with a very fine grit sand paper or emery paper. Then apply some metal polish to the ring and polish until the highlights and edges are quite shiny and prominent. This leaves the background darker.

Alternatively if you want to go for the mirror finish; use a fine steel wool and polish the entire surface of the coin, thereby removing much of the background color as well as polishing the highlights. Then apply some metal polish and buff the ring until it reaches a mirror finish. One of the most popular metal polish products is called Mothers Mag & Aluminum Polish. It is usually available anywhere auto supplies are sold.

The details on the inside of the coin ring may be finished in the same manner as those on the outside of the coin.

There is also something known as a Jewelers Polishing Cloth. This cloth is actually a two-part item where one half of the cloth is impregnated with a metal polish, while the other half is merely a buffing cloth. The shine of any ring can be restored with this type of cloth.

This completes this series of postings. Bear in mind, I have iterated only the very basic steps and most coin ring craftsmen will use them as a start and then modify and alter them to form their own techniques and methods.

Also, there are several good videos on YouTube that describe this basic process or some form of it. I would recommend if you are just starting, to watch one or more of the available videos. Here are a couple that will get you started. My coin rings are available at Ross Coin Rings  or Ross Coin Rings Etsy Shop

How To Make Double-Sided Coin Rings - #4

The next step in the creation of a double-sided coin ring is a process known as annealing the coin, in order to soften it. Annealing the coin is where you hold the coin in the flame of a propane torch until it just begins to glow. If the coin is copper, bronze or nickel-copper clad, you need to heat it up until it glows a bright cherry red. If the coin is Silver or 90% Silver it only needs to turn a dark red color. Generally, this step is done in a darkened or semi-darkened room in order to see the color changes more easily. A pair of locking forceps or jewelers tweezers are used to hold the coin in the flame.

Once the correct color is reached, remove it from the flame and let it cool naturally for a few seconds; then dunk it in a small container of water in order to finish cooling it to a point where you can safely handle it. (This annealing step will need to be repeated several times until the final shape is achieved.) Please note the annealing step will cause the coin to end up with a blackish (or brownish) scale after annealing. This is normal, and it will be used to create highlights during the final finishing and polishing step.

With the coin annealed, slip it over the small end of your ring mandrel. If you have drilled or punched a hole approximately 1/2" in diameter, it should just fit over the tip of the mandrel. Using your composition hammer (plastic, leather or nylon) begin hammering the edge of the coin, causing it to bend down and move down the mandrel. Do this lightly at first, because the coin is very soft. Try to hammer evenly around the entire perimeter of the coin. Gradually, the coin will begin to fold down closer to the mandrel, and will resemble a cone shape. As you hammer the coin, the metal will "work harden" and eventually you will need to repeat the annealing step. After you remove the coin the first time, you will want to file the cut edge until it is fairly smooth all around. This will keep the coin from splitting as you continue forming it down the mandrel.

Keep repeating this hammering step and annealing step until the outside perimeter of the coin is nearly touching the surface of the mandrel.

Anneal the coin once more. This time when you put it on the mandrel; place it so the cone shape is the reverse of how you have been placing it on the mandrel. That is with the large end of the cone facing up instead of down.  Now, keep hammering the perimeter of the coin until it flattens against the outside of the mandrel. Keep in mind you may have to anneal it again before it can be flattened completely against the mandrel.

In the next posting I will explain how to finish the coin ring.