Braided Rings

The following supplies will be used for course demonstrations and objectives. A suggested item and/or vendor has been provided below for reference. Click the vendor name to be redirected to a page where you can view the item. The quantities needed for each item are listed first. If ordering, please be aware that some items may come in larger quantities than needed for this class. We recommend not opening an item's packaging until the day of the workshop. Student participation during or in-between class sessions is not required - observers are welcome.

Metal/raw materials: 

• 10ft x fine silver round wire - 22g (Rio Grande)

• 3ft x fine silver round wire - 20g (Rio Grande)

• 1"x6" x fine silver sheet - 26g (Rio Grande)

• 10" x fine silver round wire - 18g (Rio Grande)

• 12" x binding wire (Rio Grande)

• 1 x sheet of sandpaper - 180 (Amazon)

• 1 x sheet of sandpaper - 320 (Amazon)

• 1 x 10mm x 10mm min. cabochon - rounded square, square, or round

Torch setup:

• 1 x fireproof area - steel sheet, tiles, etc. (Amazon or Home Depot)

• 1 x Solderite™ pad / pan with pumice (Rio Grande or Rio Grande)

• 1 x hard Solderite™ pad or long life charcoal block (Rio Grande or Rio Grande)

• 1 x compressed charcoal block - hard (Rio Grande)

• 1 x torch - Smith mini, Silversmith, or butane (Rio Grande or Rio Grande)

• 1 x #0 or #1 torch tip - if getting Silversmith (Rio Grande)

• 1 x striker or lighter - Silversmith system has one (Rio Grande)

• 1 x soldering tweezers (Rio Grande)

• 1 x soldering pick (Rio Grande or Rio Grande)

• 1 x 3rd arm (Rio Grande)

• 1 x cross lock tweezers (Rio Grande)

• 1 x paste flux (Rio Grande)

• 1 x Ronda Coryell's masking mud or yellow ochre

• 1 x copper tongs - for pickle (Rio Grande)

• 1 x 12” silver solder - hard (Rio Grande)

• 1 x 12” silver solder - medium (Rio Grande)

• 1 x 12” silver solder - easy (Rio Grande)

• 1 x pickle - sodium bisulfate or citric acid (Rio Grande or Amazon)

• 1 x crock pot or lidded glass container (Rio Grande or Amazon)

• 1 x tempered glass container or sink - for quenching and rinsing

• 1 x small brush - for flux

Hand tools:

• 1 x round nose pliers (Rio Grande)

• 1 x chain nose pliers (Rio Grande)

• 1 x flat nose pliers (Rio Grande)

• 1 x snips / flush cutters (Rio Grande)

• 1 x jewelers saw (Rio Grande)

• 1 x pack saw blades - 2/0 (Rio Grande)

• 1 x burlife / bee's wax (Rio Grande)

• 1 x bench pin (Rio Grande)

• 1 x rotary tool - flex shaft, micro motor, etc. (Rio Grande)

• 1 x set of needle files - #2 cut (Rio Grande)

• 1 x scribe (Rio Grande)

• 1 x rawhide / plastic mallet (Rio Grande)

• 1 x sheet of sand paper - 220 to 600 grits (Amazon)

• 1 x dividers (Rio Grande)

• 1 x brass hammer (Rio Grande)

• 1 x 3M polishing papers (Rio Grande)

• 1 x cross-cut bur or round needle file with narrow tip (Rio Grande or Rio Grande)

• 1 x small drill bit - such as #66 (Rio Grande)

• 1 x burnisher (Rio Grande)

• 1 x table top vise - to hold ring for stone setting (Harbor Freight or Rio Grande)

• 1 x wide ring sizer (Rio Grande)

Other/miscellaneous items: 

• hard work surface

• fan and open window - or ventilation system

• safety glasses 

• pencil, Sharpie, notebook

• rags/towels

• black fine point marker

• small bowl for water

• 2”-3” painters tape or masking tape

• transfer punch set- not necessary but helps (Harbor Freight)

• wooden dowel ½” to ⅝” about 4” long

• round flat washer from home depot 1.5” in diameter for twisting wire

• 12”x 6” wooden board to tamp on

• binding wire

• any long thin pen to use for twisting of wire

•  bird embroidery scissors - great to cut thin fine silver sheet - OPTIONAL

• 12” ruler

• safety glasses

• magnification, if needed