Our tenth wedding anniversary is coming up this year. My wife wants a new wedding band since the beautiful puzzle rings we initially used have not withstood the test of time as well as our marriage has. If something had to break up, I'm glad it was the rings. She was looking at titanium rings for a replacement.
Since I started machining classes, I also considered the possibility of making her a new band using the lathe after work. It's one of the benefits of my job. So I found an article on the machining of titanium. The stuff is extremely heavy duty. Pure titanium can handle 80,000 PSI and alloys up to 150,000 or even 200,000 PSI for aircraft grades. That makes it about as tough as stainless steel. But it is light. It has 2/3 the weight of your typical high carbon steels and weighs only 60% more than aluminum. What does that mean for turning a ring? Light passes at high speeds with well sharpened high speed steel cutters and never stopping the feed while the cutter is in contact with the work area. That's all stuff I should be able to handle. With my current abilities I would have no problem producing a simple, elegant ring with a couple of scribed lines around the diameter.
Why would I want to do this? First and foremost, because while I try not to let on about it, I am an old school romantic who puts great stock in the value of a handmade item from a loved one. A few years back I made her a sword that she really likes despite several flaws in the craftsmanship. My dad made her a cabinet that while not perfect it still lovely. But the ring would have to be very well done. I would not be able to tolerate an imperfection. If I made her a ring that I had screwed up it would be a constant reminder that I insisted on making a crappy ring when I could have just bought her a nice one. While being pridefully DIY, it has gotten me into trouble on several occasions. The purchase of a bunch of motorcycle parts that eventually became a chopper comes to mind. Temperance. I'm thinking I should make an attempt at a ring using cold rolled steel. If that goes well and she likes the result, I can order up a bar of titanium and make her a ring for every finger (and one for myself) for the same cost as buying one ring from a jeweler.
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3 comments:
Another cool feature of titanium, though perhaps not immediately applicable for your purposes, is still sort of lovely in metaphor: it has the capability of bonding to bone tissue.
I like the idea of making isirkus a ring you made and designed. Practicing on steel first sounds like a good plan. Once you get the titanium it sounds as if you'll have enough for several rings...which means you have room for a few mistakes before you make the perfect one.
P.S. Congrats on 10 years!
My husband bought me a titanium rings for our engagement, and after all these years it still looks beautiful. I think titanium is a great choice!
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