Inlay Ring From Scratch by Hand

Inlay ring made from scratch, can be done completely by hand or with easy-to-make DIY tools.

Hex Nut (other metal scrap works as long as it is at least big enough to make into a ring)

Inlay Stone (I used rainbow moonstone but anything that can be filed down will work)

Inlay powder (I used glow powder, rock dust, and metal shavings)

CA glue [superglue] thinner the better

Metal files

Sandpaper (high - low grit)

Drill (optional)

CA hardener (optional)

Ring Holder (optional - I will explain how to DIY one)

Begin with your hex nut and use a rat tail (circular) hand file to take off the threads and get it to the proper size for whatever finger you are going to be using it on. I was working with a steel hex nut so I had to press hard. Leave it a tiny bit tight because sanding it will take away some material.

You should now cut the hex nut to the desired height. You can use a metal saw, jeweler's saw, or file away the part that you do not want. I used a jeweler's saw because it was all I had - as it was steel, it took forever to cut.

To grind down the corners and finally get it into a ring shape, I first used a flat hand file to make it roughly circular. After it is roughed out, I recommend using a hand drill or drill press to rotate the piece to ensure an even thickness for the ring. To hold the ring, I am using a 3D - printed cone with a steel rod jammed through it. You can also use a large bolt and wrap it in masking tape until the ring fits securely. Here you can see I used a bench grinder to do it quickly, but the heat it produced made it inefficient. Rotating it against a file would probably be the best option.

Now that you have a ring blank, we will begin adding the bevels and channel. For the bevel, I rotated the ring with my hand drill and ring holder and pressed a flat file against the ring.

For the channel, use a saw to dig grooves for the left and right bounds of your channel. This does not have to be precise, but you should not dog anything outside of where your channel will go. After creating the grooves, use a small file (i used the thin side of a smaller file) to file out the channel. The deeper, the better - but make sure to not file through the ring. be careful to keep the channel centered on the ring.

To put in the inlay, first crush the stone you are using small enough that they will fit into the inlay (if they stick up out of it that is fine). Sprinkle stones onto one spot (as big a spot as you can get before they fall off) on the channel and arrange them how you wish. Then, sprinkle the powder to fill in the cracks. For glue, you have two options - you can use ultra thin CA glue (usually specially designed for inlays) but you NEED CA activator to go with this ultra thin glue. Without it, it will flow to the bottom of the channel because it is so thin and will not harden properly. With ultra thin, put on small drops until everything appears wet. Then, spray with activator from far away. once it is hardened, rotate the ring and repeat. If you are using the regular thin CA glue (you can find it at any hardware store), apply the glue and then either wait for it to harden (this is what I did for this ring) or spray with activator (what I did for later rings). Make sure to not stick the ring to the holder - take it off in between glue sections.

I let my glue harden overnight, then set to grinding the excess away with a metal file. Again, using a hand drill on the file helps to make it perfectly round.

I used low to high grit Wet or Dry sandpaper (I did from 240 grit to about 2000). For the inside, cut out a small square of sandpaper and use your thumb to apply it to the inside.