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Custom Jewelry Ring Cont.
Custom Jewelry Ring Cont.
For my spring 2026 manufacturing project, I elected to continue my Jewelry Ring project from the previous year in which I would experiment with new geometries and materials. This new ring would showcase my abilities with steel machining, feed and speed calculation, and chemical finishing techniques. Now equipped with the knowledge from my previous attempts at the ring, my goal was to achieve even higher tolerances on the Tormach 1100M.
Before initially starting off with steel, I wanted to test the new ring geometry with aluminum.
My first aluminum prototype was partially successful. The top setup was correctly machined, though I discovered a logic error afterwards: there was not a clear hole through the center of the piece, preventing me from workholding it on the following setup. I opted to drill through the stock (see right), though the hat/lip created from separating the model from the remaining stock made precision probing difficult. I ultimately opted to reCAM and start over. The following aluminum prototype (image two) was successful on both setups, though I noticed some very minor geometric imperfections on the second setup resulting from vertical axis misalignment (±0.0013”).
Before I could begin the machining process for steel, I first had to recalculate the appropriate speeds & feeds (sourced from fswizard). I identified that my specific steel subtype (1144) fell under “High-carbon and Alloy steels. Medium hard” from the long list of material options. The remaining information can be filled out using information in the tool library (e.g. tool length, coating, number of flutes) along with some supplemental information about the specific operation (e.g. depth, tool engagement). I entered the resulting speeds & feeds into a new Fusion custom preset that I applied to all of my operations. (Note: feeds & speeds must be recalculated for each tool type).
The process for machining steel was very similar to aluminum, although I had to be mindful of the adjusted speeds and feeds. One additional thing that I observed is that slowing the feedrate down is not always better. According to CNC Cookbook, “you can get to a point where the chip load is so low that the cutter can't efficiently make a chip.” With this in mind, I ran 100% feedrate on all operations without issue. If all the feeds & speeds are properly calculated in CAM, there generally should be no reason to slow the feedrate during machining.
FSWizard Feed and Speed Calculator
Custom Fusion cutting data preset
I was originally interested in utilizing AISI 1144 medium-carbon steel due to its special properties that allow for easier machining than other types of steel. Further, this type of steel also has specific chemical properties that allow a “forced patina” to be applied to the outer layer. This process of creating a controlled rust (speeding up the oxidation of the surface) creates a unique look and actually adds adds corrosion resistance on the surface.
A simple, at-home technique for creating a patina that I used is soaking the ring in concentrated Instant Coffee. The acidity of the mixture oxidizes the outer layers in just a few hours and the dark color is stained into the ring. I experimented with this process and observed that submerging the ring shortly after being cut (while the surface is still fresh) and lightly carding between cycles produces the best result.
Mottled texture resulting from patina
Final Product
Final Product
After finshing the surface of the ring and applying a thin layer of wax, the ring was complete. I was overall satisfied with the outcome of the project; the ring fit well, the surface finish was desireable, and the wax prevented the ring from reacting with my sweat. I could likely achieve a tighter tolerance on a future iteration by transitioning to a lathe or a 4-axis mill, though the appeal of this challenge was to create the piece on a 3-axis mill.
Bonus
Bonus
Despite working with an ID clamp with a custom diameter for my ring size, I wanted to see if the clamp could accommodate a larger sized ring. For an addition on to this project, I upsized from a US size 10 to a size 12 ring in order to see if the larger ring could achieve the same tolerances. Ultimately, the clamp was too small for the new ring size to maintain the level of accuracy, but the ring was still safely machined. Thus, I would consider the bonus to be a partial success.
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