Introduction: How to Make a HULK Inspired GLOW Ring
For the full video guide please watch the youtube video I made! It details every step of the process and also has beauty shots of the ring! I make Rings,Knives and signs! Please consider subscribing to my YouTube channel to see all of my future videos!
Step 1: Final Results
Here are some beauty shots of the ring that we will be making! It is a beautiful tungsten core Glow ring! It glows very bright and lasts for hours. For the inlay I used purple amethyst and strontium illuminate!
Step 2: Tools & Materials Needed
Tools:
- Machinists Lathe
- Tweezers
- Lathe Tooling
- Ring Mandrel
- Hammer
Materials:
- Tungsten Ring Blank
- Amethyst
- Strontium illuminate
- Color Pigment (Green)
- Super Glue
- Sand Paper in Various Grits
Step 3: Mounting the Ring and Gluing Crushed Amethyst
I first started by chucking up the ring mandrel to the lathe and mounting the ring to the mandrel, the black electrical tape was used to protect the inside of the ring from the metal and to help prevent it from scratching. Using small amounts of super glue ( I use the Loctite Professional brand but almost any super glue will work) I start gluing in the crushed amethyst rocks into random locations of the ring. Using tweezers helps to place and move the amethyst. Once I am satisfied with the amount and placement of the amethyst I let it dry for 2-3 hours.
Step 4: Adding the Strontium Aluminate
It is now time to add the strontium illuminate. This is the powder that makes the ring glow! It charges using light and when it is fully charged it can glow for hours! This is similar to the last step but involves a bit more time and making sure that everything is compacted and that there are no gaps or bubbles. Using tweezers is very helpful and also wearing gloves, prevents you from getting glue stuck to your hands. NOTE: Never use gloves while the lathe is in operation! I only use gloves when the lathe is turned OFF! Make sure the whole ring is covered and no gaps are present. I leave the ring to dry for 4-5 hours. This can be cut down if you use CA activator.
Step 5: Trimming the Ring With the Lathe
Once the ring is dry, I will trim it down with my lathe. This step is just to save time, alternatively you could go right to sanding, but you will use more sandpaper and it will take more time. I did 2 to 3 light passes with my cutter to trim the excess powder off. Make sure not to cut to much and you don't want to trim it flush.
Step 6: Sanding and Polishing the Ring
We are getting to the end of this project! It is now just a matter of sanding and polishing this in to a beautiful ring! I start with 120 grit and work my way up the grits all the way to 1000 and then hitting it with a polishing compound. I spend 5-6 minutes per grit depending on how much I need to sand/fix. I use soapy water to prolong the life of the sand paper and it also gives me a good idea on how the ring looks. I also make sure to wipe the ring between each grit to make sure not to contaminate the ring with older grits.
- 120 Grit
- 150 Grit
- 220 Grit
- 320 Grit
- 400 Grit
- 600 Grit
- 800 Grit
- 1000 Grit
- Polishing Compound
Step 7: Polishing the Inside of the Ring
The inside of this ring blank is already polished but I wanted to clean it up and remove any scratches that may have occurred from it being on the ring mandrel. I started with 1000 and finished with polishing compound. The ring is now done and ready to enjoy! I really hope you enjoyed this instructable! It was my first one so please let me know how I could improve! I would also greatly appreciate it if you could subscribe to my YouTube channel! I plan on releasing a whole ton of ring videos and knives and other cool projects!
