Make a silver ring for 25 cents

Do you have a quarter from 1964 or before? If you do, it is made of silver. You can turn that coin into a nice silver band using a spoon, a drill, and a metal file.
A quarter will yield a small ring, size ~7 or less. You can get a larger size but the ring will be very skinny. If you want a larger size ring, a Kennedy half dollar will work well. Again, anything 1964 and earlier will be silver.

Materials needed:
-Silver quarter
-spoon
-drill
-metal file

Optional but recommended
-Vice grips
-dremel

Step 1: Find a silver quarter

I was lucky enough to find two silver quarters in my change, but unless you are looking, you may not find one. Any quarter from 1964 and earlier should be silver. They are much lighter in color than newer quarters. I've read you can use the the sandwiched coins, but the metal is harder and it wouldn't be a silver ring. You can also buy one at a coin dealer for a couple dollars.
DO NOT buy an expensive silver coin for this, you will be destroying it.

Comments

[redfoxtrystman]

oh and i just got off the phone with a nice lady at this place: Department of the Treasury 1500 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, D.C. 20220 General Information: [phone] her name was lynn. please call her or any one there. she told me that the law states that if you make jewelry out of money, and make it so you can not spend it any more. then its 100% legal to deface money. she also told me that if you watch the home shopping network and see all the coins that they make in to rings and necklaces. that a good way to find out if its legal. she also told me that she had a lady call her 4 days ago and ask her about making quarters in to necklaces and she told her the same thing.

[target022]

Where can I get a silver quarter?
If you wait to find one in your change, it may take forever. You can buy one but it would probably cost you more than a quarter. One way to get a silver quarter for free is to use a method that coin collectors use called Coin Roll Hunting.

Basically, you go to your bank and withdraw as much money as you can in the form of quarter rolls. Take them home and look through the coins for silver ones. The more rolls you get the better your chances are of finding one.  All the regular coins go back in the rolls and you can deposit them back into your account.

Good Luck!

[target022]

April 2013, One Million views......and counting.

[darman12]

I finished mine a few months ago, but just remembered to share it. I started with a spoon but it was driving me insane, haha. I used a hammer; luckily I didn't bend it. Then I used a dremal to remove the middle part. I didn't have an appropriate bit, so that took about three hours to do, haha.

I used a file to smooth out the ring, unfortunately you can't see the words from the quarter. I got a cool texture on part of the outside when I was trying to smooth it out with the dremal, but I couldn't replicate it on the whole thing.


Great instructable, I really enjoyed it :)

[ray74]

I have done this using a small hammer. They really turn out nice especially with the silver coins. Thanks for sharing this.

[darman12]

You said "especially with the silver coins." Do you mean that you used regular quarters as well? I was wondering if it will still turn out well with copper quarters because I don't think I want to hunt for a silver one, haha.

[ray74]

My first attempt at this was with a regular quarter because I did not want to ruin a silver quarter while experimenting. The regular quarter turned out okay but I really don't like the stripe that it had in it. The silver quarter seemed to be a little softer too so if you use a small hammer take it easy and don't get too impatient with it. If you don't want to wait for a silver quarter to show up in your change you can always go to a coin store and purchase one (about $5.25 each). Tell them what you are planning to do with it and they will most likely show you the coins that do not have much value as a collecting thing. The price will still be more than a quarter but you won't be paying for a high price coin just to turn it into a cool ring :)

[amw4444]

Thanks for this tutorial. I just finished my first ring. I used a new quarter so it is two-toned. I used two hammers in place of a spoon. One I hammered with the other was my anvil. I then used a drill and a jewelry saw to remove the middle part. I still need to sand etc. but it is wearable and I love it.
http://pinterest.com/pin/164733298842276796/

[mr.chuckles]

Will heating the Quarter work to make it more malleable and speed up the tapping?

[NINJ4SP4RT4N]

How do you make the ones with the 1964 and united states of america on the outside of the ring?

[SamuraiSpirit]

It might work if you drill the hole first, and then take something that fits in the hole and tap from the inside out. I suggest trying it on something that you don't mind messing up on first before using a silver quarter.

[mayday12]

well, isn't this illegal, defacing US currency? i use old chucky cheese coins.

[Mathes3207]

No it is not, people always think it it but its not. The law say defacing US currency THEN trying to pass (use) it.

[mayday12]

ok

[target022]

Not possible using this method. The writing will always be on the inside of the ring unless you can somehow tap the ring from the center going out.

[darman12]

Tapping it from the center out will make the round part on the inside of the ring, haha!

[electridanger]

Challenge accepted

[tmorrigu]

@roxy
Mutilating coins dates back to when they were cut and weighed and worth whatever metal they were made out of. It was a common criminal act to skim off, say, silver from a bunch of quarters (example only) and recast new coins (or whatever they liked) passing off the minimized quarter as though it were still worth 25 cents, while making a profit off of the removed portion. We no longer have a gold standard economy, so the concept is no longer legitimate. While the law hasn't been revoked, so it is possible to be prosecuted in theory, the only circumstance under which that would happen would be if a cop really wanted you for something else, but couldn't get to you. Or if you really did melt down part of a quarter, spend the rest normally, and make a profit the old fashioned way. But it'd be tough with only old coins to worth with.
Our dollar would be worth a lot more if people went around destroying money... the more scarce something is, the more it's worth. Viva la art!

[Jarheadicus]

Can you use a newer quarter as well?

[frankvanw1]

For Canadian coins: silver was removed from all standard circulated coins in 1967 and 1968(50% silver) So any circulated coin before that is mostly silver.

[kwynveen]

This brings back lots of memories. My dad brought back rings he made during WWII when he was stationed in the Pacific. He made them from local coins.

[Jazzswagga]

This is a good idea but you are wasting the quarter. A 1964 quarter is worth $5 so technically you are spending more then 25 cents.

[Mr.Fizz]

I've been looking for one of these for years and can't find them. And seeing this just makes me want to cry.

[foxli]

Thank you so, so much for sharing this. My SO's great-grandmother's original wedding ring was made from a coin in the 1940's. It's been long lost, so I always wanted to know how it could have been made. If I ever find an old quarter, I'm going to try to recreate it.

[monsterlego]

Finished! only took me 2 days with a 1994.

[DylanGrow]

Do you have any pics available from the interior. I want to do want from my birthdate 1991.

[monsterlego]

It doesnt show the date, it says the words going around it

[boom man56]

how does the center go away????????????

[roxy2323]

Actually, you're incorrect about this being a federal crime and I wouldn't advise people to destroy federal currency. Under 18 U.S.C. § 331 (US Code 18, Section 331) it says:

"Sec. 331. Mutilation, diminution, and falsification of coins

STATUTE-
Whoever fraudulently alters, defaces, mutilates, impairs,
diminishes, falsifies, scales, or lightens any of the coins coined
at the mints of the United States, or any foreign coins which are
by law made current or are in actual use or circulation as money
within the United States; or
Whoever fraudulently possesses, passes, utters, publishes, or
sells, or attempts to pass, utter, publish, or sell, or brings into
the United States, any such coin, knowing the same to be altered,
defaced, mutilated, impaired, diminished, falsified, scaled, or
lightened -
Shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five
years, or both."

Just an FYI...

[nomooremr.niceguy]

Does anyone know how I might acquire a swage press? I hear that they are fastest, and yield the best results for the time invested.

[chase32615]

how long does this take

[target022]

If you just use a spoon, it could take a few weeks or a few months. It depends on how much time you want to spend on it. You can start it off with a hammer and a small anvil and then finish it with a spoon but you have to be careful not to hit it too hard. That's why I recommend the spoon, takes longer but you'll get nicer results.

[Spaceman Spiff]

I want to do this, but would like to make it look more like this:

[target022]

You need to follow this instructable for that.
http://www.instructables.com/id/Turn-a-Quarter-into-a-Ring/

[wrush]

now i just have to find a siver quarter :/
anybody know if you can use a nickel???

[hammertong]

If you find a nickel from the early forties, yes. Nickels were made of silver during WWII because the actual nickel metal was needed for bullets.

[squiggy2]

I'm Australian so excuse me if I'm wrong, but I am going to assume a nickel is made of nickel. In which case it is quite a bit harder than silver - almost as hard as some steels. This means the spoon tapping method won't work, and in general shaping it will be much more difficult. That said, its only worth 5(?) cents so there's no harm in trying!

[cnash962]

Just found this tutorial and you asked a valid question that didn't get answered. So here is your answer..... In early minting days all coins had to made of gold, silver, or copper by law. A five cent piece was called a half disme (pronounced like dime). The first five cent piece made with nickel was created in 1866, the half disme stopped being minted in 1873. So there you have your answer.

[AlternativeSpeed]

Great idea. I gave it a shot for my wedding band. I think it turned out great and saved me about $300. I used the spoon for a couple days, then to speed up the process, used a small hammer and a 4" diameter aluminum rod on its end as an anvil to flatten it out, then the spoon again to round it up a bit. I sanded it with some fine paper, and finished with a Scotch Brite sanding pad to leave a brushed look.

[BarginsTech]

:O That looks so amazing!!! Sigh... I wish my guy would make me one... -_-