Matching 14kt Gold Mokume Gane Wedding Rings

In this instructable, I will show you how to make matching wedding rings out of 14kt gold mokume gane (pronounced mow-koo-may gah-nay, which means wood-grained metal).  While it may seem like a complex technique, I assure you anyone can make these with the right knowledge, the right tools, and enough patience.  The first two are easily acquired, the last one takes time.

Mokume gane is a technique that joins dissimilar metals together for ornamental purposes.  Metals are joined by diffusion bonding to create striking contrast and patterns.  There are hundreds of different metal combinations, patterns and techniques to choose from.  I chose a textured combination of 14kt red, yellow and white gold.  Because all these metals are relatively inert, it provides a comparatively easy example.

I have no formal or informal training in jewelry or silversmithing.  However, I have done some blacksmithing, and I study materials science.  Don't let that scare you!  I will explain the theory behind each step, how to do it, and what to do if things go wrong.  You don't need any previous experience to get this right.

This instructable is based loosely on the website I made to catalog how I made the wedding rings.  The wedding site reads more like a story than an instructable, which is why I've restructured it for you.  You can find the original here:  http://www.mike-short.com/MnM/Rings/Rings-Intro.shtml

Step 1 Overview and Materials List

The goal of this project is to make matching mokume wedding rings from scratch.  This is accomplished in four major parts:

1)   Make a billet of mokume gane from starting metals.
2)   Cut, roll and shape that billet into strips for making rings.
3)   Form these blanks into rings, solder them together and size the rings.
4)   File, shape and polish the rings to a mirror finish.

There are many intermediate steps inside each major part.

Here is a list of tools and materials, along with links to buy them and prices as of February, 2011.  I've split the materials into the four major parts. The entire project takes a couple weeks to finish, and each of the four parts can be done on its own with a long break in between.  The materials list is a bit long, but having the right tools for the job makes it go far more smoothly.  The total cost for the project with prices from Feb. 2011 is $2,168.30.  Of that total, $1,719.00 is the gold metal, while the remaining $449.30 gets you all the tools, supplies and safety equipment to finish the entire project.  Finding or borrowing tools and supplies substantially lowers this cost.
*Note: You can substantially lower the cost of this project by using different metals, such as silver, copper or brass.

Safety Supplies (Safety First!!!) (Total cost - $36.51)
(1) Safety glasses with side protection
      http://www.riogrande.com , P/N 201708, $8.20
(5) Pairs of nitrile (blue or purple) gloves
      http://www.vwr.com , P/N 414004-441, $12.62
(1) Lab coat or other long sleeve expendable clothing
      $0, just use an old long sleeve shirt
(1) Plastic face shield
      http://www.mcmaster.com , P/N 5481T28 , $15.69

Part 1 - Starting Metals (Total cost - $1,719.00)
*Note:  The prices of gold change by the day.  Check a reputable metals site, such as http://www.kitco.com for current prices.
(2) 1" by 1" sheets of 14kt white gold
      $348 (Feb. 2011) x 2 = $696.00
(2) 1" by 1" sheets of 14kt yellow gold
      $348 (Feb. 2011) x 2 = $696.00
(2) 1" by 1" sheets of 14kt red gold
      $348 (Feb. 2011) x 2 = $696.00
Recovered dust & scraps
      (-$369.00, adjusted to Feb. 2011 prices)

Part 1 - Supplies for Mokume Billet Making (Total cost - $158.65)
(1) Senpak heat treatment bag, 8" x 10"
      http://www.mcmaster.com/ , P/N 3438K14, $9.35
(2) Pounds of dry WOOD charcoal, not briquettes!
      http://www.acehardware.com or local hardware store, P/N 8231144, $7.49
(1) Small container of acetone
      Local hardware store, ~$10.00
(2) Steel plates, 4" x 4" x 1/2" thick
      http://www.mcmaster.com , P/N 6554K321, $34.32 for a 4" x 12" x 1/2" piece
(4) 5/16" to 7/16" hex head bolts, 2" to 3" long
      http://www.mcmaster.com , P/N 91247A320, $10.03 for a 25-pack
(4) Matching nuts for the bolts above
      http://www.mcmaster.com , P/N 95505A614, $8.66 for a 100-pack
(8) Matching washers for the bolts above
      Local hardware store, ~$1
(1) Bottle of White-Out or Liquid Paper
      Local office supply store, ~$2
(1) Piece of firebrick or insulating material to use as a heat-resistant surface
      http://www.mcmaster.com , P/N 9355K2, $8.62
(1) Propane torch (not MAPP gas)
      Local hardware store, ~$25
(1) Pair of tongs, strong metal tweezers, needle nose pliers or other tool for picking up hot metal
      http://www.mcmaster.com , P/N 7379A24, $7.18
(1) Bucket of water for quenching (fast cooling)
      Found $0.00
(2) Wrenches for tightening nuts & bolts above (I like adjustable wrenches)
      Local hardware store ~$30
(1) 1/2" drill bit
      Local hardware store, ~$5
(1) Glass or pyrex container, with a capacity of 100mL to 250mL
      Found, ~$0

Part 1 - Access to Big Machines for Mokume Billet Making
-Furnace (must be set to 100°F (~55°C) lower than the lowest melting point among your metals)
-Vise
-Drill Press
-Bandsaw

Part 2 - Supplies for Making Ring Blanks (Total cost - $87.70)
(1) Piece of 180-320 grit sandpaper
       Local hardware store, ~$2
(1) Piece of ~600 grit sandpaper
       Local hardware store, ~$2
(1) Jeweler's saw
      http://www.riogrande.com , P/N 110131, $11.00
(12) #2 jeweler's saw blades
      http://www.riogrande.com , P/N 110101, $17.50 for a pack of 144
(1) Stick of jeweler's saw lubricating wax
      http://www.riogrande.com , P/N 117003, $5.25
(2) 1" x 1" pieces of sturdy cardboard
      Found, $0.00
(1) Pair of calipers or very precise ruler
      http://www.riogrande.com , P/N 115189, $27.00
(1) Metal hammer (see below) or rolling mill
      http://www.riogrande.com , P/N 112530, $22.95

Part 2 - Big Machines for Making Ring Blanks
-Vise
-Rolling mill (optional), hand-cranked or powered

Part 3 - Soldering and Sizing the Rings (Total cost - $162.44)
(1) Box of Rio-Pickle pickling agent for non-ferrous metals
      http://www.riogrande.com , P/N 5010233, $11.25 for 3 lbs.
(1) 16 oz. mini Crock Pot
      http://www.riogrande.com , P/N 501012, $19.25
(1) Thermometer (just has to go to 212°F (100°C))
      http://www.mcmaster.com , P/N 6182K14, $13.96
(1) Box of baking soda
      Supermarket, ~$3
(1) Glass stirring rod
      http://www.mcmaster.com , P/N 8496K12, $1.77
(1) Bottle of gold & silver liquid flux, 1 pint
      http://www.riogrande.com , P/N 504006, $8.95
(6) Inches of MEDIUM grade, 1/16" 14kt yellow gold wire solder
      http://www.riogrande.com , P/N 600857, $20.76 (as of Feb. 2011)
(1) Propane torch
      Use the one from Step 1, $0.00
(1) Bucket of water for quenching
      Use the one from Step 1, $0.00
(1) Mandrel with ring sizes
      http://www.riogrande.com , P/N 112367, $26.50
(1) Plastic or neoprene hammer
      http://www.riogrande.com , P/N 112800, $47.00
(1) Metal cross-peen hammer
      Use the one from Step 2, $0.00
(1) Medium size hand file
      Local hardware store, ~$10
(1) Kitchen measuring cup
      Your kitchen, $0.00

Part 3 - Big Machines for Soldering and Sizing the Rings
-Vie
-Somewhere with ventilation

Part 4 - Finishing and Polishing the Rings (Total cost - $4.00)
(1) Medium size hand file
      Use the one from Step 3, $0.00
(1) Small needle file
      Found, $0
(1) Propane torch
      Use the one from Step 1, $0.00
(1) Bucket of water for quenching
      Use the one from Step 1, $0.00
(1) Mandrel with ring sizes
      Use the one from Step 3, $0.00
(1) Plastic hammer
      Use the one from Step 3, $0.00
(1) Metal cross-peen hammer
      Use the one from Step 2, $0.00
(1) Piece of 180-320 grit sandpaper
      Use the one from Step 1, $0.00
(1) Piece of ~600 grit sandpaper
      Use the one from Step 1, $0.00
(1) Piece of ~1200 grit sandpaper
      Local hardware store, ~$2
(1) Piece of ~2400 grit sandpaper OR rag and stick of rouge
      Local hardware store, ~$2

Part 4 - Finishing and Polishing the Rings
-Vise
-Lathe (optional, but saves a LOT of polishing time)

Comments

[AsianSpanker]

This is a tough economy, That is a lot of money. Do you have something using nickel, copper, Sterling silver, or such metals to practice on? What you have given here is more of a business start-up or a rich persons project. I believe that it isn't in the tradition of this forum, or maybe it isn't in the tradition of this forum as how I view it. Wonderful work though. Anything that starts with buying gold in this economy isn't something I am going to be following up on.

[hereiam]

Actually, you can save about 80% of the cost of this project by switching metals. See the note at the beginning of Step 1:

"Note: You can substantially lower the cost of this project by using different metals, such as silver, copper or brass."

Nickel-silver, sterling silver or bronze would also work very well. That would also lower the cost of the solders used, bringing the cost of the project from the $2,200 range to the $400 range. That number goes down more if you can find/borrow tools from friends. If you can scrounge just a few things, like the sandpaper, steel, nuts & bolts and a hammer, you can bring it down to around $300.

[davebmiller]

Nickel can cause adverse reactions in some people, and is not recommended for jewelry. While not -the - most authoritative source, WebMD's article is at least a starting point. http://www.webmd.com/allergies/nickel-jewelry-allergy

A much better metal for a lower cost than gold is sterling silver.

[Aeryk1]

If you want to find less expensive already made billets, my favorite place to go is www.ReactiveMetals.com. ShiningWave has some materials, tips and uses mostly ReactiveMetals products, but they have some other items that will interest you. They have an interesting selection from less expensive to 22kt with 18kt called samidare. Mokume gane means literally wood eye metal which we interpret to be wood grained metal. To find out about more detail on making mokume gane metals you can go to www.faceters.com/askjeff/mokume.shtml. Rio Grande will custom make billets for you.

[JoeCools]

Has anyone else had a problem downloading the *.pdf file, Just wanted to see if there was a new source for the file or if possible could reload anew attachment of it?

Thanks
/Joe

[kentwidman]

One ring to rule them all.

[RubrDuckZilla]

good one

[jarell]

hah thats a good one hopefully smeagol don't get to them

[kmpres]

Fantastic work, and an excellent write-up! And you say you're not trained in jewelry smithing! You make it look easy, too. I have a two questions, if I may:

First, I'm intrigued by the Japanese names for the smithing techniques you used (moku means wood, gane comes from kane, which means money (originally made from precious metals), etc). The Japanese do many things exceptionally well but I wasn't aware that their precious metals smithing techniques were that well known outside of Japan. I presume that other countries have their techniques as well?

Second, I bought my own wedding bands in Japan 24 years ago and they have two layers, platinum and gold, with the platinum layer outside and a somewhat wider band of gold inside. My ring turned out to be slightly too big for my left ring finger so ever since our wedding day I have worn it on my right ring finger on which it fits just fine. I tried to have it adjusted but was told that the metals have different melting points and cannot be resoldered once they are cut for resizing. Yet you carefully detailed a technique that solders multiple layers of dissimilar metals without any problem. Am I missing something here?

You make a lovely couple, by the way. I wish you both much joy and happiness!

[Ole bally]

Kmpres. Without having to destroy your original wedding band, If you were to have another gold band made that fits your finger properly and then machined on it's outside so that it is microscopically larger than your current ring, dip the new ring into liquid nitrogen whilst gently heating your original ring in your stoves oven. be careful how much heat you use...it must not get hot enough to discolor the metals. The quickly drop the new ring into the old on a flat glass surface to align them perfectly. Once they get back to room temperature...they will never move again! Good luck! :)

[kmpres]

Good idea.  I'd actually thought of that some years ago but decided it wasn't worth the cost, and the wife might object to my hiding the original engraving under a new band of gold.  The size difference is really minimal, maybe a quarter ring size, so it's not worth the effort.  Besides, there's an advantage to my wearing mine on my right hand and she wearing hers on her left. We can stroll hand-in-hand and our two rings would make contact symbolizing our love and devotion to each other.  Kanshoo-teki-ni narimasu, ne!

[Ole bally]

OK dunno if the last bit is a blessing or a curse!! It's just one way to solve your original problem! We use the same principle to put bearings onto shafts etc! I am pleased that you still deign to hold yr wifes hand after 24 yrs! Well done! Good marriages are very hard to find these days! Hang in there! 'Alles van die beste' !

[agthomas]

I believe the first application of mokume gane in Japan was the forging of very strong metal blanks intended to become katana, and other blades. A mokume gane sword is much less likely to shatter than a blade forged another way. Those swords can also be honed to an unusually sharp edge. Weapons were also made from "folded metal" in China and Korea.

Then, there are swords from the Middle Ages made from similar-looking Damascus steel blades (from the Middle East) and "damascened steel" blades (from Toledo, Spain). Today, there are "archeometallurgists" studying ancient forged blades to actually sort this out.

And of course, your non-lethal, hand-forged gold is quite gorgeous! Thanks for sharing the experience with us.

[kmpres]

Ah, I had thought that Japanese sword-smithing had something to do with it. Fascinating history, sword-making.  Nothing like a sustained war to advance the state of technology.  They found that if you heat, hammer and fold a blank 13 times you can create over 16,000 layers and create a tremendously sharp edge in the process. Japan is not all that well known for its jewelry making so the precious metals angle threw me off a bit but it makes sense that the two fields are related.

[hereiam]

Thanks for the nice comments, kmpres!

You're right on the Japanese name - moku=wood, me=eye,see and gane=metal,money. I'm not sure when mokume hit the international scene, but I don't see it as often as I'd expect to, even nowadays.

And as for your rings from Japan, they are correct that cutting (to resize) and re-soldering would be difficult. I made a diffusion bond, which was made possible because my metals could be held together at a very high pressure. Flat sheets or squarish billets are perfect for that sort of setup. I don't know if one could hold two ends of a ring together to make a strong diffusion bond. In addition, platinum melts about 700C higher than gold, and I don't know if gold solder would wet platinum metal.

Finally, with some metal combinations (luckily not Au-Pt) you run the risk of melting a eutectic alloy that forms between the two metals. This is an alloy with a lower melting point than the original two metals. Many solders are made this way, so that they melt at lower temperatures. Part of the reason I used all 14kt golds is that making a eutectic alloy at the interface wasn't a concern.

[kmpres]

Thanks, that solves a 24 year old mystery for me. My rings are 18Kt gold and Pt900 platinum. I suspect they were made from two closely sized rings that were joined by heating both to near the melting point of gold so that when the platinum ring was placed over the gold, and both were allowed to cool, they contracted at different rates which provided the high pressure for the bond.  At least that's been my guess all these years.  

They also told me that it was unlucky to cut a ring after it'd been forged as that could symbolize the eventual breakup of the relationship so it was best that I not pursue it.  Sage advice, I thought.

[ToolboxGuy]

I've had to cut off my wedding ring or lose the finger. The ring probably saved my hand from getting fingers/knuckles broken, but folded under the strain. We talked about having them melted down together and reforged into new rings/designs, but never got to doing it. Still have the wife (and the ring) 20 years later.

[riff raff]

Really? What kind of vice do you suggest? I already gave up smoking.

Or maybe you meant "vise." ;-)

[XR15]

The original spelling is fine for those of us who live in the UK. We're quite happy to entertain any form of vice (or vise if you prefer). :) But then we are all liberal lefties over here ;)

[hereiam]

Whoops, good catch! I'll change that typo wherever I find it. Thank you very much!

[nicholas1951]

Can't top what's already been said about this fine instructable!

The rings are breath-taking in their simple beauty and precious beyond value in that they are the work of your hands.

The very best to you both!

[charlesian2000]

Hi Guys,

I found out last year I was saying it wrong. I asked a little Japanese lady, and she pronounced it :-

mock-oo-may

I've only done fine silver and bronze, but I've alloyed up some 5% shakudo, and some 25% shibuichi.

This article has inspired me to continue with it.

[iminthebathroom]

wonderful... really

[lazemaple]

Rio Grande has Gold Mokume Gane billets for sale... think I'll take the easy way to making my ring. (smile)... but then I'm not getting married.
Wishing you a long and happy marriage which it can't help to be if you put the same effort into that as you did the rings!

[hereiam]

Thanks a ton! It was a labor of love, and that's what kept me from buying a billet of mokume from someone else. The wedding is what kept me going the whole time... right up to the night before!!! That's when I finished the last of the polishing. Just made it!

[hg341]

holy s*** so much info. i really wanted to do this when i saw it at first. but then i read the cost
what cheap metals do you think i could do this with?

[hereiam]

Thank you all for such wonderful feedback!

[SenKat]

WOW ! Hey, keep up the GREAT work ! It REALLY made the difference to me that you didn't "Dumb-down" or patronize while explaining your methods - the attention to detail is phenomial, and your artistic talent is astounding ! Keep 'em coming - I had NO idea about Mokume Gane, and you explained it perfectly. Perhaps you have a future in teaching ? Congrats on your weeding, your bride looks gorgeous - may the two of you have a wonderful, rich, and full life together !
Sorry for being so long winded :-) Thank you for posting this marvelous instructable.

[BigAl67]

Yes, all well and good, your craftsmanship is impressive, but can you show us how you put the glass back together after you stomp on it?

[hereiam]

I wish! We actually didn't step on the glass. We kept the traditions we liked, and didn't do the ones we didn't like. I see no reason to smash a perfectly good wine glass! :-)

[ToolboxGuy]

Can you make an Instructable using more mundane equipment and with low cost/no cost materials? For instance, take those lovely, comparatively cheap metals, (steel, aluminum, copper, zinc) readily avaiable in various dimensions (sheet, plate and/or pipe) with the usual tools someone can have in their garage already, or spend under $50 to get them?

Way cool to make your own wedding bands - worth spending the money if you know you won't really screw up.

[hereiam]

Thanks for the kind words!

As for doing this on the cheap, the best way to save money is in the metals. You can use metals that don't form a passivating oxide layer, which would prevent diffusion bonding from taking place. That means that things like zinc, aluminum, and stainless steel are out, while brass, copper, bronze, nickel-silver and silver (both pure and sterling) are OK.

As for the tools, one can always improvise when necessary, but not having the right tools makes it more prone to failure. Things like a mandrel, the right solder & flux are key.

[steveastrouk]

You CAN buy Mokugane in various metals, like from here.

It ain't cheap.

[rayj0007]

I assume the white out prevents diffusion between the steel and the metals in the billet. Please say more about the specific chemistry of the white out.

It's good you found a use for all the white out that's left in people's desks after the computer revolution. :)

[hereiam]

Sure thing! White-Out and Liquid Paper contain titanium dioxide, which is what makes them so white. It also is very stable and inert, after all, it is ceramic powder. So basically, it forms a physical diffusion barrier between the two metals.

[James Haskin]

Wow great instructable. Really well detailed with plenty of pictures and theory :D
Wishing you two a happy marriage.


Does this remind anyone else of a particular joke?

[mdeblasi1]

If you live in Franklin County Ohio (that's Columbus) and you are interested in metalsmithing, from beginner to advanced, please check out the  Cultural Arts Center
The fee is $50. for 8-1 hours classes, provide your own metal, and you will find all these tools and more.

[nixmix182]

Thanks for the idea!

[Symplegades]

Mozeltov! Absolutely amazing work...wish I'd known about this when my wife and I got married...

[bruno13069]

Beautiful work and clear instructions! Mazel Tov!