In this ible, I do my best to show you how to make a ring blank from a steel nut. You see a lot of rings from nuts on instructables and YouTube, but this blank has an inlay slot so you could put crushed rock in it.

This was quite fun but also challenging and I enjoyed it a lot ;)

This is also an entry in the jewelry challenge, if you like it and think this ible is well written please vote.

Step 1: Tools and Materials

this really could be made with only files, super glue, and sandpaper but I used a few more to speed up the process.

assorted files; best to have a flat one and a triangle one for the inlay grove.
dremel tool and bits-grinding stone and cutoff wheel.
vise or clamp
lathe, drill would also work
and of course, a steel or brass nut

Step 2: Knock Off the Corners

I started by knocking off the corners with a flat file. It was at this point that I realized that it would be easier to hold if it still had flat spots to bore out the threads.

Step 3: Remove the Threads

For this I put the nut in a vise and used a grinding stone in my dremel tool. This would be easier to just drill out the threads but I don't have a 5/8 drill bit.

During this it also go quite hot so I just used water to cool it every few minutes while grinding.

Much grinding later- the treads are removed and its now time to move on to getting it round and cutting a slot for the inlay.

Step 4: Make It (mostly) Round

In this step, I started with a dowel in a lathe and slowly knocked it down to the inside diameter of the ring. I then put the ring on the dowel and turned the speed on the lathe down to around 400 RPM. (not sure cuz its a homemade lathe) I filed it down and then took it off the lathe.

You could also do the same in a drill or drill press. Take a drill bit or dowel that fits in the chuck and wrap it in masking or painters tape until it fits the inside diameter if your nut. you can then clamp the drill down and lock the trigger and use it like a lathe.

Step 5: Adding the Groove

This part is optional-it depends if you want your ring to have an inlay.

To do this i used a cutoff wheel in my dremel tool and then cleaned up the groove with a triangle file. This could also be done on the lathe with a dremel tool but I didn't feel comfortable enough to do that.

Into the groove you could put almost anything-wire, crushed rock, sand, etc.