In this Instructable, I will show you how I forged my own personal ring. Hope you enjoy!

Step 1: Tools

I used some lo carbon 1/4 inch steel round stock, a forging hammer (I don't know the weight), files, pliers, safety glasses and gloves, and a welding helmet. I also had a oxy-acetylene torch (cutting tip, a forge if you have one would be much better), a tig welder (please do not go out and buy one or use, if you do not have proper training to use it) with 100% Argon gas.

Step 2: Heating the Metal

First, start by taking your steel, and cutting about a 1 Ft length, much of it will not be used, it's just there to help you hold on and not burn yourself. Next, turn your torch on, and start to heat the end of the metal till it glows red. Go down about three inches heating the metal up. ( If you have a forage and know how to heat and hammer metal, ignore this explanation) After that, go to your anvil and flatten out your steel while keeping it uniform in width. Hammer it to about half the size it was beforehand. Then take your metal to the horn of your anvil (the round spike looking then at one end) go about an inch from the tip and began to hammer the metal around it with said hammer. You may need to go back and repeatedly re heat your metal.

Step 3: Sizing

Try to get the metal as close to the size you want to fit your finger, please do not test size with the metal hot, go dunk it in a dunk tank or bucket of water, after I got it to the size I wanted, I went to my tig machine.

Step 4: Welding the Ring Shut

If you have a SMAW(stick) or MIG(wire) machine, that will work just as well, but be prepared for having to grind your welds down. If you have a tig machine, I suggest using filler wire if you have any gaps between the two flat ends of the ring. Have your tungsten ground down to a pencil or needle point for consented arc. After you have welded your ring together, dunk it and size it, if you feel any rough areas, use round file and smooth it down. Your stick out of metal will come in handy very soon.

Step 5: (Ignofe If You Have It the Size You Want) Resizeing If Too Small or Big

If like me you have your ring too big after welding, go back to your torch or forge and reheat the metal. Then go to your anvil horn and hammer it smaller, this will make you have to cut a chunk off and re weld your ring. If its too small re heat the metal, take it to the horn, then hammer it farther up the horn, this will thin that metal out, so be careful.

Step 6: Cutting Off the Stick Out

Remember to file the inside if there is any rough or sharper areas. (do not cut the stick out off if you plan on adding an inlay, as I will in my next intractable, using this one to get the ring blank. You are done with your ring for now) If you cut the stick out off, cut it as close to the ring as possible to minimize grinding or filing of the remanding stick out.

Step 7: Done

Once you smooth out the Exterior of the ring you are done. Unless you want to sandblast or polish your ring, I enjoy the cold darker look of the metal and all the forge markings. So I am keeping it how it is. Thanks reading, I hope you guys will enjoy your new rings. And please vote this up for the Ring Contest :)