DIY Coin Rings

This quarter could become a fashionable piece of jewelry.

Creating a coin ring is an exemplary way to breathe new life into an object by making it into something new. With a few tools and some basic crafting techniques, you can turn a run-of-the-mill or antique coin into a conversation piece. If you have a lucky or special coin that you've had for a while this is a way to keep it with you always or turn it into a gift.

Things You'll Need

• Steel square: 2 inches wide by 2 inches long and 1 inch high
• Spoon
• Quarter or dollar coin
• Drill with 1/8 inch bit for metal
• 400-grit sandpaper
• 1,200-grit sandpaper
• Metal polish
• Soft cloth
• Vice grips
• Duct tape
• Rotary tool with cutting bit
• Sanding disc
• Buffing wheel

Instructions

1. Hold the coin between your thumb and forefinger on the steel square. Tap the rim of the coin with the round end of a spoon. Constantly rotate the coin as you tap it so that you evenly fold the silver. Your goal is to evenly fold down the rim of the coin so that the letters on the periphery of the coin become folded inwards.

2. Drill a hole through the center of the coin using a 1/8 inch drill bit designed for metal. Keep the bit in the coin and run the exterior rim of the coin against 400-grit sandpaper for a minute. Repeat for another minute against 1,200-bit sandpaper.

3. Dab a dime-sized amount of metal polish on a soft cloth and run the exterior of the coin against the polish, while keeping it on the drill bit. This will produce a clear shine.

4. Wrap duct tape around the teeth of a pair of vice grips and place the coin snugly between them. Insert a rotary tool with a cutting bit into the center of the coin. Move the tool back and forth through the center of the coin, stopping when the ring gets to the proper size for your finger.

5. Insert a sanding disc in the rotary tool and move it in and out of the inside of the ring, to get rid of the rough edges on the inside of the ring. Just sand for about a minute as excessive sanding could make the ring too big.

6. Dab a bit of metal polish onto the exterior of a small buffing wheel and buff the exterior and interior of the coin. Wipe off the ring on a soft cloth.

References

• Team Droid: How to Make a Coin Ring

Resources

• Detector Place: Coin Ring
• John Huber Homepage: How to Make a Coin Ring