neural
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since November 2019
Posts: 114
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Post by neural on Jun 5, 2020 12:56:41 GMT -5
So.. I saw this neat tutorial on youtube. Guy took a large hex-nut and filed it into a rather nice looking ring.
I figured it would be a fun project, and the hex-nuts are like $0.75 each, so I picked on up at the hardware store last time I went there.
Then my wife reminded me that unlike silver and gold, steel may not react as well with the skin.
This pretty much killed my enthusiasm, but I'm still trying to salvage the idea.
Is there a reliable coating that can be put on different types of metal like steel, copper, etc. that protects the skin?
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reeniebeany
starting to spend too much on rocks
Rotary Only
Member since January 2020
Posts: 125
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Post by reeniebeany on Jun 5, 2020 14:20:45 GMT -5
Our housemate is allergic to everything but gold and platinum. We have had limited success with clear fingernail polish or clear epoxy. But those are not permanent.
She has some costume jewelry she loves, but as soon as the coating wears off she gets big welts. Nothing seems to work on earrings.
Steel doesn't bother lots of folks. I can wear pretty much anything with no reaction. Brass (I think) turns my skin green if I wear it long term, but it doesn't irritate it.
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Post by rockjunquie on Jun 5, 2020 15:18:35 GMT -5
Our housemate is allergic to everything but gold and platinum. We have had limited success with clear fingernail polish or clear epoxy. But those are not permanent. She has some costume jewelry she loves, but as soon as the coating wears off she gets big welts. Nothing seems to work on earrings. Steel doesn't bother lots of folks. I can wear pretty much anything with no reaction. Brass (I think) turns my skin green if I wear it long term, but it doesn't irritate it. A lot of people wear stainless steel jewelry with no issues. As for regular steel, I think it will turn your finger black, but I doubt it will cause a painful reaction.
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Post by greig on Jun 5, 2020 15:31:27 GMT -5
I think the project would be cool, but you will probably have issues with oxidation over time. Iron rusts. I wonder if you galvanized it (hot dip in zinc)?
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Post by rockjunquie on Jun 5, 2020 15:53:51 GMT -5
I think the project would be cool, but you will probably have issues with oxidation over time. Iron rusts. I wonder if you galvanized it (hot dip in zinc)? I've read that galvanized steel is no good for jewelry.
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Post by opalpyrexia on Jun 5, 2020 20:36:15 GMT -5
Here's another idea, but because it requires some precision work it might require a machine shop for sizing.
Enlarge the ID of the steel hexnut ring to just a half a hair less than the OD of a separate silver sleeve. Put the sterling in an ice bath while you heat the ring with a torch. Then drop the sterling inside the ring and, when they're finally at room or body temperature, the silver and steel will be physically locked.
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Post by hummingbirdstones on Jun 5, 2020 21:12:55 GMT -5
Don't know about regular steel but stainless steel is supposedly hypoallergenic. That is why lots of earrings have stainless steel wires.
I like Gary's opalpyrexia idea best. There is no coating that I know of that will not wear off eventually. Adding an internal sterling band inside the ring would alleviate the problem of skin irritation unless someone was allergic to sterling.
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Post by opalpyrexia on Jun 6, 2020 11:21:04 GMT -5
Another potential solution for a silver liner would be making the hex nut ring into a spinner.
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