Titanium Hummingbird Ring

I first drew out a stylistic humming bird.
Then I transferred the design to the gold, which is about 0.7 mm thick.
I use a laser printer, and then transfer the print to the gold, ( or any other surface) using acetone. Future tutorial coming up on that one.
Then I use a No.0/8 saw blade and pierce it out.

I got hung up and forgot to take pictures.

Here is another humming bird from another project that shows the technique.
The bird is cut out using 8/0 blades.

Then very small pieces of solder are partially melted on the back of the frame.
Then it is laid onto the back plate and fluxed and heated up to soldering temperature, causing the solder to flash solder the humming bird frame.

The silver is black because it has not been pickled yet.
This was a larger bird about 25 mm high, so I used printed paper to transfer the image and just glued it onto the 1 mm thick silver plate

Here is the finished humming bird, enameled with Thompson's vitreous enamels.

Anyway, here is the proper humming bird.
It also has a 2 mm threaded rod made of gold that is soldered on the back, along with a locating pin that will go into the titanium band to stop it from turning.

First I drill a 18 mm hole in a plate of titanium.
I cut the titanium out and then hacksaw it to a round shape.
Then I file and pound the hell out of it until it is round.
When it work hardens I anneal it like I would silver or gold.
Later, rings were made from round bar.
But at the time, that's all I had.

Then I turn it round on my lathe.

Until I get to the basic shape I want. About 2 mm thick. Then I file it into a slight taper.
The top is about 15 mm wide.

First I cut a guide line round the ring with a 3/0 saw blade.
Then I file a ledge of about 2 mm, right round both sides.

Until I get to this shape. Then I rolled out some gold for the sides.

I make some 18 ct gold bands that fit tightly onto the lip I filed in.
I also make them stand a bit proud, so that I can force them flat in a vice.

Then I filed the bands away towards the outside.
Sort of like a triangular shape.

With the bands in place, I soldered four little tabs on that will have rivets through.
They will be shaped into little leaves later.

Drilling and test fitting the rivets.

At the bottom I soldered one piece in that I cut apart into two tabs afterwards.
For the bottom rivets.

I made a 18 ct white and yellow gold flower set with small diamonds in the stamens.

From the side.
The bottom looks skew because it is just stuck on with office putty.

All the components polished and ready for assembly.
The first thing now is to heat blue the ring.

Once the ring is heat blued, it is time to fit the outer bands.

I melt a little ball on the wire.
Then I slightly counter sink the hole on the inside of the ring.
The head of the melted wire fits into the counter sunk hole on the inside of the ring.
Then, when the time comes to peen the outside top rivets down, I put the ring on a triblet.

The melted balls of the rivets are the only contact to the triblet.
That way, as I form the rivets on the top, they are also being spread out inside the ring because of the triblet being there.
Once everything is tapped and tightened, the inside is filed smooth and sanded down.

I forgot to take pictures of the making, but this is the other side of the ring.
It has a white gold accent set with a diamond.

The finished ring.