Cuttlefish Casting: The Making of a Gold Signet Ring

[@stephendalton3311]

Thanks, takes me back to when I was an apprentice jeweller, many years ago.

[@kaylee0nichole]

I absolutely love your studio. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us!

[@morrisbywaterlimited]

Kaylee Lopez Thank you very much, Kaylee. It's our pleasure :)

[@xbxllxe8816]

Hi, I realise this was posted a few years ago but I was wondering if you could help me? I'm looking into making my own signet ring for thr 18th birthday, my plan was to carve my design out of wax, sand cast that with silver and once I've cleaned my silver prototype up to how I'd like i would then use the cuttle fish method, I was just wondering how you work out how much gold you need for your ring? I obviously don't want to melt too little and have a half cast ring. Also the you made a funnel for the molten gold to go into, the other couple of lines either side (I guess to let the air escape?) Did you mark those right to the edge of the ring shank or was there a little gap? I hope this makes sense, thank you so much!

[@GOLD_FEVER]

Hope you were able to make your ring ok!

[@billieellendesigns]

Came out perfect first time :) but I posted for the lost wax carving and delft clay method

[@suelemoliveira5805]

Ualll que lindo , primeir vez que vejo esse trabalho sendo feito com ouro lindoooo

[@jeancardoso4690]

cara com certeza o melhor de todos!! parabens..

[@morrisbywaterlimited]

Thank you, very much!

[@lisajarvis3820]

Thank You ~ can you do one showing how to add a stone to the signet ring?

[@goldpanner485]

How was the impression of the ring made in thee cuddle fish bone? Looks like you placed the ring on the flat side and placed the other half of the bone on top squeezed it together and the ring imbedded itself in the bone thus leaving the impression. If this is the case then the cuttlefish bone must be some soft Please let me know where you can buy this bone

[@morrisbywaterlimited]

You are exactly right. Squeezing the two halves together leaves the impression due to the softness of the bone. As you can see earlier in the video, the bone trims away with ease when using tools which should indicate just how soft it is. You can actually buy it from pet shops or garden centres, because it is often used in bird cages for domestic birds to chew on and/or use as a sort of pedicure treatment for their talons. Thank you for your enquiry, hope this information was useful :) Best wishes, Michael

[@tomwilliams6444]

Hi, how do prevent porosity holes and flaws??? Have used deflt clay but had a problem with porosity. Thanks Tom

[@morrisbywaterlimited]

Hey, Tom. The problem is most likely that your metal is too hot. Another reason might be that your metal isn't clean enough; you need flux on it to absorb any dirt. We recommend using borax powder! Hope this helps. Thanks for asking :) Best wishes, Michael

[@Gandalf_the_handsome]

I could spend days in a shop like that. I wish I could find someone to teach me all this stuff and experiment.

[@morrisbywaterlimited]

Thank you :) We're pleased to see you're interested. We hope to produce more videos like this one very soon. There are more videos on our channel (kzbin.info) if you haven't checked them out already. Best wishes.

[@Gandalf_the_handsome]

Yeah, you are living the dream.

[@PhysicsHack]

Awesome I am litterally about to post sonmething like this (not jewellery). My dad showed me this when i was a kid. its amazingly effective isnt it. Is this a well known proceedure? I thought my dad was the only person who had ever done this!!! :)

[@morrisbywaterlimited]

Thank you :) When you upload it, post the link on here and I'll have a look :) What does your dad use it for? It truly is, and it's cheap to buy too. Haha :) As I have written in the description, the technique has been widely used for centuries. It's popularity has declined due to its time-consuming nature and the fact you cannot reuse the same cuttlebone twice. Nowadays, it's mostly used by artists and craftsmen who are creating individual pieces instead of mass producing a product.

[@adbraham]

was that 18ct or 9?

[@morrisbywaterlimited]

9ct. The Process would be the same though. Just different amount of time to melt down.

[@adbraham]

Thanks for the response! Obviously not necessary to use a flux to prevent oxidation of the copper etc in the gold alloy. I know nothing about this subject, but found your video very interesting! Thanks

[@kevin86670]

How much would you charge to make one? Say 14k or above.

[@morrisbywaterlimited]

Stxdigger Hi There. I've made a note of your question and will get back to you tomorrow with a quote. Thank you.

[@morrisbywaterlimited]

Stxdigger I'm terribly sorry about the delay in getting back to you. I could have swore I had replied already! Typically, we would not use this method to acquire a signet ring for you, since it is less cost effective than simply buying one in for you. We would use the cuttlefish method if you have gold of your own to melt down, which is both beneficial for lowering costs and adds sentimental value too. So unless you specifically want the ring making in this way, we would advise acquiring one readymade for you. It's difficult to say a price without having more information with regards to size of the head and finger size etc. So if you would like, we can continue this conversation and find our way to an estimate in a private message on here. Or alternatively we could discuss this via email? Thank you again, for your enquiry, and I apologise for the delayed response.

[@lisajarvis3820]

Morris Bywater Limited I had same question for you ~ but have read the answers you have given here ~ so will get the information first and then reply ~ but need to know one thing first ~ I’m based in UK 🇬🇧 ~ where are you based USA?

[@jerryrace4021]

hmm if your gonna it a smooth finish why not just sand cast?

[@morrisbywaterlimited]

Jessie Room Because we do no use the technique frequently enough to warrant spending money on the equipment required to sand cast :)

[@jerryrace4021]

fair enough. very nice final product btw

[@divaldosilva1720]

Show essa técnica

[@AwimbOwehTv]

Could you please make me 7 signet rings Coz I don't have the equipment to make one and I'm underage to wield some of the equipment

[@morrisbywaterlimited]

Check out our fast-paced workshop montage for a summary of our services! kzbin.info/www/bejne/nYm0c6CKepyJbMk

[@Beowulf_98]

casting is a cheap method it makes a weak ring, stamping is a much more better method.

[@morrisbywaterlimited]

desertfox xx98 Not if done properly it doesn't. Been doing it for 40 years, and the rings we've made over the years have lasted just fine :)

[@Beowulf_98]

Morris Bywater Limited thanks for replying, and I apologise for any inconvenience. But I've had signet rings cast and they didn't last a year.

[@morrisbywaterlimited]

desertfox xx98 No inconvenience caused, friend. Something a lot of people don't do properly with casting, is they don't clean the metal properly, or they don't use flux to prevent porosity holes, which is how you get a weak and vulnerable finished product.

[@Beowulf_98]

Morris Bywater Limited thanks for being understanding, have a nice Christmas.

[@sekarSekar-ee6yy]

My like u number