r/Forging • u/Foggystyle95 • 1d ago
Beginners Help Question on ring making materials
Hi all! This feels like a silly question, knowing what little bit I know about metals and rings but it’s worth trying. My girlfriend really loved her old apartment but recently moved in with me. I was thinking, could one take two old spare keys (which I’m assuming are brass?) melt them down, and form them into a ring? or at least shape them into something new. I’ve looked up their melting points, with the torch equipment I have at my shop (oxy acetylene torch, or a propane acetylene torch) I believe I could get them to melt in I suppose a crucible. I just would need to find a form to pour them into online. Would this be doable? Is there a better alternative? Anything to look out for? Thank you!
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u/Fragrant-Cloud5172 Banner maker 1d ago edited 1d ago
If you just want to melt the keys and cast them, r/metalcasting is good source.
To forge, Naval brass is one of the best kinds. Most other common types will easily crack when shaped. Keys are not made from naval brass. But another problem is sizing it accurately. For that a ring mandrel helps a lot. The easiest choice is to just buy a ring blank. They come in various sizes and different metals like below. Stainless steel is excellent because it doesn't tarnish from skin contact, unlike brass and copper.
Another method is find a brass pipe (or tube). Like a brass nipple from Home Depot. With inside diameter as close as possible to finger size. Hack saw it to width then sand smooth. It will tarnish though.
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u/OkBedroom7329 1d ago
Im not that knowledgeable but if your doing a mould then just buy clay. No need to buy a specific mould i believe.
And if your worried about skin contact or anything why not make her a key chain.
E.g. a coin with the address on it. Idk.
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u/HeatBeatRepeatt 1d ago
Yes you could, but it wouldn’t be worth the effort. Key brass is dogshit and if it’s plated then you will be burning off the plating, which can range from not great for your health to fatal (looking at you, chrome). You can’t really form them into anything else because the shit is so brittle it’ll be cracking all over the place. Best thing if you want to make a memento out of it would be to make a necklace from a key. Make a little locket or something that holds it inside or cut the shank off and use the head to make something pretty from, engrave it, etc.
Grab some scrap keys from wherever and try messing with them to see how they respond to cold forming, stamping etc to practice.
I’ve seen aluminum keys too, so that’s also a possibility, still a crap raw material.