making coin rings

[Anonymous]

Hi, I have been inspired by my late grandfather to make my girlfriend a ring from a coin. I have been wanting to do this since I was about 9, but never have really been inspired until now (kinda lame, huh?).
Anyways, my grandfather used a machine while he was on a destroyer in ww2 to crush a half dollar into a mushroom shape. he then cut out the finger hole size and somehow made the rim nice and smooth and flat (i think a file). He then etched hearts all over it and gave it to his wife-to-be.
Now the question is.... how do i get a mushroom shape with basic tools without giving it a weird dented look? I dont have this machine, and he never really imparted this knowledge to any of us really (he passed away not too long ago).
Any responses would be greatly appreciated. Thank you all for your time and effort.
Sincerely,
Nathan Wolanyk
-"they that give up essential liberties in order to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety" -benjamin franklin.</BLOCKQUOTE>

 

[Anonymous]

Nathan, I see a mushroom or perfect cylinder or "tube shape" how ever it is made. Then the bottom is cut out of the tube so a finger can slide all the way through it. It would be a very wide ring.
Too bad a technique could be done where a hole did not need to be cut out and it could be stretched over a red or white hot sharp pointed rod(the size of the finger) and a hole could be melted in the middle then folded and stretched around the rod making a ring. You would no want any dents or wrinkles and have a smooth job.
(I saw somewhere I cannot remember where, a type of vending a machine where you put money in and it stretched a "penny" out of shape for a type Souvenier. It might have been in San Francisco to make a medalion of some sort?)

 

[Anonymous]

Check John-Edmonton's posts on making coin rings. He can pound out some beauties!!! Just do a search on coin rings for the last couple of years.