custom mandrel

I have been making ring sizer sets for our different mandrel shapes during
the slow "back to school" days of September. Unfortunately, one of our most
popular custom shapes has no mandrel available. A picture of this shape is
available at
http://www.agta.org/consumer/images/...dalmhonors.jpg
This ring is not even close to being size-able, and it seems that no matter
how carefully we size the clients finger, it always ends up being a
nightmare. This picture makes it look a bit like a more standard shape, the
tapered square with rounded corners, but the sides are longer and the top is
more narrow than the mandrel available. Does anyone make such a mandrel?
Does anyone custom make mandrels? Is it possible to alter a mandrel
accurately? Once I have a mandrel, I can take the brass ring blanks from
Rio Grande, shrink or stretch them to size, and form them to make the
sizers. If you sell or make square shanked rings, I can tell you this is
time well spent. The round sizers are not accurate for these odd shapes.
Thanks to all, Marggi

Hi Marggi,

Have you looked in the 2003 Rio Grande tool catalog? Page 214 shows a
ring mandrel that may be the one you're looking for. It's item 'I',
item # 112-369. It's described as a finger shaped mandrel that is
unmarked, but goes from size 4 to size 15, cost $17.00.

Usual disclaimers.

Dave

Really! I looked at it and assumed it was a bezel mandrel. It is in with a
bunch of other weird shapes, like hexagonal and triangular, if it is the one
I am thinking of. Are those all ring mandrels? (Rhetorical question, don't
need to answer that.) That would be so cool. I will take a closer look.
Thanks!
Marggi

"Dave Arens" wrote in message
...
Hi Marggi,

Have you looked in the 2003 Rio Grande tool catalog? Page 214 shows a
ring mandrel that may be the one you're looking for. It's item 'I',
item # 112-369. It's described as a finger shaped mandrel that is
unmarked, but goes from size 4 to size 15, cost $17.00.

Usual disclaimers.

Dave

No, that's not it. I allready have a rounded tapered square. I guess what I
am looking for is a rounded tapered rectangle. The sides are taller and the
taper more pronounced. I have been searching on the net, and ran across
"Jarvi mandrels", they come in lots of shapes, but I can't tell from the web
page what sizes they go to, they might be bezel mandrels, I cant' tell.
There is one that is "finger" shaped, but it looks like a fingertip, like an
oval with a flattened bottom. But the page does not show a picture of the
actual mandrel, only a graphic depicting the shape. Is anyone using a fancy
Jarvi mandrel? They look like they could be fun. I am looking into having a
machine shop make the mandrel, but some folks I have talked with have been
dissapointed with the accuracy of mandrels they have had made. The sides
did not match, if you turned the ring around and slid it back down the
mandrel, it would not fit anymore. This would not be acceptable. I talked
with an engineer freind, he offered to draw one out for me on "auto-cad" and
send it to a computer aided machine shop, but it would cost several hundred
dollars to do it that way, even with the free design services. . That's it,
so far. Still looking, I will post an update if I find anything. Thanks,
everyone.
Marggi


"Dave Arens" wrote in message
...
Hi Marggi,

Have you looked in the 2003 Rio Grande tool catalog? Page 214 shows a
ring mandrel that may be the one you're looking for. It's item 'I',
item # 112-369. It's described as a finger shaped mandrel that is
unmarked, but goes from size 4 to size 15, cost $17.00.

Usual disclaimers.

Dave

In article ,
Marggi wrote:
... I talked with an engineer freind, he offered to draw one out for me
on "auto-cad" and send it to a computer aided machine shop, but it would
cost several hundred dollars to do it that way, even with the free design
services. .

Isn't that acceptable? considering now you'll be able to size those rings
well? and possibly future weird ones.

Bri

--
Brian Adam
Auckland NEW ZEALAND
www.adam.co.nz

If I were the owner, and in control of the funds, yes, I would have this
done. It is our signature ring, our spectrum award winner, and I like the
idea that no one elses would be exactly like ours. But before I tell the
owner that the mandrel he authorised me to purchase for 18 dollars is now
300 dollars, I want to be positive that I have exhausted all other options.
And someone in the shop said that they talked to someone who went to Tucson,
and they saw the mandrel at a booth for sale. So I need to check really,
really throroughly, and be sure I am right, so that a sales rep doesn't walk
through the door next week and try to sell us one for 18 dollars.
Marggi


"abastanza" wrote in message
...
In article ,
Marggi wrote:
... I talked with an engineer freind, he offered to draw one out for me
on "auto-cad" and send it to a computer aided machine shop, but it would
cost several hundred dollars to do it that way, even with the free
design
services. .

Isn't that acceptable? considering now you'll be able to size those rings
well? and possibly future weird ones.

Bri

--
Brian Adam
Auckland NEW ZEALAND
www.adam.co.nz

Also, if the engineer does it, he can probably calibrate the sizes on it for
you since they correlate to the circumference of a ring. That way, you
won't have to make sizing rings.

-Stanley

"abastanza" wrote in message
...
In article ,
Marggi wrote:
... one of our most popular custom shapes has no mandrel available. A
picture of this shape is available at
http://www.agta.org/consumer/images/...dalmhonors.jpg
This
ring is not even close to being size-able, and it seems that no matter
how carefully we size the clients finger, it always ends up being a
nightmare.

Have you tried asking an engineer to make one that will fit that shape
exactly? Maybe they can lathe something up from a computer drawing of your
ring shape.

[snip]
Once I have a mandrel, I can take the brass ring blanks from Rio
Grande,
shrink or stretch them to size, and form them to make the sizers. If you
sell or make square shanked rings, I can tell you this is time well
spent.

Good idea.

Brian

--
Brian Adam
Auckland NEW ZEALAND