Pictures of my Wedding Band being manufactured

[Michael Hill]

I'm getting married coming up in May and me being who I am, I can't have a normal wedding band. Wedding bands with "different" metals are all the rage, but tungsten and titanium are boring. Me? Mine is being made out of Inconel 718 with an inlay of Palladium.

For those of you who don't know, Inconel 718 is a high performance Nickel Alloy that is typically used in applications like Rocket Engines, Turbine Engine Blades, etc. Basically, anywhere that needs a high melting temperature metal. (note the thermal properties) http://www.matweb.com/search/datashe... 86134&ckck=1 However, being a nickel alloy, it is traditionally an extremely difficult material to work with. The material isn't necessarily expensive, but the processing of it is. That's why this band is special.

And palladium? Well because Iron Man is cool. And it looks pretty awesome.

Link to the album: http://imgur.com/a/I8HWe

Yes, I am fully aware that this thing cannot be cut off (which is why I can't wear it while playing sports or really anything where I can break my finger or cause it to swell). I believe it's much easier to cut the finger off and reattach it than to cut the ring. That also has the added "advantage" of being able to keep the ring unharmed! Oh the things I do for love...

[Tristan Lall]

Originally Posted by Michael Hill

Yes, I am fully aware that this thing cannot be cut off (which is why I can't wear it while playing sports or really anything where I can break my finger or cause it to swell). I believe it's much easier to cut the finger off and reattach it than to cut the ring. That also has the added "advantage" of being able to keep the ring unharmed! Oh the things I do for love...

Congratulations, but I think you might be overstating the durability of that ring.

I suspect you could get rid of it by abrasively machining it under water with an electric¹ or pneumatic die grinder and a cutting wheel. That would certainly hurt less than the alternative you propose. And if you happened to find a friendly firefighter, they would likely make short work of the ring with their hydraulic cutters.

Also, doctors will likely attempt bloodletting or dissection before amputation, so you'd have that to look forward to, before they pull out the miniature bone saw.

¹ If mains electric, use a large ungrounded bucket or tub, and insulate the operator from the electrical source. Don't use a grounded fixture. Low-voltage DC won't care much as long as you don't submerge it—and if you do, it will still work for a while.

[asid61]

Nice work! Are you going to harden that?
Nice, simple design. Maybe you could manufacture and sell those. "Indestructible wedding bands".

[Michael Hill]

Originally Posted by asid61

Nice work! Are you going to harden that?
Nice, simple design. Maybe you could manufacture and sell those. "Indestructible wedding bands".

I wasn't the one making it. This guy is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03J3R3vnW1I

I contacted him through his Etsy store (https://www.etsy.com/shop/Triggeron) and asked if he could make me one out of Inconel and he said he'd do it.

[Al Skierkiewicz]

Mike,
WOW!

[asid61]

Originally Posted by Michael Hill

I wasn't the one making it. This guy is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03J3R3vnW1I

I contacted him through his Etsy store (https://www.etsy.com/shop/Triggeron) and asked if he could make me one out of Inconel and he said he'd do it.

Wow, that's a pretty cool method he's using to make the ring. The custom setups are a little weird, but I guess if you make multiple rings or sell them at a high price it offsets the cost.

[Michael Hill]

Originally Posted by asid61

Wow, that's a pretty cool method he's using to make the ring. The custom setups are a little weird, but I guess if you make multiple rings or sell them at a high price it offsets the cost.

He said he's modified his setup a little bit more so he can better "mass produce" them. I'm not exactly sure what he's done though. And compared to how much I spent on the engagement ring...the price of this ring isn't so bad.

[Michael Hill]

Just got an update today. He's doing some finishing work on it.

http://imgur.com/a/pSZJ1

[DonRotolo]

Originally Posted by Michael Hill

Just got an update today. He's doing some finishing work on it.

I was hoping to see something like that; after the initial cuts those square edges would be darn sharp. I wonder why he didn't do that - at least on one side - during initial fabrication. Meh, he knows better than me perhaps.

As for cutting it off: No, not with plain hand tools, but think 'dremel-with-water-cooling' and a diamond or abrasive wheel will make short work of that, as would a Rescue-size one of these.

[Michael Hill]

Originally Posted by DonRotolo

I was hoping to see something like that; after the initial cuts those square edges would be darn sharp. I wonder why he didn't do that - at least on one side - during initial fabrication. Meh, he knows better than me perhaps.

As for cutting it off: No, not with plain hand tools, but think 'dremel-with-water-cooling' and a diamond or abrasive wheel will make short work of that, as would a Rescue-size one of these.

You think so? That's somewhat reassuring.

[DonRotolo]

Originally Posted by Michael Hill

You think so? That's somewhat reassuring.

Hm. Can we try it??

[Gary Dillard]

Originally Posted by asid61

Nice work! Are you going to harden that?

Inco 718 bar stock comes in 2 forms, 5662 (solution) and 5663 (precipitation hardened), you can machine it in the hardened condition without subsequent heat treatment. We do it all the time on jet engine hardware.

[Michael Hill]

My ring came in a couple days ago:

http://imgur.com/x7q8KOA

It's pretty hard to see the palladium band in the picture, but it's there. It's a bit easier to see in real life (though it blends in a bit with the inconel)

[DonRotolo]

Quite attractive. And definitely worthy of a nerd's finger (and I say that with the very highest level of respect).