Fixing a wedding ring.........?

[Stu Ablett in Tokyo Japan]

Some days the only good thing about beating you head against the wall is you can stop.

Boy life here in Japan can really piss a guy off.

I've been married coming up 13 years now, I almost always wear my wedding ring, rarely do I take it off, and it has taken a beating along the way. I is scratched, and no longer round, but it fits my hand, but recently it developed a crack in it, that now, has become a break. It is a clean break.

All that is needed is a micro torch thing and just melt the break back together, I would think.

Went to a shop we found on the net that does repairs, they want to melt the ring down, recast it, re-engrave it and give it back to me, they only want $250 to do this!

For that kind of money, I'll buy a freaking torch and do it myself.

City of 12,000,000 people, and after a week of phone calls, and pissing around, this is the best we can come up with, makes you wonder just why the Japanese economy has been stagnant for so long don't it.....


OK, rant over.

Anyone have any suggestions for repair?

Any good glues out there?

I don't think we paid $250 for the ring when we got married, so now to pay that much to get it recast is nuts, to me.

If I were to buy a torch, all I have to do is melt the two ends together?

Cheers!

[Rob Russell]

If you really get stuck, I'll get a quote from the goldsmith at our local jeweler. I'll get you could ship the ring to the US, have it fixed and shipped back to you for way less than $250.

[Jim Davenport]

Years ago I had mine mashed on my finger.
The doc's had to cut it off. I took it to a Jeweler, and he reshaped it. If I remember right, he then silver soldered it back together. Still good many years later.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Stu.............The reason they want so much is because they are recasting it and I'll bet that's where the expense is. Time.

I haven't worn my wedding ring in 36 years. It is such a safety hazard working in electronics. So......when my oldest son got married the first time, we had it resized and he used it.........He gave it back after he divorced. I'm sure they just resized it....cut out some gold and silver soldered it. I'd check with another jeweler.

[Chip Charnley]

I will reiterate Rob's suggestion. Find someone here in the States that can do it. Either use someone you know as a middleman or go directly to a reputable jeweler. Can't imagine it being more than $100 and probably less even including some sort of insured postage each way. And I would probably just go UPS or FEDEX standard package with minimal insurance cheapest postage.

[Stu Ablett in Tokyo Japan]

Well, I found out that I can do it myself, so I will.

Found this page........

Jewelry Repair

I'll have it fixed in no time

Thanks for the ideas etc. Guys!

[Frank Fusco]

One of our local jewelers has a laser welder designed just for such things. Remember, gold melts at about 600 degrees. A tad too much heat and you will have a blob where there used to be a ring. If you change your mind, I'll send you his info.

[Bill Turpin]

Stu: if you haven't done this yet, then e-mail me and I will get you thru this. Too long to do here. Don't buy gold solder, way too Expensive. I have been a silversmith since the seventies.

Bill in WNC mountains
aplpickr@msn.com

[Mark Rios]

STU.....STU.....STU......

What are you thinking????????????

Just chuck it up in that fancy lathe you got. Bring it up to the highest, speediest, way fastest speed you can get it to. Then.... very, very slowly..... start to apply the heat/torch. At just the exact, right moment, centripetal force will take over and the heated/softened/melted gold will flow into the break and solder itself. Just let it cool down while it spins down and all will be well.

NO....No.....no charge for the help from you Stu. Honest. It's okay. Just trying to help a friend.