Wood Inlaid Escape Ring

I decided to make an escape ring, similar to ones which I had seen on the internet, along with a wooden box to keep it in. The ring not only looks amazing but also allows its wearer to escape from handcuffs, zipties, rope and tape.

Step 1: The Video

The first thing that you should do is to watch the video which I made, please also subscribe to my youtube channel here:My Channel

Step 2: What You Will Need

This project only requires relatively simple tools, due to the fact that I used a ring blank to make it.

Materials

ring blank - You can by real sterling silver or stainless steel ring blanks, however I discovered that a tunnel earring meant to stretch an ear works very well and is far cheaper. However make sure to remember the size of an earring is measured by the outside diameter, not the inside.

piece of wood - This is what you will inlay into the ring blank in order to add to its looks, I used a piece of beech, which worked well.

spade bits or hole saws - To cut the hole in the wood

sand paper - to shape the ring

super glue - I used this both for gluing the pieces together and for filling in the gap in my ring

paint - To dye the glue

milk bottle tops - these acted as spacers

craft knife

clear lacquer

coping saw blade - for the escape shim

pliers and wire cutters - for cutting and shaping the blade

blank box

lichtenberg machine

Step 3: Preparing the Wood and Spacers

The first thing to do is to take your block of wood and cut a small square the same thickness as the gap in your ring. Then secure it in a vice and drill a hole through the center of it either the same size as the outside diameter of the earring or slightly smaller, I drilled my hole smaller than it should have been and used sand paper to slowly widen it ensuring a perfect fit. After this I took the milk bottle tops and used a knife to cut out an identically sized hole in the center of those, I also used a pair of scissors to remove the threaded sections from the caps.

Step 4: Sanding

First unscrew the earring and slide on all three pieces, sandwiching the wood between the bottle tops then use either sand paper, a belt sander or a power sander to sand all areas of the ring to be flush with the metal. You can also use the same techniques to round over or bevel the metal edges, which I did not do.

Step 5: Gluing

I then unscrewed the ring and glued the pieces together with super glue, this could have been done before the sanding or the ring could even be left unglued however it may begin to unscrew if you do this. In order to glue the ring I simply applied a layer of super glue between all of the layers and screwed the ring back together to act as its own clamp.

Step 6: Filling in the Gaps

Seeing as my piece of wood split while I was drilling it I decided to fill it in, in order to do this I used some super glue and dyed it by mixing spray paint into it, I then applied this mixture to the split and removed excess with a razor blade.

Step 7: Final Sanding

for a final sanding to get rid of any marks left by the tools I drilled a hole through a round piece of wood and mounted this onto a bolt, which allowed me to mount the ring onto it and use it as a mandrel. I then mounted it into a drill stand and used varying grits of sanding sponges, which went from 100 all the way to 600.

Step 8: Clear Coat

To finish the ring I first applied vegetable oil to the wood and then I took it outside and gave it a spray clear coat, I then used furniture polish in order to give the ring a final buff.

Step 9: The Escape Device

In order to make the handcuff shim with a saw, you must first cut a small section of the coping saw blade, then I used pliers and a hammer to bend it around the mandrel so that it could be hidden inside. In order to use it, you remove it from the ring straighten it slightly and insert it into the gap between the handcuff ratchet and the area with the key hole and click it in one more place, the handcuffs should then open. The saw can also be used to saw through softer things such as rope, zip ties and tape.

Step 10: The Box

I bought a premade box and used a lichtenberg device to add the cool patterns. I then drybrushed the hinges with black paint, gave it a clear coat, and cut a piece of foam to sit inside.

Step 11: Enjoy Your Creation

Now you can enjoy your unique ring with a hidden secret, this is perfect for magicians or escape artists, or just in case, and the ring looks absolutely stunning on its own.

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