Donkey logo Butthead StudiosMEASURE · MAKE · FIRE
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A LITTLE ROOM TO SHRINK

Make the Right Fit. Guessing Sucks.

Choose your clay and finished ring size. See the dimensions to make, dry, and fire.

55 clay profiles
One clear plan.
01

Your ring

Approximate fired color; finish and patina vary.

Sizing system

Whole, half, or quarter sizes · US 0–24

Band dimensions optional

mm
mm

Finished dimensions, used for the illustration. The ring’s inside sizing uses your chosen shrinkage measurement.

Shrinkage measurement

Dimensions are in millimeters. Screen drawings are proportional, not life size.

THE SHRINKAGE PICTURE

Clay Shrinks TWICE.

Once in Drying, and again when it Sinters. How much it shrinks in each stage is Clay Dependent. It is Imperative that a few things happen during Fabrication for these Calculations to work:

  1. Your Clay band should be gently draped over the Make mandrel. Do NOT stretch the cut band, elongating it. That will ruin the shrinkage calculations. Cut your band a little long, overlap the tails and match cut between the two for a perfect join.
  2. As SOON as the clay has enough body to hold shape, get it off the Make Mandrel and on to the dry size mandrel. Leaving it on the Make Mandrel will split the join when the dry shrinkage hits.

FROM CLAY TO METAL

Manufacturers Firing Instructions-Most Suck, ask for better Instructions.

Firing instructions are sourced separately from the shrinkage tests. Changing the schedule does not change the recorded shrinkage or guarantee the finished size.

How these sizes are calculated