Loved the quality and functionality of this Ring Stretcher.
PROS:
1. Exceptionally priced $14.00 at time of review
2. Well made - very sturdy
3. Worked excellent on my ring
4. Save money (time, gas, & jeweler cost)
CONS:
1. None I can think of
Works best if the original ring wasn't downsized (cut and re-soldered) as this may result in split ring when stretched but will work with non-downsized rings without a problem as in my case. Gave this to a friend to borrow to stretch a downsized ring for his wife. Ring split - worried about the long term impact of that decision.
Tips:
1. Grease the rod before inserting into the split section of the stretcher. Make turning and removing the rod to release ring so much easier.
2. Stretch a little at a time and wear the ring for a couple of days and an overstretched ring is hard to downsize. Your hand will shrink and swell naturally so you'll which stretched size works best for you after a couple days of wearing the adjusted ring.
Really happy with purchase - recommended to my friends.
It worked!! I needed to stretch my son's ring. It was one of those 30 dollar souvenir rings not worth taking to a jeweler plus it had little tiny pseudo gems in it - but he loves it and it was really getting way too small. Not sure what it was made of, but it wasn't 92.5 sterling silver, because I had to bang with all my might to get it to stretch. (With no experience, I started off VERY cautiously, and took it off and tested it about 6 times finding no change in size before determining how much muscle it took to make it stretch.) I also tested a slightly too-small sterling silver ring for comparison, and it took VERY LITTLE effort to stretch it - so definitely go easy so you don't go farther than you want!
A note: my son's ring was too small to slip over the mandrel. Or whatever you call the part you slip the ring onto. Don't despair; simply take a shoelace (or similar) and tie it around the mandrel and make like a tourniquet: tie a pencil thru and twist the pencil so you're tightening the shoelace. It will pull the mandrel splines together and your ring will slip on. Then you can go to town.
Very good, but minimal out-of-box size of the ring is 7 and up
Otherwise, does exactly what is should do.
It's very simple: no marks, no helper tools (e.g. to get the inner rod out) it can suck, but a little bit of tinkering around and all you need is there.
ONE star deducted for size description.
there is no way you can put a 6 or 6.5 ring on it (see the picture, it has the diameter of 17.6, which is size 7+)
however what helps is to get any kind of string (I used a wire) and twist as shown in the pic, so that the upper leafs are squeezed together, you can get up to16 mm diameter = 5-1/2 size. It is cumbersome, but works beautifully.
(i used it to make 5-3/4 ring to a 6-0)
So don't bother buying a more expensive one.
Works great but don't push it to the limits. I use mine for making coin rings. Being cheap and living in an apartment I find this to be a great compromise for those who want to graduate from beating the ring down the mallet but don't have the space or funds to spring for a full stretcher/press. That being said, I have managed to distend the stretcher fingers on mine by pushing it to the limits making rings out of larger coins. Also, it's easy to mar the inside of the coin if you don't pause your stretching, remove the mandrel, rotate the ring a few degrees and resume stretching every now and then.
Feature Product
- Quickly and easily enlarges rings
- Stretches ring from size 6 and up
- It stretches material by expanding metal from within
- Metal construction with wood base
- Dimensions with rod in base: approximately 5-3/4"
Description
The SE Size 6 and Up Ring Stretcher is great for someone who wants to increase the size of a ring that they have already purchased. You can also use this product for someone who got a ring as a gift that is too small. This product is easy to use and saves money. This is not suitable for stone rings. Stone set rings should not be stretched with this product. This tool is recommended to stretch rings minimally. Normally 1/4 to 1/2 size larger is the maximum amount you should stretch the ring.
Directions:
1) Place ring to be stretched on the expansion cone.
2) Place expansion cone back on the wooden base.
3) Insert the tapered rod and tap from the top to expand the ring.
4) Use on a sturdy and wooden surface.
SE is committed to providing the customer with the best source for value possible on the market. You will enjoy the quality, function and usefulness of our SE Size 6 and Up Ring Stretcher.
IPR Rights Notice:
Important: Avoid getting counterfeit items. Genuine SE products come with the SE logo on the packaging.
SE is a registered trademark protected by US Trademark Law
Arrived quickly. Allowed me to resize a ring easily. I recommend watching some YouTube videos on how to properly use this device and some tricks & tips on how to resize a ring without causing damage. Hint... use a propane torch to heat the metal and GENTLY tap the rod to SLOWLY stretch the metal. Getting impatient and hammering too hard and failing to heat the metal can often cause the ring to split where it was soldered together. THis tool works GREAT if used properly. You may need a pair of pliers to close the top enough to get the ring to fit on the sizer properly. Be patient and watch YouTube how-to's.
It works, but they need to give you a tool to put on the bottom to whack to get the plunger back out. I had to use a short screwdriver to get the plunger out after whacking the top hard enough to enlarge a ring. Works well once you figure out how hard you have to hit it to make any difference. Also, if the ring has a thin band, and its small enough to hang around the top of the instrument, you can break the ring all together. So, be careful with skinny bands in the smaller sizes.
This works great if you know what you’re doing. I unfortunately cracked my ring, easily fixed with a soldering tool so I’m not upset about it. But my suggestion is to gently tap a few times, remove and flip around and gently tap the other side. Do just a few taps at a time then try it on, wish that’s what I would have done. I was too eager! Operator error :( Way cheaper than going to a jeweler! Give it a shot, but go easy.
I had a class ring that was too small and I had discomfort for nearly 2 decades, taking it off, needing sometimes soap and water. Finding out this product existed and seeing some youtube video's, I ordered and tried it. Since my class ring had a jewel stone embedded and I did not want to crack it, I also got a 12" bar clamp, hand screw type, rather than ratchet quick grip time (supposed to give more pressure and more control), rather than just using hammer. On my 1st attempt, within minutes, the ring would go on my finger noticeably easier. 2nd try, the ring size was perfect - big enough to slide in, small enough not to fall off. The whole thing tool about 5 minute to do! What a relief after nearly 2 decades! I should mention that, aside from using 12" bar clamp, I also used 5/16" hex bolt and hammer to drive out the inner rod, while the gadget was fixed in a small vise. I saw someone use just a nail and free hand hammering to get the inner rod out, but I did not risk hammering my hand and also did not want to damage parts, so I used bolt and vise instead. I was also pleasantly surprised the material appeared sturdy, likely to last for decades, without rusting, and compact, since inner rod can stay in gadget, allowing for easy storage. I think this product can save many rings and it is useful to have in any family. I did notice there were "stretch marks", like birth stretch marks, in thin part of the ring, after stretching, but it was smooth and did not cause any discomfort. It is likely this was due to the rather hardness of the ring material, unlike gold or silver, and alloy composition which resulted in uneven stretching. I am ok with it.
Next I tried the stretcher on a purely metal ring. This time, I used just the stretcher, hammer, and the provided wooden base. This was very quick, several hammer hits were enough to stretch the ring. This too, I had to repeat 2x, to increase ring size by half, but the whole thing took less than a minute. I was worried about the wooden base being sturdy, but it came through without any damage. Very good.
This tool does what it says. Said that the stretcher splint you hammer in is soft metal. When I hammered it out I damaged it slightly - the chrome came off and it deformed slightly at the tip so it became hard to remove. I had to hammer it back in shape - so no big deal. Said that I should have used a rubber hammer rather than a big iron hammer - my fault. I resized a ring from 11 to 12.25. It took some time (30 -45 minutes or so) because I moved slowly to not crack the ring. I started very slowly and then moved on a bit faster but as I said I wanted to make sure the ring does not crack. I would buy this tool anytime again - especially for the price.
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