What is a Ring Mandrel? Which one should I buy?

Mandrels are cylindrical tools used to round out wire and metal. Mandrels can be made of wood or aluminum and steel and come in a variety of lengths and widths.

• A ring mandrel can have grooved ring sizes marked on it to assist with sizing rings. Rio Grande has extremely well-made, marked mandrels.
• An unmarked ring mandrel is a good choice if you want the mandrel to assist with shaping wires for earrings or bending metal for rings. Keep the marked mandrel simply for sizing rings. Amazon has a nice collection of marked and unmarked ring mandrels.

• A bracelet mandrel is shorter and usually oval-shaped to assist with the shaping of bracelets. Amazon and Rio Grande have oval shaped bracelet mandrels on their website.