The Bronze Ring Trick
Silent Thunder Ordnance
Our Sarmatian ring in bronze. Our design was actually modeled after a 1-2nd century AD artifact, one of if not the oldest metal archer’s rings ever found. The original too was cast in bronze.
Bronze rings are fantastic. Beautiful color and lustre, durable at heavy poundages, and historically authentic. But depending on how they’re worn, and the sweat chemistry of the wearer, they can stain the skin beneath them. As much as having a green thumb may be the hip new thing kids are doing these days, most of us would find that undesirable. But there is a super easy trick to prevent this. We didn’t invent it, not even close, but a surprising number of people are unaware so we thought sharing it might be helpful. It is, in short, nail polish.
Nail polish is easy to apply, is self leveling, coats thinly, has good adhesion, but is easy to remove if you make a mistake. It also is readily available, if you don’t have it your housemate/significant other probably does. Water-clear formulations are also very very common, and are nearly invisible when applied.
Step one is to use some nail polish remover to clean the inside surfaces of the ring. It doesn’t strictly have to be nail polish remover, most cleaning solvents work too, but if you have nail polish you probably have nail polish remover as well. The point of this step is to remove any dirt or oils from the inside of the ring, to set up good adhesion between the nail polish and the ring.
Next simply paint the nail polish on the inside of the ring. (clear recommended) Go for a thin coat, and take your time around the edges. Any drip or mistake can be cleaned up with nail polish remover. Work your way around the ring, and allow the nail polish to cure. A second coat can be applied if desired, although isn’t strictly necessary.
And that is it, you’re done. Simple, quick, easy, and you probably already have all the necessary materials in your home. Now you can enjoy your bronze rings, or any oxidizing metal for that matter, without fear of it staining your hand.