I still don't have a proper bracelet mandrel. I did get some car exhaust piping from my local hardware store to help me shape and pound wire into bangles.  But a tapered one sure would be handy to do the same plus help make a small bangle larger. I never thought about baseball bats until friend and reader Aims sent me this cool tutorial.


The instructor John Ahr shows how to saw up a baseball bat to create a bracelet mandrel complete with a tang so it can be held in a vise.



It does require some work to get this done plus proper saws.  My wood working uncle made me a wooden stepped ring mandrel.  Maybe I could ask him if he could make one for me?

But it seems from this forum posting that some jewelry makers just use the bat as is.  One uses a youth aluminum baseball bat.  Another has been using a hickory pick ax handle for years.  If the wallet is a bit thin, consider looking out for unwanted baseball bats at yard sales.

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Original Post by THE BEADING GEM
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