Why Coin Rings?

The sixties had just begun and I carefully adjusted the dial on my crystal radio set that Pop  (my grandfather, Jack Chantrill) had made for me.  The single copper wire aerial ran from my bedroom window out to the Camphor Loral tree and with a good earth the melodic tones of Eddie Hodges, “I’m gonna knock on your door.” could be heard chirping through my ancient headphones. 

A Journey from War to Passion
A Legacy of Creativity and Craftsmanship…

“Big” Pop as we distinguished him from other grandparents; was big, and his big hands were as tough as old leather and dwarfed our own.  Whereas “Little” Pop while not actually diminutive was much shorter and so the differential stuck.  Big Pop could build absolutely anything or so it seemed in a little boy’s eyes.  And on this occasion, the truth was not far from a boy’s imagination.

One year we holidayed at Bribie Island.  Just getting there was an adventure.  Dad reversed the car down part of the beach and onto the ramp of an old army landing barge.  We were the last car on, the ramp was raised, but the waves regularly splashed over the front of the ramp and onto our car.  Then we were there, wherever there was on the ocean side.  We played all day, swam in the ocean whenever & wherever we wanted and walked for miles up the beach.

Pop and Little Nana (yes, the opposite to Big) visited that year.  Pop led us up the beach and tucked neatly into the dunes were the concrete Anti-Aircraft Gun Emplacements.  We heard the stories of launching large box kites behind an army truck that speed up the beach with kite flying high.  The guns would start to fire trying to anticipate the kite’s speed and location.  Once the kite darted low and everybody was terrified as the gunner traced his sites lower and lower towards the truck; fixated on destroying their target.  But then the kite suddenly launched skyward and the guns stopped.  The truck crew breathed a sigh of relief, laughed and then froze again as the kite crashed to the ground and smashed apart. 

Pop’s big hands had quickly gathered up the rope just moments before and with the extra pull sent the kite soaring.  Then, with halted guns he let all the rope go in one rush and with no forward pull, the big box kite fell like a stone and smashed on the hard sand.

We listened intently to those stories; they were rare moments when Pop spoke of his Army service during WW2.  Only once, did I hear him speak of lives lost and the futility of some directions.  He described war as 95% boredom and tedium, but the remaining was pure, absolute terror.

There was a different side to the story, and Pop and other veterans would sometimes use their downtime to produce unique art forms.  However, the tools and materials were limited and had to be scrounged from whatever was available.  A sharpened nail formed the stylus that when heated burnt deep black/browns to soft yellows when paints and brushes were scarce.

Loose change (coins) could be turned into ring bands for loved ones.  However, many silver alloys work harden; this feature is used to extend the life of the currency.  But to work the metal it must be annealed (heated till cherry red in a simple forge) to soften & bring malleability to the metal.  A Florin is turned into a polished silver ring after hundreds of hammer strokes, but again as you work the metal it hardens. So, you anneal repeatedly and gradually a unique ring emerges.

Jack’s Ring was made from an Australian Florin (a two-shilling piece – 20cents) was crafted for his wife whom he called Chum.  Jack; Pop, my grandfather was a sergeant in the Australian Army.  He was also the Sergeant in charge of the Engineering Shops at Canaungra, Queensland (the Jungle Training Camp) and later assisted in the gun operator’s training at the Bribie Island Anti Aircraft guns during World War II.

Inspired to rediscover this artform I sought out Jason and Jason’s Works Coin Ring Tools.  His tools are unique, very specific, hardened tool steel and highly polished so as not to mark the coin’s fine embossing. 

Today, I can offer a full range of Coin Ring Tools, supplies and accessories.

Kind Regards,

Rob Harbottle