The next step is to cut the rings from the coil. I prefer to cut the rings with the overlap already built-in (as opposed to cutting the rings with butted ends and then forcing the ring to conform to a smaller diameter, thus forming the overlap. A primitive way to do this would be to chisel the rings from the coil, like so:
A less primitive way to cut the rings with the overlap built in is to modify a set of bolt cutters so that you can skip a coil as you cut:
You can use these modified cutters to cut the rings with the overlap built in, as the following sequence shows:
I prefer to save the time of the winding and cutting steps, and have instead purchased my rings with the overlap built in, 50,000 rings at a time:
Once you have your rings, they need to be annealed so that they are soft enough to flatten properly, and so that they can be punched more easily.
To anneal the rings, simply thread a couple hundred onto a piece of wire and heat them with a torch:
Now that the rings are annealed, they will be covered with a black, scaley oxide. This rough finish actually helps the overlapped ends "stick" together during the flattening process.
