"Frank J Warner" wrote in message
news:200420081037568634%warnerf@veriSPAMMERSDIEzon .net...
How can I make this guy's thumb stud?

Look in your local yellow pages for "dental labs". Knock on a door or two;
smile! Ask to talk to the guy who does the casting. Hopefully, he/she will
give you a bit of a tour and discuss casting temperatures and methods. You
might want to arrive late in the day, since the casting person is usually the
last to leave in the evening. Don't be surprised to discover that person does
jewelry casting "on the side" or as a hobby.

A dental lab is nothing more that a miniature foundry/machine shop. The
dentist gives them a mold of the patient's mouth. From that, a technician
designs the cap or bridge and carves it out of wax. Then the part is cast from
dental alloy using the "lost wax" method. Not all dental alloy is gold-based.

Vaughn