In
this week’s tutorial you will learn how to texture, punch holes, rivet,
and use metal alphabet and design stamps. I have included a complete
materials list so you can stock up
and and be ready for next week when we will dive into learning how to
use metal alphabet and design stamps, and rivet with charms to create
the wonderful and creepy Spider Pendant and charms.
You will need to have the following supplies to complete this project:
Bench
block and pad, I use a 2.5 x 2.5 bench block, the pad is optional but
it helps cut down on the noise made when using the block (an old cut up computer mouse pad works as well)
Chasing Hammer
Rubber Mallet or Rawhide Hammer
Metal shears
Short stubby utility hammer or 1lb or 2lb brass mallet
Chain and round nose pliers
Flush cutters
80 grit nail file, metal file, or fine grit (330 or 600 grit) sandpaper
Pro-polish pads
80 grit nail file, metal file, or fine grit (330 or 600 grit) sandpaper
Pro-polish pads
Ultra-fine sharpie
Drafting or graphing ruler
Double sided screw punch
1.8mm or 1.5mm metal punch
Alcohol wipes (used for getting finger prints and sharpie markers of the metal)
Optional Supplies:
*A note on hammers, if you use pre-made rivets, you can use a chasing hammer, however a riveting hammer is highly recommended. It has a sharp head on one end that is really helpful in spreading out the back of your rivets and creating a solid join.
Creating texture will sometimes warp your blanks. You will need to flatten your blank back out by striking (or whacking) it with a plastic mallet or rawhide hammer. You do not want to use your chasing hammer or utility hammer as this will not completely flatten the blank, and will distort your texture.
After snipping the corners use the 180 grit nail file or other filing method of your choice and gently round the corners. Since you are making a pendant you don’t want anything sharp poking you or catching on your clothing. The photo below shows the rounded edges. You just really need to make sure there are no sharp points and that the edges just slightly rounded, as in the photo below.
Before you can antique the textured pieces you will need to clean them. Wipe them down with an alcohol wipe to get as many of the fingerprints off as you can before antiquing them in the liver of sulfur solution. Some alternatives to liver of sulfur might black acrylic paint that you can paint on and wipe off before it dries leaving the paint in the texture or try out some of the different Metal Vintaj paints. I tried using some black gilders paste but found that even after setting for 24 hours, some still wiped off, and this could stain your clothing. If you want to try the liver of sulfur, check out Teri Calia’s great tutorial on using liver of sulphur.
After your pieces are antiqued with liver of sulfur you will need to polish them up. I use pro-polish pads that I can buy at my local bead store.
First
you will need to punch a hole in the round blank. To do this I used
the small punch of the two screw punch. The small punch is perfect for
making rivet holes for the ready made rivets, the small hole measures
2.3mm or 3/32”. Slip the disc into the punch so you are centered in the
middle of the disk or there about. The great thing about riveting is
you don’t have to be perfect. It’s fun to have things be a little off,
shows it was hand made. You may need to experiment with this for a bit,
it can be a little difficult to use at first, but I love this punch
(you will see why in next week’s tutorial). I like to hold the object
being punched in my left hand between my thumb and forefinger, while
steadying the punch with my right. Using my index finger I turn the
punch until it meets the metal and is clamped in place.
I will then change my hand position and grip it with my left hand and crank the screw until the hole is punched.
Be careful not to screw the punch all the way down as it will mar the metal. Punch out a couple more practice holes leaving some room between them.
Now
you will need to mark your holes on a square blank. Lay the round
blank on top of a square blank and using an ultra-fine sharpie mark the
holes to be punched. (refer to photo B) Line the marks up in the screw punch and punch the
holes out one at a time.
Place
the piece to be riveted face down on the bench block and pad. Using
the sharp end of a riveting hammer or the rounded end of a chasing
hammer very gently begin to tap the back of the rivet, spreading out the
end of the rivet making sure your hole is completely covered and the
rivet is completely flush with the metal (you may need to give your
piece a ¼ turn during the process to evenly spread the rivet). Riveting
is all about small gentle movements. There is no need to apply a lot
of force when riveting. Next smooth out the rivet with the rounded end
of the riveting hammer (you can skip this if you used a chasing hammer).
Run your finger over the rivet, it should be smooth to the touch.
Congratulations, you have made your first rivet.
Another fun technique is using metal alphabet and design stamps in your project. For this you will want to place your bench block directly on your table. Do not put it on a pad as this causes your bench block to be unstable and you run the risk of not getting clean punches (in my photo you will see I have a piece of suede on the table, it is thin and doesn’t affect stamping the image). You will also need a utility hammer or a 1 or 2 lb brass mallet. I use a short stubby utility hammer as it fits comfortably in my hand and allows me more control over where I hit. The trade off is I have to hit the stamps more times in order for my letter and designs to come out. With a brass mallet you only need to strike the stamp once.
Next week we will dive into the actual project, where you learn how to punch and rivet a charm, some more metal alphabet punch techniques, and assemble all the bits and pieces. To get ready for next week, you can texture all your blanks. I have include the total numbers you will need to complete the pendant and all the charms.
Optional Supplies:
Texture Hammer (s)
Riveting hammer
metal alphabet and design stamps
Liver of sulfur
Alpha Stamps Products used:
Remember the fun of this project is to mix up metals, go wild and have fun mixing things up!
1 Inch Square Stamping Blanks - Copper and Brass, (8) total for charms and pendant
1 Inch or 3/4 Inch Round Stamping Blanks - Copper and Brass (1)
1/4 Inch Rivets - Copper and Brass (18)
2-Hole Metal Punch (I refer to it as a double sided screw punch)
3mm Alphabet Metal Punch Set (I used a 2mm set of my own, so if you use this one your spacing may be a little bit different than mine)
Antique Bronze Spider Charm Set (3 individual charms from a set)
Metal Patinas Weathered Copper (but you could use any of the Vintaj paints)
2 Inch Head Pins (23)
4mm Rondelles - Copper (14)
8mm Copper Rondelles - Star (1)
8mm Copper Rondelles - Flower (1)
6mm Metal Rondelles - Black Oxide (4)
Alpha Stamps Products not used, but would be fun to try out:
5x3 mm chain (or another chain of your choice, I used a rollo chain from the stash)
3mm Antique Brass Ball Chain Necklaces (or another ball chain of your choice)*A note on hammers, if you use pre-made rivets, you can use a chasing hammer, however a riveting hammer is highly recommended. It has a sharp head on one end that is really helpful in spreading out the back of your rivets and creating a solid join.
Lets Get Started!
Step One: Texture
To
texture the metal blanks you will need a bench block and pad. Set your blank
in the middle of your bench block (which should be sitting on a pad),
holding a corner of the blank down with a finger carefully strike the
blank with the hammer. You want to hit the blank with enough force to
create the texture with some depth, but not so much that you punch a
hole in the metal (unless you are using very fine gauge sheet metal 26g
or smaller this will be really hard to do). Repeat this process until
your entire blank is filled with texture or you have achieved the amount
of texture you want. I like to work in batches so I will do all my
texturing at once. I usually end up texturing more pieces than I need
so I just add the extras to the stash for later use. If you don’t care
to invest in texture hammers you can always use the rounded end of a
chasing hammer or small ball peen hammer to create texture. For this
project I used a texture hammer with 9 interchangeable faces and the
rounded end of a chasing hammer. It’s fun to mix up textures, try using
different textures on one piece and see how it turns out. It is also
fun to give your piece a ¼ turn every now and then and change up the
direction of the texture. The photo below is a sample of using multiple textures and directions.
 |
| photo a |
Creating texture will sometimes warp your blanks. You will need to flatten your blank back out by striking (or whacking) it with a plastic mallet or rawhide hammer. You do not want to use your chasing hammer or utility hammer as this will not completely flatten the blank, and will distort your texture.
Step Two: Edge and file
Using
the rounded end of a chasing hammer, create a textured border around
all your square blanks. This helps smooth out any rough edges and gives a
finished look to your piece. To create the border hold your blank down
with your finger about ¼ inch away from the edge and gently tap with
your chasing hammer, being careful not to hit your finger. This process
does not take much pressure and your finger acts as a guide for your
hammer.
Edging your squares will cause the corners to become sharp. Using metal shears snip off the sharp corners usually about 1/8 to 1/16 of an inch. You really only want to snip off the teeny tiny sharp piece from each corner.
Edging your squares will cause the corners to become sharp. Using metal shears snip off the sharp corners usually about 1/8 to 1/16 of an inch. You really only want to snip off the teeny tiny sharp piece from each corner.
 |
| before snipping |
 |
| after snipping |
After snipping the corners use the 180 grit nail file or other filing method of your choice and gently round the corners. Since you are making a pendant you don’t want anything sharp poking you or catching on your clothing. The photo below shows the rounded edges. You just really need to make sure there are no sharp points and that the edges just slightly rounded, as in the photo below.
Before you can antique the textured pieces you will need to clean them. Wipe them down with an alcohol wipe to get as many of the fingerprints off as you can before antiquing them in the liver of sulfur solution. Some alternatives to liver of sulfur might black acrylic paint that you can paint on and wipe off before it dries leaving the paint in the texture or try out some of the different Metal Vintaj paints. I tried using some black gilders paste but found that even after setting for 24 hours, some still wiped off, and this could stain your clothing. If you want to try the liver of sulfur, check out Teri Calia’s great tutorial on using liver of sulphur.
After your pieces are antiqued with liver of sulfur you will need to polish them up. I use pro-polish pads that I can buy at my local bead store.
 |
| before polishing |
 |
| after polishing |
Step 4: Punching holes
For
the purposes of this tutorial I am only going to talk about using ready
made copper and brass rivets. They come in ¼ and ½ inch lengths. When
riveting there are a couple of very important things to remember. You
will be limited by the length of the rivet and the reach of you metal
punch. When riveting I like to combine shapes and metals. Please note
these pieces are for my demo/examples and may be textured or not. This
step is to get you familiar with using a screw punch, as it can be a
little finicky and tricky. PUNCH HOLES AFTER TEXTURING. IF YOU PUNCH HOLES BEFORE THEY WILL WARP WHEN TEXTURING. First
you will need to punch a hole in the round blank. To do this I used
the small punch of the two screw punch. The small punch is perfect for
making rivet holes for the ready made rivets, the small hole measures
2.3mm or 3/32”. Slip the disc into the punch so you are centered in the
middle of the disk or there about. The great thing about riveting is
you don’t have to be perfect. It’s fun to have things be a little off,
shows it was hand made. You may need to experiment with this for a bit,
it can be a little difficult to use at first, but I love this punch
(you will see why in next week’s tutorial). I like to hold the object
being punched in my left hand between my thumb and forefinger, while
steadying the punch with my right. Using my index finger I turn the
punch until it meets the metal and is clamped in place. I will then change my hand position and grip it with my left hand and crank the screw until the hole is punched.
Be careful not to screw the punch all the way down as it will mar the metal. Punch out a couple more practice holes leaving some room between them.
 |
| good punch on the left, bad punch on the right |
You
can also use metal hole punch pliers. You may find that your piece
will stick to the punch and you will need to carefully remove it from
the punch. I recommend using chain nose pliers and carefully working it
off. Try not to bend the blank, but if you do bend or warp it a
little, just whack it with a plastic or rawhide mallet to flatten it
again.
Step 5: Riveting
You
are now ready to rivet make your first rivet. Line up the holes in the
two blanks and insert a rivet into one the holes. You want the head of
the rivet to be on the front or on the top of your blanks. (Remember
nail head on textured side). Flip your pieces over making sure the
rivet doesn’t come out of the hole. See how much excess material is
left over? You will need to use flush cutters and trim some of this
excess away. The tricky part here is how much. You really don’t need a
lot of material to create a solid join. You want your pieces to be
tight and not loose. The back of your rivet needs to cover all of the
hole and have enough to go a little beyond but stay flat and not bulge
from the back or your piece. Ideally you want about 1 mm to 1.5 mm of
rivet on the backside. If you don’t have enough on the back you run the
risk of your rivet popping and your piece falling apart (think Titanic
hitting the iceberg, not good). |
| Correct hand position for hold riveting hammer |
 |
| The rivet is still way too long. You need about half this amount |
 |
| Good rivet on the left. Too short of a rivet in the center. Too long of a rivet on the right. You may notice that one of my holes isn't lined up just right. You can line the hole up in the double sided screw punch and re-punch the hole. |
Now
lets play with adding a 6mm metal rondelle to your rivet. Feed a metal
rondelle on a rivet, again making sure the head is on the textured
side. Insert the rivet into a hole on your blank. Flip it over and
trim the rivet, making sure you have about 1 mm to 1.5 mm of material on
the back. Place your piece face down on the bench block and follow the
previous steps. You have now riveted a dimensional object to your
piece. (refer back to photo A)
Step 6: Using metal alphabet and design stamps Another fun technique is using metal alphabet and design stamps in your project. For this you will want to place your bench block directly on your table. Do not put it on a pad as this causes your bench block to be unstable and you run the risk of not getting clean punches (in my photo you will see I have a piece of suede on the table, it is thin and doesn’t affect stamping the image). You will also need a utility hammer or a 1 or 2 lb brass mallet. I use a short stubby utility hammer as it fits comfortably in my hand and allows me more control over where I hit. The trade off is I have to hit the stamps more times in order for my letter and designs to come out. With a brass mallet you only need to strike the stamp once.
The
trick to getting clean punches is to hold the metal punch as steady as
possible and not move it. Hold the stamp between your thumb and
fingers, using your pinky to stabilize the stamp. Hold the stamp
straight up and down with the image facing the right direction.
 |
| Holding the metal design stamp |
With
your utility hammer or brass mallet strike the punch hard. Depending
on the gauge of the metal blank or sheet you are using, you may need to
hit the punch more than once. I found two or three times worked the
best on the 1x1 square blanks and rounds. If you find you are not
getting a nice clear punch, you can sometimes “rock” the stamp. Ever so
slightly, making sure the stamp does not come up off the metal, tilt
the stamp away from you and strike it. Then tilt it towards you and
strike it. Just keep in mind you don’t want to hit the metal stamp hard
enough to punch a hole in your metal. A note about the gauges used in
the project. The metal blanks are 24g and it may take some force to get
the image to punch correctly. The 26g metal sheet is much softer and
one hit with my short stubby hammer was usually enough to get the image
to punch correctly. *some alphabet and design stamps have the image
engraved on the shank of the stamp. If you have the image facing you,
the stamped image will be facing the “right way” or face up. Don't forget to antique your blanks after using the design and alphabet punches!
Metal
alphabet stamps take some getting used to. It can sometimes be
difficult to line them up so your letters are straight, not all alphabet
sets are designed the same. For my main project I wasn’t so concerned
with making sure the letters lined up, just that the words fit in the
spaces. I do recommend cutting some strips of copper sheet and practice
using the alphabet stamps. If you want your words lined up, you can
draw a line on your metal with a pencil or sharpie to help you line them
up.  |
| Correctly punched design stamp images |
 |
| my letters don't line up, but that's okay |
Next week we will dive into the actual project, where you learn how to punch and rivet a charm, some more metal alphabet punch techniques, and assemble all the bits and pieces. To get ready for next week, you can texture all your blanks. I have include the total numbers you will need to complete the pendant and all the charms.
 |
| Ooooo Creep Creepy Spider |
 |
| A little Mischief and Mayhem for you |
 |
| A simpler spider charm pendant |
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