All posts by thecraftysisters

Crafty Challenge 6: Hammered Cuff Bracelet

April 17, 2012craft, Craft Challenge, Creativity, Jewelrybracelet, copper, craft, crafty challenge, creativity, DIY, hammered, How to, jewelrythecraftysisters

Copper Bracelet Hammered Crafty Sisters — Hand-hammered cuff bracelet.

Lynne:

I have been accused of shooting down the last few ideas for crafty challenges, so when Loryn came up with the idea of using some scrap copper discs in the garage I couldn’t very well argue. I have had those discs for the last 20 years and had never been able to find a good use for them and now I was backed into using them in a challenge.

I searched the internet and found this video on YouTube. The most exciting thing to me was the minimal need for specialty tools. Of course, when you are not using many tools, skill is always a bigger factor in the finished project. I pulled out a vise, a wrench and a ball peen hammer and set to. I will tell you now that ear plugs are a very good idea.

We have another sister who lives out of state and she was here visiting. She had brought some tools and a willingness to hammer out some ideas. Together the two us managed to hammer a small bowl with turned edges. Turning that outer edge under is not so easy but I found that brute strength is not the best idea. A small hammer with a light touch goes a long way as a hard hammer hit will put a tear in the copper.

Copper Craft Challenge Crafty Sisters Hammered — The diameter of our discs was jut 3" so the bowl is very small.

I folded copper, hammered copper, cut copper and cursed copper, but I could not manage to make any progress until last Saturday. I just seemed to make one good hit with the hammer and the copper began to do what I wanted it to do. Failure does lead one to success as long as you keep trying.

I ended up cutting a rectangle from two copper discs for the two halves of a cuff bracelet. I turned the long edges under and then hammered the finished rectangles into a roughly oval wrist-fitting shape.

One of my failed projects was a ring that was too wide for my finger and I had tossed it into the growing scrap heap. However, when I needed a bridge to hold the two bracelet halves together the too wide ring was perfect. All I had to do was hammer the ring flat, punch holes in it, punch matching holes in the other two pieces and connect them all with paper fasteners (not really sturdy but the deadline was twenty minutes away) and there was my bracelet.

For my first piece of hammered metal work I was extremely happy, and despite all my complaining I have become intrigued with the process and am going to do some more work with copper.
Lynne

Hammered Copper Cuff Bracelet Crafty Sisters — Hammered copper cuff bracelet.

Four Lines

April 16, 2012365, Creativity, Four Lines, Poetryenvelope stanza, four lines, poem, Poetry, project 365, quatrain, rhymethecraftysisters

While leading to sad hungry sighs
writing can make you beg and plead
take out your soul and watch you bleed
but no one else will sympathize.

Lynne

What a Cat! Kitty Dreams Yarn!

April 16, 2012365, Creativity, Drawing, What a Cat!art, cartoon, cat, cat drawing, creativity, drawing, pen and ink, project 365thecraftysisters

Cat Art Pen Ink Drawing Cartoon Link Crafty Sisters — What cats dream about--yarn, baskets of yarn.

Cheri

Crafty Challenge 6: Verdigris Copper Pendant and Hammered Chain

April 16, 2012craft, Craft Challenge, Creativity, Jewelrycopper, craft, crafty challenge, creativity, DIY, handmade, jewelry, necklace, wirethecraftysisters

Hammered Copper Pendant Necklace Crafty Sisters — Hammered copper necklace with verdigris patina.

Copper Necklace Pendant Hammered Crafty Sisters — Hammered copper pendant necklace.

Cheri: It felt so good to get back to a challenge after our winter hiatus. And this challenge couldn’t have been better. I think we were all a little excited and a bit apprehensive when this project was initiated. After playing with the copper for awhile, knew whatever I made, it would most likely be jewelry. This is when I let the metal do the talking. I had a ball peen hammer and a small vice with a flat edge and I went to town banging on some copper. I was pleasantly surprised with how pretty the copper became after being hammered. Metal can lose what small elasticity it has in it after it has been work-hardened so I really wanted to make sure that I did not overdo the hammering or it would become brittle. After I had mastered the shape I wanted, I decided to do some research on adding a patina. I came across an article that said I could add blue to the copper by suspending the piece over a bowl of ammonia in a closed container. This was super easy, just be careful with the odor, it can be a bit overwhelming. The patina on my piece took about 12 hours to achieve and I think it came out pretty nice.

Copper Rings Hammered Crafty Sisters — Hammered copper rings with button-hole style closure-clasp.

I punched holes with a hole punch and used copper wire to embellish the pendant and make the chain. I also hammered the copper wire to give it a rustic look. The rings were made by hammering a small strip of copper and then coiling it around a mandrel. I put two holes in the upper end and two holes in the under part. This had a button hole effect when I used a bead to bring the two pieces together and basically tied them with brass wire.

The copper turned out to be an awesome material to work with and I look forward to making many more pieces.

Cheri