How To Make A Pendant Using Metal Stamping Techniques
Posted on: 8 March 2015
Metal stamping is the process of using a stamp made of metal to stamp other items. These metal stamps can stamp other metal pieces, as well as materials like leather. If you want to try your hand at making a pendant for a necklace, metal stamping is a great technique to learn. Here are some easy instructions for making your very own pendant.
Choose Your Metal Piece
The first step is choosing the supplies you want to work with. This includes selecting a pendant and your preferred metal stamps. For hand-stamped pendants, you can find metal tags of different shapes, sizes and metal materials. They are often found in craft stores and made of gold, silver, and plated metals like pewter. They come in all different shapes, such as heart, rounded or squared shapes, and stars. Finding one with a hole already in it saves you from having to punch it yourself.
You also want to select your stamps. Metal stamping companies will offer a variety of stamps, where the alphabet varies based on the font. Some also include little symbols for your new pendant. You will also need some basic tools, including a steel block and ball peen hammer.
Stamp the Metal
Once you have your tools and materials, it is time to start stamping. It helps to mark the tag where you want to stamp it with a marker, as long as it is not permanent. Other markers will wash right off after you have stamped it. You will then place the metal pendant on a steel block, making sure the block is on a stable, flat surface. Put the stamp down on the pendant where you want that letter or number to go, then pick up your ball peen hammer.
Grip it near the head of the hammer, and strike it just one time. If you strike it multiple times, you risk the other strikes being off from the original. Keep in mind when using the hammer, it must be level and straight in order to hit the entire stamp correctly. You can practice on a piece of leather or other material first to get your technique down.
Create a Curve
If you want your tag to create a curved pendant, you can do this with a dapping block. The dapping block is a wood block that has different rounded edges. Each rounded edge is a different size, offering you different types of curves. You place the tag in the desired edge, then use a hammer on the tag. It naturally picks up the curve of the dapping block. This needs to be done after you stamp it, since stamping is very hard to do when it isn't on a flat pendant.
Polish and Complete the Pendant
Once you are finished with your pendant, get a polishing cloth and wipe it off on the front and back. If there was not a hole punched into the pendant, you can do so now. You now have options as to how to put it on a necklace, such as using different types of necklace bails.
To learn more about metal stamping, visit Custom Stamping & Mfg Co
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