Witch Hat Pendant By Valorie Clifton

Transcription

1 Witch Hat Pendant By Valorie Clifton Ah, Halloween! It s always been one of my favorite holidays. The kids and I like to watch Halloween movies. We decorate the house and enjoy the cooler temperatures that begin to creep in. The holiday reminds me of cooler temperatures, comfort foods and all that I love about Fall. What better way to show enthusiasm for the season than with a Witch hat pendant? Full of whimsy and lightly textured, this pendant is a fun accessory for the Halloween season. This pendant can be created using brass or copper. The charm is optional. I ve chosen to use a beaded spider, but other suggestions would be a little bat, a candy corn charm, a little skull bead, or any holiday themed charm. The hat also looks great without embellishment! Materials List 26 gauge red brass or copper sheet metal 2 inches - 20 gauge copper wire 20 to 30 inches 24 gauge copper wire Tool List Don t forget Safety Glasses! Particulate safety mask Safety glasses Sharp metal shears Bench pin Jeweler s saw with size 2/0 to 3/0 blades Soldering setup and tools Large, flat jeweler s file with fine teeth Half round needle file Sanding sponges or sanding sticks, medium and fine grit Fine steel wool or other polishing tools Soft brass brush Ruler Compass and pencil for drawing circles Permanent marker and paper Liver of sulfur (optional) WUBBERS Classic Flat Nose Pliers WUBBERS Artisan s Mark Hammer set WUBBERS Jumbo Tapered Round Mandrel Pliers Baby WUBBERS Round Nose Pliers WUBBERS Medium Round Designer Mandrel Pliers Small rubber or plastic mallet 1.5mm Hole punching pliers Steel bench block Design stamps, if desired. I used a spiral swirl design. Tumbler setup with stainless steel shot, if desired

2 Using a compass and pencil, draw a 3.5 inch diameter circle on a piece of scrap paper. Cut out the circle. Fold it in quadrants, as shown. Cut out one of the quarter circles. This will create the cone portion of the hat.

3 Trace the quarter circle onto 26 gauge brass. Using a jeweler s saw or metal shears, cut out the shape. Using a flat file, carefully remove any burs or slivers of sharp metal. Smooth all edges. Fine tune the edges by using the sanding sponges to smooth them. Sanding sponges wrap around shapes and refine edges better than flat sandpaper. If desired, use texturing stamps to decorate the wedge.

4 I used the smaller side of the Wubbers Artisan s Mark Fine Tip Embossing Hammer to add a small dimpled texture. I then used the Wubbers Artisan s Mark Round Embossing Hammer to add more texture. This is my result. By now, the brass will be stiff. Anneal using a torch to soften the metal. You may pickle the metal, if desired, to remove the torch patina. I never pickle my pieces during forming. I like the dark color the torch leaves on copper and brass.

5 Using a ruler and a black permanent marker, mark dots approximately ¼ inch apart and ¼ inch from the edge, as shown. These will mark the placement for the holes to be punched for lacing the hat together. Using the hole punch, punch the holes on the marks. Using the Wubbers Jumbo Tapered Round Mandrel pliers, bend the wedge into a cone shape, making sure to align the bottom edges of the metal, as shown. If the tip is hard to form, use Baby Wubbers Round Tip Pliers to help form a sharp peak. Using the existing holes as a guide, mark the corresponding side of the cone with the marker. I gauged the placement by sight. Remember that this is a whimsical design and perfection isn t terribly important. Slightly open the cone and, using the hole punching pliers, create the holes in the other side, using the marks as a guide.

6 Take this opportunity to create holes along the bottom edge of the cone, approximately ¼ inch apart. It s time to anneal the metal once again. It needs to be softer for the next steps. Gently close the cone s edges together, using a small rubber mallet with gentle taps if needed.

7 If the seam protrudes, gentle taps should bring the edges together. It s time to carefully lace the edges together using the 24 gauge copper wire. It helps, in the narrow tip, to bend the tip of the wire so that it catches a hole from the inside. Don t be afraid to pull this wire tightly. Don t worry about neatness. This lacing is temporary. Using the Wubbers Artisan s Mark Round Embossing Hammer and firm strokes, hammer a bend in the cone, while simultaneously attempting to bend the tip of the cone. Try not to hammer the cone flat. If needed, you can place a thin tool or dowel into the hat to prevent complete collapse. The goal is to form the metal yet maintain most of the shape. If you accidentally flatten the cone, insert Wubbers Classic Flat Nose Pliers into the cone and force them open until the cone opens up a bit.

8 Hammering the side of the cone will distort the front edge. Gently tap the edge to correct this. Using the Wubbers Artisan s Mark Planishing Hammer, gently tap on the tip of the cone to further encourage the bend. Our goal is to achieve a slouch look. After you ve achieved the desired shape, remove the temporary lacing and gently align the holes.

9 This is the back side, where you can see the shaping even more. The tip is likely to be very sharp. Using the flat file, smooth the tip and any sharp edges. Further smooth the edges with the sanding sponges.

10 The cone can be laced again using the 24 gauge copper wire. Once laced, twist the wires together inside the cone and securely tuck them inside. Using the little rubber mallet, gently tap the lower edge of the cone to form an oval shape. Don t close the hat- we just want to slightly flatten it. Here is the cone after flattening.

11 Using the permanent marker, mark two holes close together (approx. ¼ inch apart) just above the center of the cone, or as high as you wish. This will be where the bail will hang. Keep in mind that the hole punching pliers have to be able to reach into the cone, so don t place them too high. Using the hole punching pliers, create the holes for the bail. Taking 2 inches of 20-gauge copper wire and using Wubbers Medium Round Designer Mandrel Pliers, bend the wire in half. Using Wubbers Classic Flat Nosed Pliers, create a bend halfway down the length of the wire, as shown.

12 Push the wire ends through the two holes in the cone, as shown. Place the smaller jaw of the Wubbers Medium Round Bail Making Pliers through the wire loop. Using the Wubbers Classic Flat Nosed Pliers, grasp the wire ends inside the cone. Securely twist the ends together. Here is the result. Later, jump rings can be threaded through this loop to act as a bail.

13 It s time for the brim! We will make a paper pattern before cutting the metal. Using the compass and pencil, draw a 2.5 inch diameter circle on a piece of paper. Cut out the circle. Holding the cone in the approximate center of the circle, use a pencil to trace around the cone. Using scissors, trim the circle to create a more oval shape around the oval center. Cut out the center of the pattern. Trace the shape onto the brass. Using a jeweler s saw, cut out the brim. Cut a slightly smaller opening inside the brim, inside the tracing lines to allow for filing and sanding of the edges. Use the needle files to file the inner oval edges. File and sand all edges smooth.

14 It s time for texturing. Again, I used the swirl stamp. I used the smaller side of the Wubbers Artisan s Mark Fine Tip Embossing Hammer to add more texture. I also used the Wubbers Artisan s Mark Embossing Hammer to add more texture.

15 After this texturing is complete, anneal the brim. I used the smaller side of the Wubbers Artisan s Mark Raising Hammer to add more texture and to slightly stretch the outer edges of the brim. For more texture, you can use the Wubbers Artisan s Mark Sharp Texture Hammer along the outer edges of the brim.

16 The brim may start to wave around the edges due to the hammering and stretching along the edge. This is a good thing! Anneal the brim once again after the texturing process is completed. All the hammering will have created some sharp edges. Using the file and sanding sponges, refine the edges until they are very smooth. Using your fingers, gently bend the brim in half. We want the long edges along the front and back, with the bend along the short sides of the oval. Don t close the bend- you should be able to fit your finger in the bend, as shown. The opening of the inner hole should approximate the opening of the cone.

17 Hold the cone portion against the brim portion. Notice that the cone is larger than the hole in the brim? This is normal. The brim needs to be opened up to accommodate the cone. Place either the Wubbers Jumbo Tapered Round Mandrel Pliers or the Wubbers Medium Round Designer Mandrel Pliers inside the oval hole of the brim, as shown. Push the brim downward and gently force the plier jaws apart, stretching the oval hole outward. This will also cause the rest of the brim to form a ruffle. We want the ruffle. Compare the cone to the hole and take care not to over-stretch the hole. Gently insert the cone into the brim. This is best accomplished from the underside. Take care not to damage the wire. If the wire is accidentally damaged, remember that it is easily fixed and easily replaced. Pinch the brim or expand the cone until a snug fit is achieved. The fit doesn t have to be perfect. The fit can be adjusted just before assembly. You can also create more bends and ruffles in the brim using your fingers.

18 The holes along the cone s edge should show just above the brim. Use the permanent marker to mark holes in the brim that correspond to the holes in the cone. Mark along the back side of the hat.

19 Use the hole punching pliers to make the holes in the brim. Using 24 gauge copper wire, sew the brim to the cone. Make sure to pull tightly- this stitching is all that holds the hat together. I chose to stitch the brim using closely placed X s, but whip stitching could be used if preferred. I placed a small hole in the brim to hold my spider charm. This step is optional. Because I did not pickle my hat after annealing, I have a nice, dark patina on my piece. If you chose to pickle during the making of your hat, you could use Liver of Sulfur to patina the hat, or you can leave it bright. Using the fine steel wool, burnish the hat. After the steel wool, I typically clean my pieces using a soft brass brush and hot, soapy water. If you wish to tumble polish the piece, now is a good time. After polishing, the pendant can be attached to a chain using jump rings, or it can be directly attached to a cord using a Lark s Head knot through the loop.

20 Here is my result! Congratulations and enjoy your pendant! ***Purchase of this pattern grants you the right to sell your projects made using my tutorial. Please do! I encourage you to! However, please don't copy, distribute or teach this tutorial without my expressed permission. This.pdf file and its contents are copyrighted. Purchasing of the tutorial / pattern does NOT transfer my copyright to you, nor does it grant you the permission to gift, share, exchange, teach, copy the whole or parts of it or distribute the file or any portion of the file content in any way - whether for pay or for free. Purchase of this tutorial indicates that you agree to abide by this policy.***