PROJECT BEGINNER METAL Design and Build a Bracelet a la Carte Use basic cold connections to mix and match found objects, base metals, and polymer components. by Deborah Francis This inexpensive bracelet is a great project for beginning to intermediate skill levels. Have fun assembling copper segments, polymer clay, found objects and coins, or various metal components using cold connections. Polymer has been the medium I ve used to make most of my jewelry. But in the last year, I ve been learning more about metals to expand my range of possibilities. It has been great fun and now the challenge is finding the time to develop all the ideas that are swimming in my head. FCT-MW-0407_04 20 Kalmbach Publishing Co. This material may not be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher. facetjewelry.com
Panels Determine the bracelet length. Using a strip of paper that s at least in. (25.5 mm) wide, measure your wrist and add about ½ in. (3 mm) to allow length for the clasp to close comfortably. Determine the size of the panels. The total length of your bracelet will be divided into seven panels, plus one panel for the loop half of a toggle clasp. There will be 6 8 in. (.5 3 mm) of space between the panels, where they ll be connected by jump rings. If you re making the bracelet for a smaller wrist, you may want to make only six panels instead. My bracelet, including the clasp, is 8 4 in. (2.0 cm). Each panel is 3 8 x in. (35 x 25.5 mm). My clasp panel is 3 8 x 5 8 in. (6 mm), with a roughly ¼-in. (6.5 mm)- wide interior space to fit the toggle. Cut out the panels. On a sheet of 22- or 24-gauge (0.6 or 0.5 mm) copper, mark the dimensions of the panels and clasp []. materials Copper sheet: 22- or 24-gauge (0.6 or 0.5 mm), 6 x 3 in. (5.2 x 7.6 cm) Copper wire: 2-gauge (2. mm), 4 in. (32 mm) 8-gauge (.0 mm), 4 in. (0.2 cm) Copper jump rings: 8-gauge (.0 mm), 5 6 mm inside diameter, 8 Copper tubing (for rivets): 3 32 in. (2.4 mm), 2 in. (5 mm) 8 in. (3 mm), in. (25.5 mm) Copper disk: 20-gauge (0.8 mm), in. (25.5 mm) Polymer clay: black, 28 g Charms, found objects, etc. toolboxes Sawing/piercing Polymer clay Hammering Riveting additional tools & supplies Annealing station: copper tongs, fire-resistant surface (soldering pad, firebrick, or charcoal block), torch Liver of sulfur Steel wool Spray bottle Dapping block and punches Calipers Wire cutters Pliers: chainnose, roundnose The bracelet, including the clasp, is 8¼ in. (2.0 cm) long. The individual panels measure 3 8 x in. (35 x 25.5 mm).
2 3 4 5 6 Using a jeweler s saw with a 2/0 blade, cut out the panels [2]. Use a hand file to smooth the edges and round the corners of the panels. Plan the texture and design components for each panel. Play with the design components for the top of each panel, mixing metals, charms, and found objects. Decide which panels to texture and patinate. For my center panel, I decided to make a domed copper disk. I wanted to use polymer as a unifying design element, so I decided which panels should have a polymer component. I ll show you how to make these later. Anneal and texture the panels. Anneal the copper panels with a torch. Then, texture them. Some texturing options include stamping, hammering, sanding, or passing the panel through a rolling mill with a textured material. I used the ball end of my chasing hammer to create a dimpled effect on my clasp panel [3]. Use different components to make each panel distinct and give the bracelet depth. NOTE: The texturing process may distort the shape of your panels. If necessary, file the edges to return them to their rounded rectangular form. Mark drill holes. Use a permanent marker to mark where you ll drill holes for the jump rings that will connect the panels and clasp parts. The holes should be at least 8 in. (3 mm) in from the edge of the panels so that the border remains strong [4]. Mark one end panel with only three holes: two on the side where it will connect to the adjacent panel, and one in the center of the side where it will connect to the toggle bar. Draw diagonal lines from the corners of each panel to find its center point. Drill the holes. Use a center punch or an awl to make a dimple at each of the drill marks and at the center point on each panel. Using a 2.38 mm drill bit, drill through all the dimples. Use sandpaper to smooth any burs from the edges of the holes. Sand and file all edges and corners [5]. Pierce the clasp panel. Make a dimple inside the rectangle you marked for the hole in the clasp panel. Drill a hole through the dimple, and then pierce the inside of the panel. Patinate the panels. If you want some of your panels to be darker, patinate them with liver of sulfur [6]. Use steel wool to remove some of the patina and enhance the metal s texture. TIP: I prefer to use liver of sulfur gel rather than lump form. The gel creates minimal waste when you re patinating a small number of pieces. Polymer components I made black polymer components for five of the seven panels because it provided texture and contrast against the copper and gave the whole piece visual continuity. Make a polymer clay sheet. Condition 28 g of black polymer clay, then run it through a pasta machine set to medium. Place the clay sheet on a rigid, nonstick work surface.
Process photos by Deborah Francis. 7 8 9 0 2 Texture the clay sheet. Lightly mist a texture plate with water [7] to prevent the clay from sticking to the plate. TIP: If you use natural materials, such as bark or coarse paper, to texture the clay, dust them with cornstarch to prevent the clay from sticking. Place the texture sheet on top of the clay. Using an acrylic roller, roll over the texture sheet once using firm pressure [8]. NOTE: Your pattern may distort if you roll back and forth over the clay. If your texture isn t satisfactory, pass the clay through the pasta machine again and start over. Cut out clay components. Using circle cutters, cut disks of clay to fit your design [9]. Transfer the clay disks to a baking sheet or small ceramic tile, and bake the clay according to the manufacturer s instructions. Allow the clay disks to cool. Drill the clay components. Mark the centers of the clay disks, and use a 2.38 mm drill bit to drill a hole through the center of each disk. Assembly You can use whatever cold-connection technique you like to build each panel. Some objects may look good with wire wrapping holding them together. I prefer the look of tube rivets; they make for a clean, durable join that adds to the bracelet s design by echoing the circular forms on my panels. Two of my panels include domed metal disks. I secured each with a telescoping tube rivet that supports the dome from below so the dome doesn t dent when you set the rivet. Rivet the flat design components. Stack all the flat design components for one panel, and use calipers to determine the total thickness of all the pieces [0]. Add approximately 8 in. (3 mm) to this measurement, and cut that length of 3 32-in. (2.4 mm) copper tubing. If necessary, use a round needle file to slightly enlarge the hole in the center of the panel so the tubing fits. Rivet the copper panel and design components. Repeat this process for all the panels except the ones that will have domed components. Make a dome. Mark the center point on a -in. (25.5 mm) 20-gauge (0.8 mm) copper disk. Make a dimple at the mark, and drill a small pilot hole. NOTE: Your pilot hole should be smaller than your desired final hole; the hole shape will distort during dapping. Use a dapping block and punch to dome the disk []. Redrill the hole with a 2.38 mm drill bit. Remove any burs from the edges of the hole with sandpaper or a file. Cut tubing. Stack the dome on its copper panel, and measure the height of both components [2]. Add approximately 8 in.
3 4 Cross section of dome Figure 5 Figure 2 (3 mm) to this measurement to determine the length of your 3 32-in. (2.4 mm) copper tubing. Measure the interior height of the dome to determine the length of your 8-in. (3 mm) copper tubing. NOTE: It can be tricky to get an exact measurement of the interior of a dome; err on the side of estimating extra length, as you can always file down the tubing to fit. Mark both pieces of tubing [3], then cut them to length. Sand the ends of each piece level, and check the fit. The longer tube slides through the dome, the shorter Don t neglect the back of your bracelet when adding texture and patina! tube, and the copper panel. The shorter tube should fit snugly inside the dome with no gaps between the top of the dome and the panel [Figure ]. If the tube is too tall, file it to the correct height. Rivet the domed panel. Set the tube rivet to connect the dome to the panel. The tube inside the dome will support it and prevent it from caving in at the rivet. Make the toggle. Cut a ¼-in. (32 mm) piece of 2-gauge (2. mm) copper wire, and anneal it. Place the wire on a bench block, and use a hammer to flatten it, flaring the ends. Saw a small notch in the center of the wire [Figure 2]. Use a file to smooth and round the edges of the bar. Cut a 4-in. (0.2 cm) piece of 8-gauge (.0 mm) copper wire. Make a wrapped loop at one end. Starting at the other end, make four to five tight wraps around the toggle bar at the notch. Trim the wire, and use chainnose or flatnose pliers to press the end against the wraps [4]. NOTE: Instead of using round wire to make the toggle, you can use the 3 8-in. (9.5 mm) strip left over from sawing out the panels. Drill a hole in the center of the strip, and attach it to the end panel with jump rings. Connect the panels. Use copper jump rings to connect the panels in the sequence you like. I used two 20-gauge (0.8 mm) rings for each hole for a softer look; if you re using just one jump ring per hole, I recommend using 8-gauge (.0 mm) rings for strength [5]. ASK THE ARTIST: DEBORAH FRANCIS What was your most successful jewelrymaking experiment? For me, the joy of making jewelry is lots of experimentation. Of course, that involves projects that don t work out. But failed attempts help clarify good design and move my ideas forward. So, in a sense, the failures are an important part of the successes. Contact: www.deborahfrancis.com