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Trim out the template on
the outsides of the lines. Cutting close to the lines will help you save
copper.
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Use the rubber cement to
coat the back of the template and the front of the copper sheet, then stick
the template to the copper sheet. Careful placement on the edges of the copper
will save you some cutting later on.
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In the front piece only
center punch a dent for each rivet hole and one in the center of the frame to
be cut out. There are black circles marked on the template to guide you. It’s
a lot easier to drill holes into a large sheet of metal rather than into a
small one so drill any holes you can before sawing out the pieces.
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Drill each of the holes in
the front piece only. As metal has no give to it, it’s important to drill only
the front. If you drill all your holes in the back piece and then install a
rivet, chances are high that the remaining holes will not line up. After
you’ve installed at least 2 rivets, the pieces will no longer shift and you
can feel free to drill all the remaining holes into the back piece.
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Center punch and drill the
hole in the back piece where the jump ring will go. It’s important to hit the
middle when you center punch otherwise your drilled hole will be off-center
and almost impossible to correct.
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Using the bench pin for
support saw around both frames and cut out the inside of the frame front. To
saw out the inside of the frame, loosen the blade on one side of your
jeweler’s saw, string the blade through the hole (so that the template is on
the top) and then reinstall your saw blade. Saw out the frame and then loosen
the blade again to remove it from the piece.
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Remove the paper
templates.
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How your charms look will
depend on your finish work as much as on the fabrication steps. Take your time
and relax. Use files to shape as needed and to contour the edges of both
pieces of copper. Use progressively smaller and finer files to get into the
tight spots.
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If you wish to stamp your
name into the back of the charm, you’ll want to do that now, before you
assemble the pieces.
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Cut a picture and a piece
of acetate to the same size as the back of the charm.
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Stack the pieces in this
order; charm back, picture, acetate, charm front. If you are using one of the
cool ArtChix Studios’ transparencies omit the acetate from this step.
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Line everything up and
then clamp the pieces using a ring vise or a binder clip (use fabric or
leather to protect your work from scratches).
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Use one of the holes in
the front of the charm as a guide to drill one hole in the back (and through
the acetate and picture).
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Intentionally I use a wire
that is slightly too large for the 1/16” holes. This is to insure that the
rivets fill as much of their respective holes as possible. File one end of the
copper wire to a taper so that it will fit through one of the holes you
drilled in the previous step.
-
Lightly force the wire
into the hole until it won’t go anymore.
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Cut the wire to about
1/16” (or slightly less) on either side and file flat. The less wire you have
showing on either side of the charm, the neater your finished piece will look.
On the other hand you need enough wire to form the rivet-head (picture a nail
head).
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Balance one side of rivet
on the bench block and lightly hammer the rivet almost flat. Riveting is not
about strength, but about rhythm. Get a good, comfortable rhythm going and
work very slowly. Watch the metal move and then shift your hammer as needed to
keep the rivet-head round. Note, a riveting hammer is best for this but in a
real pinch you can use the round end of a (small) ball pien hammer.
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Flip the entire piece over
and repeat hammering on the other side of the rivet until you have formed a
satisfactory head on that side too.
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Now center punch and drill
one other hole and create another rivet as above.
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Center punch and drill the
rest of your holes and then install rivets in them.
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Finish the piece by either
sanding with progressively finer grades of sandpaper or polishing cloth.
