1" Copper Bracelet Blanks for etching and Other Uses

Just picked up the 1" wide bracelet blanks
1" x 6", 1" x 6.5" and 1" x 7"
I wanted a thinner one so that I can use the GRS Bracelet former when it comes in - Going to do some etchng this weekend.  Can be used for etching, enamelling and I can use them for anodes for my electroforming, cutting them into shapes etc.. so none will go to waste - again I had them cut them for me in this case same 10.00 charge I got the same sq ft of copper but I had them cut even smaller which means the cutting per piece was only .07 cents per piece - clean edges and exactly straight

with my other 2" wide blanks

Ring Bender - for Spoons and Forks

Could not resist - the same seller on ebay also had a ring bender that you can bend spoon and fork handles into rings.

I've got a lot of spoons in my stash so looking forward to using them up as well maybe putting some dichro on it as well - maybe

Etching Dichroic Glass for Fusing

I like to etch some glass as well
I take the stamp pad that is a resist and stamp onto the dicroic piece I will be fusing

I like the white as I can see it better but any of the Staz on opaque colours will work.

Let dry
then put a covering of etching cream on the piece - this can be tricky as some dichro takes seconds others a minute or two to etch into the dichro.

I didn't get to finish tonight and I might wait till the weekend and I'll enter the next steps and the finished items in this blog
But you can bet I'll be doing some of the zentangle stamps this weekend and etching them onto the Dichro and fusing them. Should be interesting

Starting a Fork Bracelet

I just had to try a couple of bends - love the video was real helpful
Too cold at the studio so I'll wait till the weekend to play further - plus all my polishes that would freeze were in the house
So - to be continued.......

My Stash of Flatware for Fork & Spoon Jewelery

My stash of an assortment of Forks and Spoons that I have accumulated about 10 years ago with the intent of making fork and spoon jewelery

Making Bracelets- Spoon bending tool

My 1" 18g Copper blanks are on order and should have by Friday to share
I got my How to Make Fork Braceletes DVD today and it had items I knew I would have to do and few cool tips on bending and prepping the bracelet.  A great tool it had in the video was a "Spoon Bender" This little item is cool and I ended up buying on Ebay today . Some might think a bit pricy but think its worth it - think  about the time to run around and find all the parts and this way its all put together and will work without testing.  I think I would spend more in gas and time finding all the right parts -
Here is pic and the link to get one. (or just type spoon bender in ebay) I'm going home to find my stash of forks
 (and I know exactly where they are in my studio for a change) I bet I bought them 10 years ago. I'll put up a pic tonight.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/SPOON-BENDER-Make-Your-Own-Silver-BRACELET-Bead-Gem-Jewelry-Craft-Flatware-Art-/130597994228?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1e683f3ef4#ht_500wt_1282

Copper Bracelet Blanks - for Etching

I picked up my copper bracelet blanks from the metal shop tonight
I had them cut as they only charge 10.00 for shear cutting the sheet for me
so that works out to  (10.00/75 each ) about .14 each (well worth my time) as they cut straight and the edges are clean to start with.
So I have 25 x 6"   25 x 6.5"  and 25 x 7"  giving me a range for small, medium and large bracelets and more than enough to keep me busy over the winter months.

I think the next batch will be 1" or maybe 1.25" wide in the same lengths. I also have a GRS Bracelet Former coming -

Blurb on GRS Bracelet Former

Shapes flat strips of metal to a perfect "C" shape after you’ve engraved your designs.
eatures a soft alloy die seat that supports pressure from the die without distorting your engraving work (die seat can be reformed by heating when necessary).
imple to use: place one end of stock under the die, press down on the handle, and work stock through the former, shaping until you create the desired "C" shape.

Includes two different fixed punches and one adjustable die cavity to form bracelets measuring 0.25"–1.25" in width. Recommended for 0.030"–0.080" thick soft metals such as gold, silver and copper. Made in USA.

Did I mention a company called  located in Etobicoke has some items like Rio Grande for Jewelry Making - great place to order from.


I'm falling behind on making and testing items as I'd like to keep my blog going with at least as many as there are days in the month.  I'll have to come up with another few before the end of tomorrow.