samedi 27 février 2010

Hand Stamped Jewelry... la tendance du moment

Les bijoux «Hand Stamped» sont très tendance actuellement aux USA. En attendant la parution du premier livre consacré à ce sujet «Hand Stamped Jewelry», (parution début juillet 2010), voici un excellent tutorial (en anglais) pour les débutants.


«How to Make Hand Stamped Jewelry, By lcaveness Beautiful personalized hand-stamped jewelry is easy to make. A simple selection of basic tools is all you need to get started creating fantastic gifts for family and friends. Difficulty: Moderately Easy Things

You'll Need:

• Precut pendant (usually sterling silver, gold filled, copper, or nickel silver)
• A set of metal stamps (these can be found at hardware stores, for more variety check out jewelry supply stores).
(photo ci-dessous)



• 16 oz Household Hammer

• Metal Hole Punchers (Pliers)


• Rawhide or plastic mallet

• Jump ring and chain (if making a pendant)

• Steel bench block

• Permanent Black Marker

• 0000 Grade Steel Wool

• Practice Sheet Metal (optional)

• Ruler (optional)


1. Initially, it is a good idea to practice on a piece of test metal. 24 gauge copper is a good choice for practice and can be found in many craft stores. It is important to practice the spacing of your letters, as well as the right amount of power to use when striking the stamp. Place the practice metal on your block and select a stamp. Align the letter tip of the stamp in the desired place. Note that the design on the stamp is not necessarily centered on the shank. The best way to get good placement is to use the reflection of the letter in the metal as your guide. If you look closely you can see where the tip is going by it's reflection in the metal. Generally, one good whack on the top of the stamp shank is what your aiming for. If you whack it too much it can become too soft to hold the oxidation clearly, too light and the oxidation won't stick in the depression enough to be visible.



2. After practicing, it's time to select your design. If you would like your word centered, measure your pendant across and make a small dot with the permanent marker in the center of the pendant. You will work from the center out. For instance- if you are stamping the word "FAITH" the "I" would go dead center, then you would add the letters on either side, an "A" on the front and a "T" on the end, then repeat with the "F" and "H". It is helpful to draw your design on a paper before beginning. Remember to align the tip by using its reflection in the metal. One solid whack on the end of the stamp creates your impression.


3. Now it's time for the oxidation. If you prefer you can use liver of sulfur or an oxidation product like Black Magic. I recommend that beginners use a permanent marker instead of these products. The permanent marker is less labor intensive and you probably already have one. Use the marker to color in the depressions made with the stamp set. Force the ink in as deep and thick as you can and do not be concerned that the marking is not precise. Will we take care of undesired marks in the next step.


4. Use your 0000 grade steel wool to rub the surface of the pendant. This removes any unwanted marks while polishing the tag to a reflective sheen.


5. If you want this for a pendant, use your hole punch pliers to make a hole in the desired spot. Use your steel wool to remove any mark left by the permanent marker in this area. Now all that is needed is a jump ring and your choice of chain. Your beautiful hand stamped pendant is complete!
».
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Lisa Niven Kelly - (photo ci-contre), l'auteur du livre cité ci-dessus, a un site internet très complet, où vous pourrez regarder des vidéos (photos ci-dessous), expliquant le design de ces bijoux (tutorials).
«Personalized jewelry is all the craze, and Lisa is going to show you some great stamping designs to incorporate into your jewelry. Not only does she cover a lot of great designs, she also introduces how to texture and dap, and further discusses oxidizing options. These new techniques will give your stamping projects a little extra something special. Join Lisa for this free class filled with designs to expand your stamped jewelry repertoire!».


Vous pouvez également lire ou télécharger au format PDF des tutorials (photo ci-dessous), dont voici une petite liste :


Using Design Stamps: Design Stamps can be tricky to use. They have more detail than letter stamps and you might not have perfect results on your first few tries.

Using the Dapping Block: The dapping block is the tool you need to dome metal blanks. Our version has a variety of daps (also called punches.) You can dome a variety of sizes...

Using the Lowercase Letter Stamp Sets: We now sell lowercase letter stamp sets. They were designed by us and custom-made for us. The letters are engraved rather than pressed into the stamp...

Si vous êtes en panne d'inspiration, allez sur cette page piocher quelques idées nouvelles pour vos bijoux. Photos de quelques projets ci-dessous. «Need a little inspiration every now and again? Check out this section for great ideas for using our materials and tools!».





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Sur YouTube, vous trouverez trois vidéos consacrées au "Stamped Jewelry" ("Stamping on Metal Part 1, 2 et 3"), mais aussi de nombreuses autres sur la fabrication de bijoux fantaisie. SUPER!!


•• Stamping on Metal - Part 1 - 7:17 ••



Et n'oubliez pas le livre de Lisa Niven Kelly, qui paraîtra en juillet 2010. A réserver d'urgence!!

Enfin pour les dernières infos, il y a aussi le blog.

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