Here’s another older tutorial I’ve put together ~ Hope it helps!
Let’s Rivet Earrings ~
Here are my 6 components to decide how to put together ~ I’ve chosen to start with these ~
Here are a few ideas!
Now that I’ve decided how I want to put them together….
I texture or shape my pieces
Hammered oval washers ~
Once you have the look you like ~
put the two pieces back together & hold it where you want it to connect
The butterflies come with a pre drilled hole so you can really just make a centered hole on the component where you want to connect it.
If you’re trying to connect bracelet links and need to be precise, pick up your hole punch pliers and put the punch exactly where you want the hole (you will be holding both pieces together) Then squeeze slightly (don’t punch a hole just yet)…just squeeze enough to put an indent in the top and bottom piece~ This will be your mark to a correctly placed rivet.
Remove the pliers (without creating the hole) and then put the hole in each piece separately ~ They will be perfectly aligned and it will save on wear and tear of you hole punch pliers ~
Go ahead and repeat for the other piece of the set ~
If you have any burrs from the hole punch, you can file them off now using files, Dremel or flex shaft ~
Find a hard surface to work on…Now you can put your rivet in through both pieces to be cold connected ~
you can rivet it with the nail head on top or on the bottom ~ I do it both ways…just depends how curvy my pieces are…sometimes it’s easier the reverse way~
Cut your rivet with flush cutters to 1/16″ or 1.5mm above the joined pieces…
(For this to work ~the rivet must be flat on top..not pointed)
The rivet should fit snug ~ if you use a larger hole punch, your rivet will bend and not set properly & I promise you will be frustrated
If you use a smaller hole punch, you will be filing the hole and wasting precious time ~
Seriously, spend the $16 on my hole punch….you will be happy you did! I promise you will use these all the time for other jewelry designing projects! (You can also use them as a hole punch in your earring cards!)
Now that you have your rivet trimmed flush and snug, grab your hammer…usually I use the riveting hammer ~ flat end…but I have great success with my chasing hammer and embossing hammer – round end too ~ test a few on scrap and see what gets you good results.
With very light taps, rotate your pieces in a circular motion as you tap ~ this gives even pressure on all sides of the rivet..which will result in a nice round even rivet head. As you get better at it, you can just hit around the rivet…but this worked for me when I was getting started…
If you don’t have these, you can try a regular hammer…but they are so heavy you need to tap very lightly ~
If your rivet bends before it is nicely set ~ there are a few reasons ~
Rivet was left too long,–look at your ruler and figure out how long 1/16″ or 1.5mm is
Hammered to hard…next time take baby taps…you will need around 12 light taps to set it
Used a larger hole punch…buy my hole punch! 🙂
Now that you’re rivet is set, feel both sides…are they smooth and not jaggy…
if they aren’t smooth…just lightly tap that out ~
WOO HOO! You did it~ You’ve riveted…. Now go back and rivet the other pieces ~
At this time you can shine them up or oxidize them…Just dip them in your favorite oxidizing solution
(sorry details for this are for another tutorial)
~ til as dark as you like and rinse well in water ~
Take a piece of 00 steel wool and create shiny highlights on the surface by rubbing in a circular motion ~ front and back
You can add renaissance wax to help slow the oxidizng, but my copper/brass cleaning pads really work great and bring back a shine very quickly…very much like silver!
Once done, add holes on the top of your pieces to connect your ear wires ~ (using your very useful 1.5mm hole punch pliers!)
I love my new solid copper ear wires …they come oxidized but shiny too ~ so no prep…the one thing I notice is that the loop right below the 3 bead cluster is sometimes too small ~ If you grab the cluster to bend, you could easily snap it off ~ using your round nose pliers, bend the wire just below the cluster to open that space up a bit…then slide the wider part of the round nose pliers in that space and curve it a bit wider~
Now add the charm to your earring ~ place the front of the piece through the ear wire and slide around to dangle freely ~ close the hole with out pressing on the cluster. You can add color by just adding beads, or other fun charms….Here I added Denim Lapis bead charms ~ I love this combo! I could easily have placed another hole at the bottom of the butterfly and dropped the bead from here ~
Very likely to sell or make someone very happy to receive! Think I’ll go put these in 😉 Btw..holes in earring cards were made with my hole punch pliers..lol!
Go ahead and repeat this process for the other pieces of the set ~ you can use them as is…bend them, cut them texture them…add chain (using your very handy 1.5mm hole punch~ lol) add wire wrapped beads…make it your own style! You will have great success with this ~ It will open a whole new world of connection possibilities ~
The rivet options are
1/4″ or 1/2″ Rivets in Copper/Brass or Sterling Silver
All of these items and tools are available on my Etsy site! My Components Here Metal Blanks Here Assorted Metalworking tools Here DIY Kits Here
If you order any of my riveting tutorials,
I will email you this riveting tutorial free with extra tips that work for me!
Have fun and be creative ~ Try this design or create your own combination! Now get riveting 🙂 It’s easy!
My designs are all about textures. You’ll find through out my work vibrant & beautiful textures. I’ve included a guide to help you make your jewelry buying easier! Typically we can adjust a designs texture. This would fall into a custom order categor. You would just need to connect with us for what you would like. Many would not incur an additional cost. So don’t hesitate to message us! I’m working on a few new textures ~ Stop back soon!
ATHENA (Greek) – Goddess of war and wisdom and domestic crafts. Plato believed her name meant “mind of God” whilst others suggest it comes an ancient word meaning “sharp.” Both these words point to Athena’s great intellectual ability to see the true nature of a situation and to develop successful strategies.
ARIES While not a goddess , it’s the first Astrological sign and just seemed to fit this texture. The symbol of the ram is based on the Chrysomallus, the flying ram that provided the Golden Fleece.
EOS (Greek) – A sunny natured Goddess whose name means dawn. A wonderful texture – a favorite!
GAIA (Greek) – Goddess of the Earth and prophecy. She is the primordial mother and a personification of Mother Earth. She gave birth to the Titans.
OSTARA (Germanic) – The spring Goddess whose name is linked to the East and the dawn. The early Christians took her fertility symbols of eggs and hares and incorporated them into the Easter celebrations.
VENUS (Roman) – Goddess and love and beauty. Her Goddess name has become synonymous with her role as the woman who all men desire.
Another older tutorial…for patina lovers to try at home! Its fun!
This Sapphire Patina is just so beautiful and it’s something all of you
can try at home with terrific results!
Here’s the project:
Sapphire Starry Night Earrings Tutorial
Materials you’ll need:
2 Brass Rectangle Charms
2 Ear wires or 20ga wire
2 Brass stars or small charms
Tools you’ll need:
1.5mm hole punch (if no holes in brass charms)
Wood Dapping Block & Hammer ( if shaping your metal)
Fine steel wool or scotchbrite (outside scrubby of sponge will work)
Spray bottle of water
Coarse salt
Ammonia – household
Plastic container with lid
2 small round flat stones
Metal Aerosol Sealant
Getting Started:
Setting up the patina station~
Set up your plastic container in a well ventilated area ~ the lid will be on for most of this procedure, but ammonia has a very strong odor…so outside in a covered area is a good place. I’ve used a plastic old deli meat container… large enough to place a few pieces in…(use a container that you can have specifically for this project and not for future food) ~ Plastic gloves are a good idea too!
Old Deli meat container…but any plastic container with lid will work ~
Lay two round flat stones on bottom of container and pour in just a bit of Ammonia …do not cover the stones with ammonia…just enough to cover the bottom of the container. Put the lid on for now.
Here’s the concept for the stones…soon the metal charms will rest on top~
Preparing the brass:
Texture the two brass rectangles anyway you like. The pieces pictured here are pre-hammered….Shaping the metal before you patina, is a good idea….it’s possible to flake off the patina if you bend the metal afterwards.
Then I used my wooden dapping block to shape…you can also accomplish this on a soft piece of pine and tapping lightly with the round end of the hammer…(hitting the back side will curve the charms outward and hitting on the front side will curve them inwards)
Here I’m curving inward ~Take your brass pieces and scrub them (without water) with your scrubby, scotch brite/steel wool or brass brush ..this will bring a shine to your pieces….they are now ready to be patina’ed.
Patina Process:
Spray the shiny face side of each piece with with water to wet the surface. While not touching the shiny side with your fingers,(use plyers or hold the sides) place your brass charms on the stones in the plastic container face side up.
Spritz cleaned metal pieces with water
Carefully place brass pieces face side up on stones or small plastic cups (crystal lite cups upside down) You can use anything not porous to place the components on ~
Sprinkle coarse salt on the brass components…it’s ok if some of the salt spills into the ammonia…it won’t affect the outcome…just don’t let the brass piece fall in….if it does…just rinse, place on stone & re-sprinke the salt.
How much salt on the metal is a personal preference. I try to give an even coat…so the pieces match for earrings…but if making pendants experiment with different amounts or even try smaller grain table salt..I like the coarse salt because it makes a much bigger pock mark.
Place the lid back on the plastic container and wait around 24 hours…the fumes from the ammonia work with the salt and brass….you can peek occasionally… When you like the color it’s time for the next step ~ Here are the pieces ready to be rinsed! Look at that blue! Gorgeous!
With plastic gloves or plyers pull out the salt covered pieces and rinse off salt in water ~
Rinsing the salt off~
Remove from water and lightly dry with a paper towel….let sit til dry for an hour or so ~
Brass charms drying~ So pretty with some of the brass showing through~
Protecting the Finish:
From here you can see the beautiful variation dark and light blue tones and bits of brass peeking through…to me this is just perfect! Now I’m ready to seal…. You can pick up an inexpensive lacquer at the hardware store…or you may have one in the workshop.
(Other sealants: Permalac, Sculpt Noveau Color Guard, Krylon (metal sealants – I prefer aerosol -Matte for patina)
I use a paper plate, but you could use a paper towel or newspaper….holding the spray lacquer at least 12″ away, lightly spray your pieces evenly….A VERY LIGHT COAT….Don’t saturate…or you’ll loose the wonderful deep tone…let dry for 20 minutes and spray again 2 more times at 20 min intervals ~(a total of 3 times) The spray lacquer will help preserve the blue patina ~
Brass charms sprayed with Lacquer and drying ~
Finishing things up:
If your charms don’t already have a hole you can add one now or even before you start the patina process. I like to use a 1.5mm hole punch to make a big enough hole for the earring to swing easily from the ear wire.
Center the punch and gently squeeze ~
Attach your ear wire and charm to both pieces and you are ready to go!
This is a super fun project and really easy to accomplish great results!
Add ear wires and charms or beads ~
TaDa! You have an amazing pair of artisan earrings and you did it yourself!
Here’s a starter kit to make an earring set & necklace.
2 Brass Blanks (round or square- you must texture your own) 2 Star Charms
2 Antique Brass Ear Wires Coarse Salt
