Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Take a Break: Make Jewelry from Hardware


This “take a break” is the result of spending many hours helping to clean out the motorcycle shop of my friend who was killed when he fell asleep on his bike several weeks ago.  For Alan’s memorial-or Bon Voyage party as his wife is calling it- I thought those in attendance might appreciate a small piece of Alan’s shop (I’m calling it Alanware), so I’ve been making a variety of items that people can wear or use.

To get started, think of using items like hex nuts and wing nuts the way you might use beads. Bracelets, earrings, pendants, key chains, bookmarks and necklaces can easily be made by combining glass beads with various hardware items. For bracelets, stretch cord works just fine as well as “memory wire,” provided the nuts, washers, or whatever you are using are small enough. The Hex Nut Jewelry video is a good place to start.

Other projects to consider

• Hex nut bracelet/key chain can be made by any of the following ways
- Chain This pattern glues the hex beads together. The preferred glue appears to be E-6000.
- Rat Tail  This pattern links the hex nuts together with jump rings, a good option for those who don’t like glue.


• Hex Nut Earrings
- Type III Hex Nut Posts You can always glue a small bead in the hole, or consider trimming down the screw so the head fits in the hex.



Enough with the nuts and bolts. Moving on to washers.
Ribbon and washers make a lovely necklace or bracelet or a bookmark. 


• Decorate washers with any of the following techniques, so that your pendant, key chain, bookmark or whatever else looks fabulous.

Stamping on Washers: Does require a letter set. 

• DIY Metal Washers Jewelry: Video on making interesting necklaces with washers. 

• Bookmarks: These can easily be made by gluing a few beads on the washer, or decorating it with various paints, and then looping a ribbon through it. Make sure that the ribbon is long enough to go a page length.


Other hardware Projects

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