1

1. Prepare the template: Use a pencil and tracing paper, trace your intended de-sign. Less than 2” square is ideal. Or just free hand it!

2. With an ultra fine point Sharpie, outline and fill in all areas that you intend to leave metal. All white areas will be negative spaces that you will later fill in with colored resin. (PHOTO A)

3. Use a silver quilter’s pencil or a white colored pencil to fine-tune your line work, or enlarge any funny looking negative spaces.

4. Sand down both sides of the sheet copper you intend to use. (PHOTO B) Make sure to use a circular motion and cover the entire surface area.

Pierced Copper and Resin Flower PendantBy Tamara Allison

facetjewelry.com©2017 Kalmbach Publishing Co. This material may not be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher.FC

T-M

W-0

7241

7-06

I am highly influenced by beautiful line work. For these designs, I gravitate to stylized wall-paper patterns. Other sources for pretty floral designs can be found on fabric scraps, in adult coloring books, in zentangles, or even from henna tattoos. The latter was my most recent inspiration. Filling in the pierced negative spac-es with resin allows you to create a miniature stained glass pendant of your own!

Supplies• 18 gauge sheet copper

(www.riogrande.com)• Jeweler’s resin of choice

(any hobby or art supply store)

• Jump ring• Necklace chain• Chalk pastels (any hobby

or art supply store)

Tools• Graphite pencil• Ultra fine-point Sharpie

marker• Stylized image of a flower• Tracing paper• Elmer’s glue stick

• Silver quilter’s pencil or white colored pencil (any fabric, hobby or art supply store)

• Wet/dry sandpaper• Frog Tape (hardware stores)• Toothpicks• Paper towels• Jeweler’s saw• Size 4/0 jeweler’s saw

blades (www.riogrande.com)

• Spring-loaded center punch• Drill bit • Dremel or Flex Shaft• Needle files• Watercolor palette• X-Acto knife

B

A

2

7. Using a spring-loaded center punch (or hammer and nail), make an inden-tation in the widest part of each nega-tive space. (PHOTO E)

8. Drill a hole wide enough to accom-modate your saw blade through each indentation, using your Dremel or Flex Shaft. (PHOTO F)

9. To pierce (saw) the metal, disengage one end of your saw blade from the handle and put it through the inner-most negative space hole. (PHOTO G) Reconnect your blade to your frame, and cut out the shape. (PHOTO H)

5. Use an Elmer’s glue stick to cover the surface of the copper you just sanded. (PHOTO C) Press the tracing paper with your image on it to the copper and burnish with the cap of the glue stick. Apply more glue in missed areas. Tear off any tracing paper that is overlap-ping the edges of the metal.

6. To prepare for piercing, trim away excess copper around the pattern using your jeweler’s saw and a 40 blade, leaving at least 1/8” all the way around. (PHOTO D) Make sure the entire piece is less than 3” square if using a standard-sized saw, so that you don’t encounter any troubles later on.

F

C

I

L

E

H

K

D

G

J

M

10. Proceed to cut out all the shapes, working from the center to the edges to prevent any warping or bending of the copper. (PHOTO I)

11. Once all the inside shapes are cut out, proceed to cut out the outside of the shape. (PHOTO J)

12. Clean up your copper by peeling off the tracing paper from the finished filigree. (PHOTO K) Wet your sandpaper and sand both sides of the copper to clean off all paper and glue residue.

13. Use a needle file to smooth the out-side edges of the entire piece (PHOTO L) and any inside edges that are going to remain negative spaces. Do not file any cutouts where resin will be; resin does not adhere as well to smooth edges, so leaving them rough is preferred.

14. Once your metal is clean and filed, cover the back with a 2” piece of Frog Tape (or any other low tack painter’s tape). (PHOTO M) Burnish well, to en-sure all surfaces are stuck to the tape.

3

15. Using your jeweler’s resin of choice (I used Envirotex) and a watercolor pal-ette, mix a very small amount of resin and hardener according to manufactur-er’s instructions. (PHOTO N) Most resins mix in a one-to-one ratio, but some have different formulations, so be sure to read instructions carefully. I used about six to ten drops of each. Make different batches in separate wells on your palette for as many dif-ferent colors as you have planned for your finished piece.

16. Use an X-Acto knife to scrape off some shavings from a chalk pastel stick into each well. (PHOTO O) The more pig-ment, the more opaque the resin will set. If mixing multiple colors together, add more resin and hardener if the mixture gets too thick.

17. Using a toothpick, thoroughly mix the chalk pastel into the resin and hardener in each well. (PHOTO P)

18. Using the same toothpick to apply a drop of resin to the negative space in your copper pendant that you want to fill. Move the resin into each corner and crevasse, making sure it makes full contact with both the copper edges and the Frog Tape. (PHOTO Q)

Keep adding drops as necessary until the resin is level with the copper. Use the tip of a paper towel to blot away any overspill. Pop any bubbles with the tip of the toothpick. Continue filling spaces until you are satisfied with the look of your piece. (PHOTO R)

19. Set the finished pendant aside to cure on a level surface. Always follow the resin manufacturer’s instructions for this step. It will vary by product, but is usually at least 24 hours.

TIP: Use up any remaining resin on other projects. I always try to have several pieces cut out before applying resin because I almost always mix too much! Try to clean out your watercolor palette while the resin is still liquid (just use a paper towel); once it hard-ens, you will not be able to remove it.

20. Remove the cured piece from the Frog Tape. If necessary, sand away any adhesive or leaking resin spots on the back. Check to make sure sunlight shines through the pendant. (PHOTO S)

Attach a copper jump ring of any size and hang from your choice or chain or ribbon!

O

R

QP

S

N