With 100s of rivets, eyelets, and related tools to pick from, the #2 riveting question I get is:
What are the best tools to easily
set both rivets and eyelets?
The answer depends on whether you want to rivet mostly leather, or mostly metal.
For leather, see my Riveting with TierraCast Leather Findings tutorial.
Layout
Create Hinge Tabs
Roll Into Cylinders
Cut Tubing
Slide tubing down the channel and finesse hinges as needed. Rivet tubing into place to finish the hinge. Open and close hinge to ensure a proper fit.
Assemble Hinge and Insert Tubing
Lay out Etched Metal Page
Prepare Embellishments
Lay out Etched Metal Page
Rivet Domes Into Place
Carefully clean and polish the pendant before attaching the necklace chain.
Clean Finished Pendant
Handmade jewelry looks great on a custom beaded necklace, on leather cording, silk ribbon or chain. I created a necklace by making individual links using the one-step looping plier, eye pins, metal beads and natural agates. The links were connected using jump rings.
Memory Journal Necklace
Using one-step looping pliers and a few supplies, you can have a set of fantastic earrings in under 30 minutes!
Gather supplies
Lay out pattern and mark paddles
Loop paddle-end head pins
Adjust and tighten loops
Assemble
Repeat for other earring & enjoy!
For more information, scroll down to see the video tutorial and review tips on this one-step looping pliers page.
I love jewelry with lots of sparkly adornment, but making simple jewelry loops can be tricky. Creating matching loops with the perfect shape requires skill and time. It’s little wonder the “1-Step Looper” is so popular — this magical tool makes consistent loops in one quick and easy step. In fact, the process is so quick, you might miss it if you blink. Continue Reading…
A few basic types of rivets are used when making jewelry. Each type of rivet (and eyelet) requires different tools and techniques. First I’ll show what each looks like and describe key features. In the second section, I’ll explain how to use them.
Our original tutorial on “How to solder jewelry with Simply Swank Tools” has been very popular. Since the “Simply Swank” company no longer exists, I have attempted, here, to provide information on similar supplies, and to answer some questions.
Continue Reading…
I recently got a chance to play with copper solder, and I LOVE it! This awesome copper solder is 7% phosporous (and 93% copper), which makes it self-fluxing. It flows and melts around the same temperature as hard-grade silver solder, so you can easily solder links, small bezels, and other basic joins with a butane micro torch.
We tested the new EnCapture Artisan Concrete Kit!
Flor Sepultiado Mosaic Necklace
This “unique texture-rich medium for jewelry making” is designed for embedding treasures such as glass, gemstones, metal, buttons, wire and beads to create visual interest and contrast. Here are some tips for using it!
Stitched Devil Mosaic Necklace
Mixing: We found the easiest way to mix the concrete was making a slurry (or thin paste) by putting a small amount of the base material in the mixing cup and adding the activator. To the slurry, mix in the base material and pigment incrementally until you have achieved the desired color and consistency.
Application: You can extend the life of your concrete while you are working by covering the mixing cup with a damp paper towel. We recommend you remove excess concrete from your embedded treasures as you work using a damp paper towel, cotton swab or toothpick. It is easier to remove when it is moist than after it starts to dry.
Hamsa Hand in Heart Mosaic Necklace – Tutorial
Finishing Touches: If you do not like large grains of sand from the concrete being visible in your design, you may be able to bury them by gently poking them down into the wet concrete with a toothpick.
Hi, guest blogger Rita here, with some information on cleaning, polishing, and keeping your metal jewelry clean.
There are a variety of products out there for cleaning and polishing, and whether you are trying for a specific finish, or wanting to keep your jewelry creations pretty after sale, knowing what to use can be very confusing.
Our precious…
Do you ever feel possessive of your favorite belongings? I moved our jewelry team’s Vintaj BigKick closer to the windows – a distance of maybe 15 feet – to get pictures and no fewer than three people stopped me!
Mollie made this sweet necklace during a demo in our Spokane showroom.
“What are you doing?!?”
“Where are you going with that?!?!”
Kickin’ it Vintaj style!
Really guys, the BigKick belongs to *all* of us – but I understand wanting to keep tabs on it: it is a super fun tool! Despite the name, the BigKick is actually a very small rolling mill. It is designed specifically to texture Vintaj Natural Brass blanks with their DecoEmboss folders and DecoEtch design plates.
Birds, trees, leaves, keys, clocks – embossing/etching folders are available in a ton of cute designs.
Simply choose a blank, lay it on the design, sandwich it between the plexi-glass plates and run it through the BigKick. The metal comes out with a reversible design, and since Vintaj brass has a natural patina, just few swipes with the metal reliefing block to polish the high points really brings out the details. (We’ve linked Vintaj’s YouTube demo videos right from the product listings in our online store if you’d like to see it in action!)
Simply turn the handle – it really is that easy to add beautiful texture to your jewelry!
We recommend using only Vintaj Natural Brass blanks with the BigKick machine as they are the right gauge and softness. If you use other items, you may be risking this precious machine! [ Update April 2016: These new 30-gauge aluminum blanks also work great! ]
One roll and you’ll be in love…
The Vintaj art heart blanks are sold in pairs – perfect for earrings!
If you’re buying a BigKick, you need three other things:
Embossing folders or etching plates
Flat Vintaj brass shapes/blanks
Metal reliefing block (sand paper or steel wool also work, but are not as easy to use)
And that’s it – instant gratification! Have fun kicking your style up a notch! ~ Cindy