DIY metal pendants for creativity

Metal pendants are made of various materials, but most often they consist of an alloy of zinc, aluminum and copper. It makes cheap products. Some manufacturers may save on some component, thereby reducing the quality of the product. Unprocessed details, roughness, brittleness, an unpleasant yellowish tint on the front side of the decoration and abrasions on the back - mean that the casting technology was not followed. Therefore, do not chase the low price of such products.

Varieties of metal accessories

Accessories for creating jewelry are different in color: it can be of a bronze, golden or silver hue. There are combined options with patterns, patterns, additional decoration with rhinestones and enamel. Metal pendants are created in two ways: by casting and stamping. The stamped products are very light, bend well. They can be superimposed on each other, glued, give a new shape. If you bend the molded part, it just breaks. Caps for custom beads are made of some types of stamped pendants.

The design and dimensions of jewelry accessories have an unlimited number of options. Metal pendants can be double-sided - such products are used in the manufacture of earrings. From large one-sided models make pendants and other jewelry. Small items are used in their work scrapbookers. 3D 3D figures are actively used by puppeteers and florists.

Decoration of finished products with acrylic

Conventional metal pendants for jewelry can be made bright and original by decorating with a microbead, epoxy resin or painted with acrylic. To do this, you will need:

• different pendants with small and large details;
• acrylic paints and microbeads for decor;
• epoxy resin;
• alcohol;
• acetone;
• thin brush;
• cotton pad;
• cotton swab;
• wooden spatula;
• stationery knife;
• capacity for epoxy.

We begin to manufacture an original and bright accessory with acrylic paint:

1. Degrease the surface with alcohol.
2. We take the suspension with the largest segments. Dip the brush into medium-sized acrylic paint and fill each fragment with the desired color. It is necessary to try to dilute the color so that it is not too liquid, and the surface itself is leveled when applied.
3. If the color doesn’t fit very neatly and gets past the fragments, you don’t need to try to remove the excess until the product dries completely. All shortcomings can be easily corrected later by gently running a clerical knife on the sides. Try to remove paint with small filings without touching the edges of the base layer, so as not to accidentally remove it. Then all the work will have to be repeated first.
4. We brush away the garbage formed with a dry brush.
5. We connect the components of epoxy resin. According to the manufacturer's instructions, mix thoroughly.
6. Coat the painted surface with epoxy using a thin brush.

If among the selected metal pendants there is one with small elements, it can be decorated in another way: first we paint over the entire surface and leave it to dry completely. Then with a cotton swab with acetone, gently wipe the convex parts, gliding slightly on the surface.

Decoration of blanks with microbeads and epoxy

A metal pendant for scrapbooking or a pendant with a large central part can be decorated with epoxy resin and a microbead:

1. Fill the middle with acrylic paint and leave to dry completely.
2. Pour on top the microbeads of the desired color and gently spread on the surface with a wooden stick.
3. Carefully fill the center with epoxy. It can be replaced with gel polish for nails and compare the result.
4. We cover all pendants with a transparent container to prevent dust from entering the surface.
5. Leave to dry completely for 24 hours.

Advanced metal pendants for needlework are ready. Now you can use them for making earrings, pendants, decorating photo albums and other crafts.

Wire Twisting Technique

Some craftsmen create accessories for metal pendants with their own hands using wire. This popular technique is called Wire wrap (torsion of wire) and consists in drawing patterns of their thin metal threads, which braid stones, beads, beads and other decorative elements. The work uses special tools. The finished product is sometimes artificially stuck, covered with a patina, and then polished.

Copper and brass etching to create a pendant

Metal pendants for needlework can be made using the technique of etching metals - from copper and brass. Before work, the surface of the workpiece is smoothed out with a rubber mallet, and then cleaned in a hot solution of citric acid. They take out the plates with tools or a rag so as not to leave fingerprints. The back should be sealed with tape or covered with nail polish. The drawing is applied in various ways: with a permanent marker, acrylic paints, with the help of stickers.

For etching, ferric chloride is needed , it is dissolved in hot water, in a ratio of 1 to 3. Optimum temperature: + 50-60 degrees. Billets are placed in the container with the solution: brass facing down, and copper up. The metal etching process takes about an hour. Now all that remains is to cut out the decorative elements, polish the edges and polish them. Holes are made in the blanks and used as part of the decoration.