https://www.cutoutandkeep.net/projects/metal-stamped-necklace • Posted by handsoccupied
Metal stamping is a fun and easy technique that could easily become your go-to for DIY gifts.
Metal stamping is a fun and easy technique that could easily become your go-to for DIY gifts.
Gather all of your supplies and the letters you’ll need for your project. Place your metal medium onto the steel block and center it. Use some pieces of masking tape lined up parallel to the top and bottom of your steel block to not only secure your metal piece, but also to provide a straight line to help keep your stamps straight.
On the bottom piece of tape, mark every 5mm. On each cm mark, I used a permanent marker, and for every 5mm (1/2 cm), I used a ball point pen. I used the two pen types for the markings to make my life a little easier while stamping.
When you’re ready to stamp, gather your stamps in the order in which they’ll be stamped. I guess I worked on this necklace when I was in a grumpy mood, so I made a *fml! necklace. Metal stamping is super therapeutic if you’re grumpy. I recommend considering ear protection while you metal stamp because you definitely got sensitive to the noise after awhile.
Start from the middle of your design. Ensuring your stamps are right side up, place your stamp in the middle of the metal piece, right above the middle line. Align the stamp and swiftly pound into it with a hammer.
Working outward toward the edges of your design, stamp the next letters. In the FML necklace, that’s F and L. The hardest part is getting them the same distance from each side of the M, and also getting them straight. My biggest tip is to take the time to get everything lined up before hammering because it’s not like you can press the delete key on stamped metal.
When everything is stamped, you can use a marker to make your stamps pop. Basically, you color over it and rub off the excess ink before it’s dry to get the effect you see here.