Vinyl Record Earrings

Vinyl Record Earrings Tutorial

Posted by Impybat

About

For a while, making jewelry out of vinyl records was consuming my every waking moment. I recently got back to it. I see a lot of great projects on Cut Out and Keep that involve vinyl records, and I thought you guys would enjoy one more. Here is a quick tutorial that will show you how to make a cute pair o' swingy earrings.

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You Will Need (11 things)

  • A vinyl Record (preferably not a collectible LP; I once cut up a Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes and my husband went crazy)
  • Rubber Stamp Heat Gun Tool
  • Dremel or small hand drill
  • Emery Board
  • Good, sharp craft Scissors
  • Earring Hooks findings--I used fish hook ear wires
  • Jump Ring(s)
  • Assorted jewelry Pliers
  • Acrylic Gem(s) , color and style of your choice
  • Jewelers Glue or other such type-- I used E-6000
  • Toothpick or another similar tool to apply the gems to the record pieces

Steps (5 steps, 30 minutes)

  1. 1

    The first step is to heat the record enough so that it becomes pliable (easily bent and therefore molded and cut). You will need a nice heatproof surface to heat the record on. I use an old metal round tray on my metal art table. An unused cookie sheet works great too. Any tray or cookie sheet used for heating vinyl should not be used for food. Be careful where you are placing your cookie sheet/tray; you don't want to cause any damage to the surface below the tray.

    Open a window or run a fan while doing this project. The fumes from heated vinyl are known to be hazardous, so do this at your own risk. Do this away from children and pets.

    Before you start to heat the record, plan what size you would like your earrings to be so you can judge how small to cut the pieces. Heat the record until the vinyl starts to become soft. This doesn't take long, so be on guard. Also: heated vinyl gets extremely HOT, so please use caution when handling it. Cut it into smaller, workable pieces with the craft scissors until you have the size you want. I cut mine into a sort of oblong shape and then from that, I cut a trapezoid shape. The trapezoid was then cut in half and those are the pieces you see in the picture.

  2. 2

    Don't worry about making the pieces exactly the same. A little bit of imperfection lends character to your handmade creations.

    Drill a hole near the top of each piece with the Dremel. Sand the edges the pieces with the emery board. I like to use those oversized ones because I find them easier to handle and I like the animal prints they come in.

  3. 3

    Get your earring findings together. I used two different sizes as in the picture. Thread one ring through the vinyl piece and the second ring through the first ring. Attach the ear wires to the top jump ring. For those unfamiliar with opening and closing jump rings: Open the jump rings with the jewelery pliers by gently pushing one hand away from you and the other hand towards you.

    Close all your rings in the reverse manner that you opened them.

  4. 4

    Make sure you have the gems you want to use picked out. Using a toothpick, carefully spread a tiny amount of the glue onto the back of the gems and stick it onto the vinyl pieces. You only need a small amount. You will want to work as quickly as possibly if you are using a fast-drying glue. Don't inhale any fumes! These glue usually stink, so again, it's best to have a window open. Let dry for the recommended length of time according to the glue manufacturer's instructions.

  5. 5

    You're done! Admire your funky new earrings!