A couple of weeks ago I shared a necklace made from a Soldered Necklace Kit; today I have the second necklace that I made with that kit, along with some stepped out pictures for using the beading pliers to create charms. If you would like to see larger pictures, click on the pictures.
From some Webster's Pages Petite Pages (Magical Wishes and a Sweet Life Combo Pack), I chose a couple of areas that I wanted to use as focal images, marked around them, and cut out inside my line.
After trimming the papers, sandwiching them between cleaned layers of glass, and wrapping them with regular 5/16" Copper foil tape, this is what they looked like. They are now ready to be soldered.
This is my basic soldering set-up. I have a heat proof mat underneath this quarry tile on my counter top, so I probably don't need the tile. But being cautious, and having waited a long time to get a studio, I think you understand! I generally use clamps, with that rounded brad head being turned up for stability, to hold my small pieces still. Be sure that you clam on the edge of the copper foil tape and NOT farther in on the glass.
Here is that same piece after being soldered on both sides. I have not cleaned the glass yet since I have to add jump rings. Again, note that the clamp needs to be on the soldered edge and not on the glass. (I have cracked glass at this stage by not having my clamp positioned on the soldered edge--it's an easy problem to avoid!)
Here I have attached one jump ring and am ready to attach the second. Note that the opening for the jump ring is on the edge that will be covered with solder. If you have a problem holding the jump ring steady with hemostat pliers, a jeweler's helper will come in handy.
When the jump ring is soldered on, the seam is covered with solder. If you happen to get the jump ring off center, just heat the solder, remove the ring, and try again.
Next I want to show you how to create a loop on a head pin using the concave pliers. The pins and beads, except for the tiny seed bead that was from my bead stash, came with the necklace kit. You need to be able to create a loop to dangle the beads, however. The concave pliers are one of my favorite tools because they make loop construction so simple.
Here I've started my loop. You control the size of the loop by scooting the wire up or down your pliers. I want a small loop, so I am working near the end of the pliers.
You can see that my loop is almost complete. Before I can finish it, however, I need to stop bending and cut the end off.
I use wire cutters to cut off the excess wire.
Voila! A finished charm.
Here are my five charms, along with a picture of what I started with to construct them and the tools that I used. Again, all beads and pins are included in the necklace kit except for the tiny white seed beads.
In this picture, I am adding the longest charm. I am getting ready to solder the jump ring shut. Remember that you need to use a bit of flux on the area that you intend to solder in order to get the solder to stick.
The bead charms really do add to the look of the necklace, and they are pretty simple to create once you get the hang of using the concave pliers. Try it! Thank you for visiting the CLASSroom today.
