It's always fun to try out new ways to explore your creativity . This soldered charm bracelet has been a project I've been wanting to create for quite a while now. It's always fun to wear your creative projects and I thought the beautiful Webster's Pages vellum would make a great charm feature.
If you're interested in trying out soldering, Ellen Hutson LLC has a great variety of Simply Swank product. I'd suggest starting with the Simply Solder Creative Kit as it has everything you need to get started. Ellen has a fabulous in depth tutorial on soldering in a previous In Touch Newsletter here.
The Simply Swank Solder Charm Bracelet includes the glass, bracelet and fittings necessary for creating the bracelet. All you'll need in addition is soldering supplies. Between each little piece of glass I've cut out and placed little pieces of Garden Gala 6x6 vellum and die cuts by Webster's Pages. The vellum is fun to use as it allows the light through the charm and also you only need one image per glass piece. If you decide to use paper which also looks lovely, you will want two images for each charm. Because these charms are very tiny, you'll need tiny images and the Webster's Pages 6x6 papers are perfect for this.
Soldering takes practice and I'll be the first to admit I could use more of it. Just like it takes a while to perfect your stamping or other crafting techniques, the same is true for soldering. One important piece of information that somehow I overlooked at the start of my soldering journey was that it is crucial to take good care of your soldering tip.
Here's a few things I learned...
- never leave your soldering iron on when you are not using it...not even for a short time
- continually wipe off your tip on the wet sponge when working to keep build up and impurities from affecting your work
- cover your soldering iron tip with solder well before turning off your iron to prevent oxidization
- oxidization can be filed off or removed with a metal brush
- make sure your tip is not oxidized to ensure smooth flow of the solder
- don't try soldering if your tip has worn out
Thanks for stopping by the CLASSroom! Have a creative weekend!
