Solar System Ornaments

Hello friends of Instructables, today I'm going to show you how to make some decorative Solar System ornaments made from pure recyclable aluminum, with extraordinary detail and finish.

In the ornaments I will make the Sun, the Moon and the 8 planets, although Pluto is no longer considered a planet (because the International Astronomical Union (IAU) reclassified it as a dwarf planet in 2006. This reclassification was due to the new definition of a planet, which now includes the criterion of having "cleaned" its orbit of other celestial bodies, something that Pluto does not meet) I leave it out.

I'll also make some decorative ornaments, like the satellite and the astronaut. I decided that these ornaments would be decorative, so both the Sun and the Moon will have faces with expressions, to bring them to life in the midst of the solar system.

Reference images.

Scissors

Cutter

Embossing ball tool

Beer cans

Soft base for embossing (I used Foam) You can use some fluffy fabric.

Tape

Wire

Get a pack of beer or soda, to use up the aluminum from the cans, you can drink them one by one while you work (just kidding).

You can also get empty ones at your local recycling center.

To disassemble the beer cans, draw a line with a marker where we will cut later, this line will serve as a guide for the first cut we will make.

Remove excess aluminum parts (top and bottom) and recycle them.

Then make a cut in the cylindrical part perpendicular to the horizontal cut.

Use a sharp knife to cut the aluminum; any cutter will usually cut through aluminum because it's so thin.

Be careful when making the cuts so as not to hurt your fingers.

After that cut and remove the top

Now go to Google and search for the planet images you prefer to use on your ornaments.

In my case, I selected a wide variety of images based on the classic engraving style.

Since they are visibly more interesting when embossing.

After making a selection and a layout with the approximate measurements of a can's width, print the images on adhesive paper and stick them on the aluminum of the cans.

Let's start at the center of the solar system, the sun.

Cut out the shapes and join them so that the figure is completed. Remember that everything depends on the width of the cans. You can also get XL cans to do the complete engraving directly.

In my case, I couldn't get large cans, so I decided to segment the sun design. This is also useful for generating levels in the ornament detail.

Cut the design well to place it on the aluminum in a better way

Tape the first beer foil to the soft material to secure it firmly.

This material will be useful for applying pressure with the tool without breaking the foil.

Remember, the side with the beer labels faces up, and that's where we'll stick our design, so the embellishments are on the side with the shiny, silver texture of the foil.

Now use the ball-tipped embossing tool to emboss the design. Keep in mind that the black lines or borders are the positive and will later be embossed on the other side of the aluminum. With this in mind, emboss only the white areas.

review the reference images to get an idea of ​​the embossing process.

When you finish embossing the entire design, remove the tape and turn it over.

Now emboss what represents the black lines, which correspond to the edges and black parts of the design

Repeat the same process for the other pieces, the eyes, mouth, nose, and sun rays.

Make the most of all the aluminum, like here where I glued two pieces into a single sheet.

I also took the liberty of cutting the eyes to give depth to the design.

Emboss the cheeks, first outline the black parts on the adhesive side, then turn the piece over and go over them, then emboss the white part on the adhesive side to give volume.

do the same for the center piece of the lips

do the same for the eyes and the eyebrows

after that place the solar corona adhesive patterns on three different cans

and emboss the same as in the previous steps, keep in mind that towards the silver front of the can, black is negative and white is positive.

Cut the pieces along the edges and join them (if applicable) with special aluminum glue.

*Only applies when the piece doesn't fit completely within the width of the can, as in this case due to the size of the sun. (or Jupiter too)

glue and complete the piece.

First glue the cheeks to the mouth, then the eyes, then the eyebrows....

and finally the forehead and the solar crown.

Now create a planet.

In this case, planet Earth.

Repeat the same steps as the sun and add any details you think are necessary.

*Please note when printing, invert horizontally or you will end up with a Counter-Earth

Now, for the rest of the planets, repeat the same steps you used for the Sun and Earth and add any details you consider necessary.

Please note that Jupiter and Saturn, due to their size, must be divided into 2 cans of beer.

In the following steps you will find reference images for the remaining planets, the moon and the astronaut plus the satellite.

After completing this entire process, you'll have some beautiful Space decorative ornaments for any space in your home, like a mobile ceiling decoration, a blank wall, or wherever you'd like to place them.

I hope you enjoyed this project.

Goodbye, and have a nice day.