Use a Stamping Blank to Create a Textured and Domed Pendant

Sometimes I get an idea in my head, and I have to just try it to see if it works. If you are like me, you learn best by getting your hands on the project and just figuring it out as you go. 

I'm also the kind of person who likes to use what I have on hand instead of going out and buying new tools and supplies. With that in mind, this Boho hammered copper and crystal pendant project is probably not the best way of getting it done, but it worked anyway! I just had to find creative ways to get around the obstacles that showed up from time to time.

For this project, I decided to use a stamping blank to create a background for a very large faceted glass bead I had. Stamping blanks are used to stamp messages of love, encouragement, and sometimes even sarcasm to create charms for necklaces and bracelets. Sometimes they are even left un-stamped and used as accents. I've never seen anyone alter their shapes to create focal pieces. 

This project started a long time ago when I bought some metal stamping blanks to learn how to dome metal using a new dapping kit I bought at the same time. I had no idea what I was doing and didn't have a metal hole punch, so I figured the stamping blanks were a good way to learn.

It actually worked really well. Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago when I found metal stamping blanks in a variety of shapes on Amazon. The idea for this DIY Boho pendant was born right then. I didn't want to buy a new dapping block for the different and larger shapes, so I improvised.

This pendant project was an experiment. In order to learn and improve, it's important to experiment with unconventional methods and techniques. I encourage you to read through the steps and take your own path to create a Boho pendant you will love and cherish because of all the work you put into it!

Materials

• One large oval stamping blank
• Four silver-colored decorative head pins at least 2" long
• One big bead and several complementing smaller beads. We'll discuss how to choose those below.
• Three silver-colored 6mm jump rings
• One silver-colored 12mm jump ring
• One silver-colored 4mm jump ring
• Copper chain and necklace closure
• Two 4 or 6mm copper jump rings (you can use the ones that came with the metal stamping blanks linked at the top of this list)

Tools

• Bench block
• Chasing hammer with ball side
• Dapping kit. I used a round set because it's what I had, but oval sets exist if you want to make your life easier.
• Brass mallet or utility hammer
• Nail (a sturdy one that won't bend easily)
• Drill and 1/16" drill bit
• Spare chunk of wood to drill into (at least a half-inch thick)
• Metal file
• 2 pairs of chain-nose pliers. I use regular chain-nose and bent-nose pliers together.
• Round-nose pliers
• Flush cutters
• Fluffy kitchen towel to keep beads from rolling away

Texturing

Start by getting all your aggression out onto the metal stamping blank. 

If your bench block has a rubber base, set it on a flat surface, and place your metal blank on top. My bench block is just a solid block of steel, so I place a folded felt sheet under it to soften the pounding sounds. 

You will texture your blank with the ball end of the chasing hammer. Just start hitting it all over, taking care not to hammer your fingers, until you have a lovely dimpled texture. I usually rotate it as I'm hammering so the dimples are spread more organically. Avoid hitting the very edges (it happens, so don't worry too much). Hold the stamping blank up to the light every once in a while to see if there are any areas that still need to be dimpled. 

The metal will start to curl as you are hitting it, so every once in a while, you'll want to turn it over and use the flat side of the chasing hammer to flatten it out again. It needs to remain flat for now so you can more easily drill the holes at the bottom before doming it.

Drilling

Now you will drill three holes at the bottom to hang the beaded dangles from. 

Mark your holes with a Sharpie. You will want one directly opposite of the hole that's already on the blank, and two on either side that are equidistant from that one. Make sure they are no more than 3mm from the outer edge of the metal. 

Place a piece of wood under the metal piece so you can hammer and drill straight through and not ruin your table. Make a starter hole by hammering a nail into the marks just until it exits the other side. Then use the drill with a 1/16" drill bit to make a clean round hole. 

Filing

File the back sides of the holes you drilled with a metal file. Be sure to keep the file flat so you don't scratch the metal surface. You can gently rub your finger over the holes after you've filed them to see if they are still rough. You can also use flexible 220-grit sandpaper to smooth the rough edges after you've used the metal file to get the largest rough spots.

Then, put the metal blank on the bench block with the backs of those holes facing up and tap them flat again. If any marker is still showing, use isopropyl alcohol to clean it off.

This is where I took liberties with the way you're supposed to dome metal. Technically, the metal you are shaping should fit inside the indent on the dapping block you are using. There are oval dapping blocks out there, but I wanted to use what I had available.

We crafty people are the adapt-and-overcome types, so that's exactly what we're going to do! We are getting creative as is our nature! 

Because I wanted my large bead to be cupped by the dome, I placed the textured side up so it would show behind the clear glass bead I planned to put in front.

I kept the metal blank centered over the indent in my dapping block and started in the center. Hold the dapping punch at a slight angle over the area you want to start with and tap, tap, tap your brass mallet or utility hammer on it. You don't want to hammer hard or straight down because you'll form more of a V shape rather than a nice, soft dome. 

Because this metal blank was too big for the indent I was using, I had to hold the metal with my pinkie knuckle, while also holding onto the punch, to keep it from sliding. I also had to constantly readjust it to keep it centered. I rolled the dapping punch around in a small circle as I tapped to try to keep the doming even and prevent that V-shape from forming in the center.

Fair warning! This is going to take a while, but you don't want to rush it because you'll end up with a bent metal piece rather than a domed one.

After I got a nice concave shape formed in the center, I wanted to start getting around the edges to get them to curve up and inward. However, this is an oval that's too large for the hole below, and it wasn't easy to keep it from slipping into the indent while trying to hold it with my pinkie knuckle. 

I then decided to start using the dapping punch as the hammer (second image above) instead of hammering the top of the punch with a separate. I was able to hold the metal blank in place more easily and got a much better dome shaping up than if I had tried doing it the conventional way. I made sure to keep the edges just outside the dapping hole's edge so I didn't cause a crease in the metal. I moved the oval around and around to make sure I could get to all the edges to form a uniform dome.

I noticed some areas along the edge that didn't curve in as much as I liked, so I used my nylon pliers to gently fold those areas in. 

And because I was hammering the metal against the sides of the hole in the block, the back of the metal got really scuffed. I grabbed my wet/dry polishing papers, and wet the 1,800-grit and 8,000-grit papers to polish the metal. You want an aged look, but it needs to be gracefully aged not roughed and scuffed.

First before laying beads out on your table, place a fuzzy kitchen towel down so they don't roll away and off the table.

Choose your beads

To choose your bead arrangements, keep these thoughts in mind:

• You want a "star" bead to be the center of attention cupped inside the dome. Make sure it fits inside the dome, most importantly. It should be the biggest of all the beads you use.

• Don't let your smaller beads outshine your star. These are little spots of color meant to accent the big one. If they are more ornate with lots of colors or flashiness, they may take away from the big bead. 

• Size matters! You want to make sure the arrangements you create don't take up too much space on your head pins. You will need at least 3/4" of wire left over to do your wrapped loop at the top of the beads. Also, variety is the spice of life! Stacking beads of different sizes creates more interest than having them all the same size. 

• Consider a mix of metal spacer beads and colored beads to allow the colored ones to stand out more. 

I ended up changing the beads from my first selection because the first silver ones I chose were too large and wobbled on the wire. I also ended up adding a smaller blue one above my large clear crystal because I thought reflecting the blue in the beads below would unify the whole pendant.

After making your bead selections for your lower and centerpiece dangles, place them on the head pins. 

Make a wrapped loop

The photo collage above, from left to right, will help guide you in the steps below:

1. Push your beads down against the end of the head pin. Place the tip of your chain-nose pliers above them and bend the wire over it to a 90-degree angle. This will leave a tiny gap above the beads for you to wrap wire around.
2. Use your round-nose pliers to form a loop above the bend and back toward the center. Then cross the wire back behind again.
3. Use your chain-nose pliers to hold the loop steady while you wrap the wire around the gap above the beads. Keep the wraps tight together. You can use your bent-nose pliers to squeeze them together if they start to spread out. Continue wrapping the wire until you get to the top of the beads. If it gets too hard to push with your fingers, you can use your bent-nose pliers to grasp the end of it and push or pull it around.
4. Trim any excess wire with flush cutters. Make sure the flat side of your cutters faces the wire wraps. Use chain-nose or bent-nose pliers to tuck the end of the wire down.

Do this on all your bead dangles.

Start with the bottom dangles

Open three 6mm jump rings by twisting them open and not pulling them apart (see diagram in the second image above). Thread them into the holes at the bottom of the domed oval metal, hang your three lower dangles onto each one separately, and close the jump rings by reversing the twist. Sometimes you have to twist a jump ring back farther than its cut point, and back again to get it to line up properly.

Centerpiece dangle

Now, in order for the large centerpiece dangle to hang properly you will need to attach a 4mm jump ring to the loop at the top of the dangle and close it. 

Then open a 12mm jump ring, hook it through the hole at the top of the metal oval, and hang the centerpiece dangle on it from the 4mm jump ring. Close the large jump ring.

Your pendant is finished! Now all that's left is to hang it on a chain so you can wear it. If you would like to buy a chain with closures already attached, go for it!

Otherwise, you will want to create your own chain to go with your pendant. 

To measure the length you need, just unroll a bunch of chain and wrap it around your neck to see how long you like it. Pinch your fingers around where you want to cut it, then mark that spot with a marker. Use your flush cutters to cut it. When cutting chain, make sure to cup your hand over the area to prevent the cut piece from flying out as dangerous projectiles.

Next, attach the necklace closures to each end with matching 4 or 6mm jump rings.

Now you can thread the chain through the large ring on top of your pendant and wear it proudly!

And now you know you can use stamping blanks for more than just stamped messages and simple charms. And in a pinch, you can dome a shape too large and the wrong shape for the dapping block you have. What other rules can you break in your DIY journey?