Easy Metal Pendant From Stuff You Already Have

I once read an instructable in which a guy made a ring from a quarter. That got me thinking, and I decided to flatten a quarter and do some shaping to create a nice pendant.

So, here is what we will need...
For supplies:
Circular pieces of metal. I chose to use quarters, but nightmare_man recommended blanks from an electrical box, which, as scrap, is free.
Tools:
Drill and drill bits
A tool for cutting away the metal into shapes (Including, but not limited to a Dremel motor tool or files)

We must flatten our quarter. While being careful not to hammer on only one location, I flattened out the entire thing in as close to a circle as I could. I then drilled a hole in the center, so that I could make it into a prefect circle. A pair of vice grips would be helpful here to avoid jarring your fingers from the vibrations of each blow. You might be surprised hoe easy it is to shape these with a few, well-placed blows.

The hole we drilled just a second ago has the purpose of making a perfect circle out of our flattened quarter. How? By inserting a nail to keep it centered, while letting it spin, we can hold a Dremel motor tool in one place and slowly rotate the quarter. Because everything is staying in the same place, we know that the radius does not change, and that means a perfect circle. I used a special dremel motor tool table, which made life a lot easier for me, but you could go without it if you were to nail the metal pendent to a scrap board, and have it so that the metal piece can still spin. Then, all you have to do is keep the Dremel still. Alternatively, you could use a file after you had a template in the shape of a perfect circle.

The photo here does not make it look as though it is rounded, but it is. It looks the way it does due to shadowing.

Now all that happens is up to you. I recommend using vice grips, or at least pliers, in order to hold the quarter, as this is safer and protects your fingers from getting burned (and holds it tighter) if you are using a Dremel or something like it. One little thing you might like to know is that there is a thin layer of a different metal (copper), so if you want a two colors, simply shave off the first layer. Have fun with this step, and show off your creativity. Remember that the necklace will need a hole to go through!

These are two of the ones I created. If you are looking for a clasp, I have an instructable that turns an old magnifying glass into a usable clip, and it still magnifies. You can see that here: https://www.instructables.com/id/Magnifying-glass-necklace-clip/

I hope that you enjoyed this instructable. Please feel free to let me know your questions, comments, and ideas, and as always, have a nice day!
/AssemblyRequired