Saturday, April 4, 2015

Saturday Share...Lacy Copper Washers

Haven't done a Saturday Share post in a long while, so I thought I would come up with a quick one! You all know of my affinity toward copper washers.  I love them for their versatility and since every time I go to Harbor Freight, I buy a new box, I have lots of them!  A month or so ago, I was working on a project that can't be shared right now, but was using a needle-lace technique I love, when a light bulb went off and I decided to try these Lacy Copper Washers!

These loops aren't even...don't be like me!
Materials needed:
Copper Washers
24g copper wire (about 1 foot per washer)
steel block
texturing hammer
round nose pliers
hole punch or drill

Choose your desired size of copper washer. The thinner ones are easier to punch and don't take as much annealing!

Anneal thoroughly and texture as desired with your steel block and hammer.

Mark where you are going to punch holes.  Evenly spaced holes makes for consistent loops.

Punch or drill holes...make them large enough to accomodate at least 2 passes of wire.  These are actually pretty just like this!

Thread end of wire through the front, leaving a short tail.  This will be trimmed and tucked in later.

Wrap the wire around the edge of the punched hole.

Make a loop and thread the wire through the next hole in the opposite direction (from the back).

You can use your round nose pliers or a thick piece of wire to help keep the loops the same size.  Place the pliers in the loop against the metal and pull the wire tightly.

Continue until you have completed all the loops.  Trim the ends and press tightly to the metal.  File or sand any rough edges.

A cool variation...add a bead before threading the wire to create your loop!
There you go!  The possibilities are endless!  I think I am going to enamel some!  Stay tuned!

5 comments :

  1. I love them, I love them! What a great idea! No have a box of washers hidden away somewhere!....

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  2. Lovely idea! I have a collection of HF washers too - I'll have to give this idea a go sometime.

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  3. Thanks, Karen! Show me what you come up with!

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  4. Love this idea Melissa! I can see many variations!

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