Copper Feather Earrings Remodel Into Cuff

by Judy Larson

Category: Metalwork
Technique(s): Cutting, Oxidizing / Antiquing, Stamping, Texturing, Butane Torch Techniques, Design, Finishing
Skill Level: Intermediate

When Judy Larson rediscovered a stash of extra copper feather earrings, a spark of inspiration struck- why not transform them into something entirely new? This creative remodel turns forgotten pieces into a bold cuff design, proving that "too many of a good thing" can be the perfect starting point for fresh jewelry ideas.

Materials

24 Gauge 0.020 Dead Soft Copper Sheet Metal - 6x6 Inch

MET-705.24

Lesson Quantity: 5.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
Price: $10.83
Gold Club Price: $8.12

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22 Gauge 0.025 Dead Soft Copper Sheet Metal - 6x6 Inch

MET-705.22

Lesson Quantity: 5.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
Price: $13.33
Gold Club Price: $10.00

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Copper Solder Paste, 1/2 ozt, Soft

SOL-824.10

Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
Price: $9.95
Gold Club Price: $7.46

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Silver Solder Paste Medium SS70 - 1/4 T.O.

SOL-822.15

Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
Price: $18.95
Gold Club Price: $14.21

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retractable fine nose Sharpie

Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each

Liver of Sulphur Gel, 1 Ounce Bottle

SOL-610.01

Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
Price: $9.95
Gold Club Price: $7.46

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Tools

Pro Shear

SHR-544.00

SHR-544.00
Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
Price: $14.95
Gold Club Price: $11.21

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Basic Sawing Kit

G15-7

G15-7
Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
Price: $34.95
Gold Club Price: $26.21

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12 Inch Stainless Steel Ruler

G7-30

G7-30
Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
Price: $2.97
Gold Club Price: $2.23

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Deluxe Soldering Kit

G15-5

G15-5
Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
Price: $116.97
Gold Club Price: $87.73

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Magnesia Soldering Block

SOL-455.00

SOL-455.00
Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
Price: $7.95
Gold Club Price: $5.96

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Xuron Flush Cutter - Pack of 1

G2-504

G2-504
Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
Price: $29.95
Gold Club Price: $22.46

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7 Piece Mini TruStrike Hammer Set with Stand

HAM-520.70

HAM-520.70
Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
Price: $140.54
Gold Club Price: $105.40

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5/8 Inch Double Rubber/Nylon Head Hammer - Pack of 1

G3-26

G3-26
Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
Price: $4.97
Gold Club Price: $3.73

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Sliding Hammer designed by Jay Whaley

HAM-101.00

HAM-101.00
Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
Price: $59.95
Gold Club Price: $44.96

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6PC File Set

FIL-912.10

FIL-912.10
Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
Price: $39.97
Gold Club Price: $29.98

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SANDING SPONGES ASST- 5PC- 1EA GRIT 100-400

ABR-600.90

ABR-600.90
Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
Price: $9.95
Gold Club Price: $7.46

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Bench Blocks - 130 X 130 X 20

DUR-1187

DUR-1187
Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
Price: $66.67
Gold Club Price: $50.00

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Oval Step Bracelet Mandrel Hard Chrome Cast Iron - Length 9 Inches - Pack of 1

G7-6

G7-6
Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
Price: $59.95
Gold Club Price: $44.96

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Steel Brush

BRS-967.00

BRS-967.00
Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
Price: $8.25
Gold Club Price: $6.19

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WireJewelry Pro-Series Single Barrel Tumbler, Jewelry and Metal Polishing Kit, Includes 1 Pound of Jewelers Mix Shot and 8 Ounces of Shinebrite Burnishing Compound

G25-1-KITSS

G25-1-KITSS
Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
Price: $173.27
Gold Club Price: $129.95

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Instructions

Step 1:

Before You Get Started

Remodeling Existing Earrings:

If you already have copper feather earrings (like the ones from the this pattern), begin by removing the ear wires, trimming away the loop and curl, and preparing the feathers for reuse.

Judy Larson's Copper Feather Earrings Remodel Into Cuff - Before You Get Started, Metalwork, Cutting, Cutting Tool, Cutters, Oxidizing Wire, Oxidizing, Antiquing Wire, Antiquing, Stamping, Stamps, Texturing, Butane Torch, Soldering, Solder, Design, sanding, filing, polishing, copper feather earrings example

Step 2

Making New Feathers for a Cuff:

If you don't have earrings on hand, you can create the feathers from scratch. Follow Steps 1-6 of the Copper Feather Earrings tutorial, scaling the template as shown.

Step 3:

Starting The Project

Scale the Template

Be sure to scale the feather template pattern to match the size indicated by the rulers provided.

Choosing Your Sheet Metal

22-gauge sheet: This is what the earrings were originally made from, but it's too soft for a cuff on its own. If you use 22-gauge, you'll need to add a reinforcing layer later to keep the bracelet stable.

18-gauge sheet: Ideal for cuffs because it holds its shape beautifully. The trade-off is that it's thicker and harder to cut with shears. The bonus? If you choose 18-gauge, you can skip Steps 11-16 of this tutorial.

How Many Feathers Do You Need?

For my 5.5" wrist (measured above the wrist bone, or 6" below where I like to wear cuffs), five feathers were just right. The cuff shown here is 5-7/8" long, which fits a little loose on my wrist.

As a general rule: the cuff length before shaping should equal your wrist measurement. Once shaped, leaving about 1" to 1-3/8" of space between the ends ensures a comfortable fit.

Here's a quick sizing guide:

X-Small: 5.5"

Small: 5.75"

Medium: 6"

Large: 6.25"

X-Large: 6.5"

Judy Larson's Copper Feather Earrings Remodel Into Cuff - Starting The Project, Metalwork, Cutting, Cutting Tool, Cutters, Oxidizing Wire, Oxidizing, Antiquing Wire, Antiquing, Stamping, Stamps, Texturing, Butane Torch, Soldering, Solder, Design, sanding, filing, polishing, Scale the pattern to match the rulers.

Step 4

Take off any embellishments from the earrings before you begin. To make this easier, you can use the cracks in an old magnesia soldering block (secured with binding wire) to hold the pieces steady while heating and removing the shafts.

Don't worry if the solder runs during this process; it can be lightly sanded down later and won't be noticeable once the patina is applied.

Step 5

After the feather shapes are cool, pickle them to remove fire scale.

Rinse and dry them before continuing. If necessary, flatten the feathers on a bench block using a small rubber mallet.

Step 6

Use an Ultra-fine point Sharpie marker to draw a 1" wide rectangle the length needed on a Solderite board.

Mark the center as well as other increments along the long sides to help with feather placement.

The feathers can be laid out inside the rectangle to determine what order is pleasing to the eye, as well as to see whether another feather or two might be needed.

Step 7

Once a pleasing arrangement is achieved, use the Sharpie to mark where the feather overlap occurs.

The "X" was placed on the feather end to remind me where I wanted to remove some excess solder flow.

Step 8

Sand down any solder flow but do not be too aggressive.

Re-texture the feather barb lines removed during sanding.

Use the ultra-fine point Sharpie to draw in a shaft line on each feather, ending just beyond the overlap line.

Step 9

Use a dotted line stamp to make shaft lines on the drawn lines.

The stamp shown here was modified with a triangular file.

Step 10

Stamping the shaft line will cause the feathers to curl a bit.

Flatten them on a bench block using a small rubber mallet.

Step 11

Place medium paste solder for silver on the portion of each feather where another feather overlaps it.

Spread the paste solder out evenly inside the overlapped area.

Position all the feathers in order, each top feather tip into the paste solder below it.

Step 12

Using a butane torch head on a butane canister, heat the unit evenly until the solder flows.

It may be necessary to gently push each feather tip down onto the feather end below it when the solder flows.

Allow the cuff to cool before continuing.

Step 13

This is where I had to decide how I wanted to strengthen the cuff to make the shape more stable.

Yes, the entire cuff could be soldered to another piece of sheet metal.

But that would have meant more cutting, which I wanted to avoid.

In the end, I decided to use a narrow strip of 24 gauge copper that when soldered to the feathers would become as thick as 18 gauge sheet.

Of course, 22 gauge could also be used.

Cut a 1⁄4" (d6.3mm) wide strip of 24 gauge copper the same length as the connected feathers.

File and refine both long sides.

Step 14

Leaving the strip straight posed a problem.

The way the feathers were put together in a slight curve meant that the some of the straight strip would show-blue arrow.

Mark the center of the long strip.

Place the strip on a bench block.

Use a Mini TruStrike Designer/Texture Hammer to hammer one edge more heavily than the whole strip.

As it curves slightly, continue to check the fit on the back of the cuff until satisfied with the results.

The last picture in Step 22 shows where initials were stamped.

Step 15

Pickle the feather cuff.

Rinse and dry it.

Clean the back of the curved copper strip.

Step 16

Flatten both the feather cuff and the long strip.

For the solder connection between the two, it is important that the back of the feathers be as flat and flush to the bench block as possible so that there will be a good solder connection to the long strip.

Step 17

Spread easy paste solder for silver across the back of the long curved strip.

Step 18

Place the feather cuff textured side down on the Solderite board.

Place the narrow strip solder side down on the feather cuff.

Press the strip into place.

Using a butane torch head on a butane canister, heat the unit evenly until the solder flows.

It may be necessary to gently and push each strip down onto the feather cuff back when the solder flows.

Be very careful as the strip can easily move out of place and get stuck where you do not want it.

Allow the cuff to cool before continuing.

Step 19

Pickle and dry the cuff.

Step 20

Trim away the excess ends of the long strip, making them even with feather ends.

File and refine the cuff ends.

Place the cuff on a bench block and lightly hammer it with a small rubber mallet.

Step 21

Hint: When making different size cuffs of the same design, it is helpful to shape them on an oval stepped mandrel.

This saves the step of having to flip the cuff to make both edges the same size.

Center the cuff over the desired step on the mandrel.

Step 22

Hand shape the cuff around the mandrel.

Use a small rubber mallet to smooth and tighten the cuff curve around the mandrel.

Use a soft steel brush to burnish the cuff on the mandrel.

Continue hammering with the rubber mallet to work harden the cuff.

Step 23

Tumbling the cuff for 4 to 6 hours will help harden the surface a bit more.

But remember, tumbling does not take the place of using a tool to work harden a project.

It is used more for polishing.

Step 24

To highlight the design and texture, patina the piece.

After it is dry, remove excess patina, rinse the piece, and tumble for 15 to 20 minutes to bring up a shine.

Now imagine the fabulous one-of-a-kind cuff that could be made by taking apart earrings of different shapes, sizes, and metals and assembling them into a cuff!

See the instructions for Putting On and Taking Off a Cuff Bracelet

Reviews

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Judy Larson

My philosophy has always been "I will never live long enough to learn everything I want to learn, go everywhere I want to go and see everything I want to see!" So, what I make and how I create it is always changing and evolving. I was born shortly after WWII to parents who grew up during the Depression. They always had a "we can do it, we can make it" attitude which rubbed off on my two younger brothers and me. My brothers are amazing and can make and do ANYTHING! When I was a little girl, my mother gave me an old carved cigar box, which I cherish, filled with pop beads, wooden beads and yarn for stringing. That was the beginning of my jewelry making journey.

On a visit to the Grand Canyon when I was a young woman, I was fortunate enough to help a Native American silversmith sand cast my first silver bracelet and bezel set a large turquoise nugget on top. I was in love, hook, line and sinker! While working full time and having a family here in northern Minnesota, my artistic endeavors slowed down but never stopped. I am an artist, scrapbooker, seamstress, woodworker and jewelry artisan. Now that I am retired, I am able to indulge in all my hobbies. However, there just never seems to be enough time in the day to do it all, but I try!

I have been teaching community education beginner and intermediate jewelry making classes since my retirement. Many of my students have been bitten so hard by the jewelry making bug that they say I have turned them into monsters-they just can't get enough. Making jewelry, seeing something take shape from small bits and pieces, is so rewarding that I hope it brings out the "monster" in you, too!