Little Saucer Bells | Contemporary Wire Jewelry

Little Saucer Bells

by Judy Larson

Category: Contemporary
Technique(s): Dapping, Stamping, Texturing, Butane Torch Techniques
Skill Level: Intermediate

Many people don't often wear bracelets because they are so difficult to clasp. Stretch bracelets are much easier to use, just slip on and go, and they fit many wrist sizes. That is why they make fabulous gifts. The only drawback is that many times they LOOK like stretch bracelets and then are perceived to have less value. A lot of that perception has to do with the materials used to make them. Faceted beads add sparkle and multiple colors add interest. Sometimes, just adding a few small details, like the sterling silver spacer beads and this cute little silver bell, can turn just another stretch bracelet into a FABULOUS MUST HAVE. Pairing this bracelet with a simple one without embellishments kicks the look of the simple bracelet up a notch.

Materials

24 Gauge Dead Soft Argentium Silver Sheet - 6 Inches

H19-24SM6

Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 1 Inch
Price: $48.95
Gold Club Price: $36.71

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18 Gauge Round Half Hard Argentium .940 Silver Wire

H19-18H

Lesson Quantity: 5.00 inches
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 1FT
Price: $6.14
Gold Club Price: $4.61

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Silver Filled Jump Rings Open (.025) 22ga (OD) 3mm (ID) 1.98mm - Pack of 25

S11-12

Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
Price: $0.66
Gold Club Price: $0.50

Out of Stock

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Tools

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

SOL-822.15

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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Silver Solder Paste Soft SS65- 1/4 T.O.

SOL-822.10

SOL-822.10
Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
Price: $16.95
Gold Club Price: $12.71

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8 Punch Dapping Set

DAP-708.00

DAP-708.00
Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
Price: $48.97
Gold Club Price: $36.73

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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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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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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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Steel and Wood Bench Block 3x3 Inch

G17-25

G17-25
Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
Price: $14.97
Gold Club Price: $11.23

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4oz Ball Peen Hammer with Wooden Handle

G3-36

G3-36
Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
Price: $5.25
Gold Club Price: $3.94

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Instructions

Step 1

Read through the tutorial before starting the project. Follow all safety precautions pertaining to the tools and supplies being used and the space you are working in.

Cut two discs from 24 or 26 gauge sheet. The discs can be ½" to 5/8" in diameter to achieve the look shown in the bell on the bracelet. Two 5/8" discs were cut from 26 gauge sheet for the bells made in this tutorial.

Alternatively, you can purchase sterling disks.

Step 2

Center one disc behind a circle center finder. Mark the center through the hole using an Ultra fine point retractable Sharpie marker. Center the disc on top of the center finder. Mark the edge into four equal quadrants. Repeat with the other disc.

https://www.wirejewelry.com/jewelry_making_tips_techniques/How-to-Find-and-Mark-the-Center-of-a-Disc_472.htmlhttps://www.wirejewelry.com/jewelry_making_tips_techniques/How-to-Find-and-Mark-the-Center-of-a-Disc_472.html

Step 3

Use painters tape to secure a disc to a bench block. Stamp the center. Stamp a line separating the 4 quadrants. Stamp the center of each quadrant. Repeat the process with the other disc. The stamping does not need to be perfect. Hint: Small stamps for these small discs are hard to find. If you look for them, search steel punch flower stamp set. However, an all-over texture with a larger stamp in the center would be fabulous.

Step 4

Place a small piece of felt in a large well in the dapping block. Place a disc, stamped side down, on top of the felt. Dap to start the doming process. Move on to dapping in smaller and smaller wells until the disc is at the most 13mm in diameter and 3.5mm or greater in depth. Repeat with the other disc.

Step 5

Place 320 grit sandpaper on a bench block. Run each domed disc over the sandpaper until there is a flat rim around the bottom of each disk.

Step 6

Ball 5/8" of 18 gauge wire for the jingle bead put inside the bell.

Step 7

Decide where the top of the bell will be. Place medium paste solder on either side of the top center on the rim of one domed disc. Only one quarter of the bell edge needs to be soldered together.

Step 8

Dig a hole in the magnesia block that will hold the bell level. Place the ball made in Step 6 between the bell halves. Match the center top of both domed bell halves when placing one on top of the other. T-pins pressed into the magnesia soldering block will hold the bell halves from shifting before the solder flows. Make sure the t-pins are not anywhere near the solder so they don't get soldered to the bell. Hint: Use titanium wire as pins as it will not connect to the bell with solder. The bell is small enough that it is only necessary to heat around the outside of the bell until the solder flows.

Step 9

Pickle the bells, if needed. Using a fine point Sharpie, mark the top center of each bell.

Step 10

The round edge of the top of the bell and the round edge of the jump ring only allow for a hair of connecting surface area. Filing a very small flat area at the top of the bell and on the jump ring where the two ends meet will allow for a bit more area, making for a stronger connection.

Step 11

My hands shake too much to stand the bell up and add the jump ring to the top during soldering. I chose a method that works for me. Using the same well dug in Step 8 in the magnesia soldering block to set the bell, determine where to scratch a groove in the block with a soldering pick to place the jump ring so it will sit perpendicular to the bell. Place easy paste solder on the top of the bell on the flat spot. Place the bell in the well in the block, making sure it is level. Put the jump ring in the groove and push the flat side of the ring into the flat area on the bell, making sure that the ring is perpendicular to the ball. Use the line on the bell as a guide.

Step 12

Heat ONLY the bell, not the ring. As you heat around the bell, the heat from the torch around the bell is enough to raise the bell and ring up to solder flow temperature at the same time. The heat of the bell will pull the ring more tightly to it. Heat until the solder flows. Allow the bell to cool naturally before moving it.

Step 13

Pickle, rinse, and dry the bell, if needed.
Clean up the solder joins with sanding pads.

Step 14

Tumble to polish the bells. Patina if desired.

Step 15

Materials to make this bracelet: 5mm round sterling beads on either side of the bell ring; 6mm smooth and corrugated round sterling beads; 8mm faceted and smooth rondelle gemstone beads: 8mm smooth round gemstone beads; 8.5mm spiny oyster heishi beads-drill holes larger'; 12" of 1mm stretch cord

Gemstones Used: Lapis, Dumortierite, Spiny Oyster Shell, Red Coral, Purple Kiwi (sesame) Stone, Malachite, and Turquoise

Instead of a bell: Drill a hole in a unique coin, add a jump ring, and solder the ring closed. String it on a bracelet. Voila, instant designer impact!

Reviews

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!