#199 – Steel Stamping

~ ticktockhobbies

I’m not sure if you remember this trend, but there was a phase where custom washer (as in hardware screws and washers) jewelry was very popular. The idea of personalizing something has always been my weakness, so experimenting with steel stamping has always been on my backburner. When I had a 50% off coupon and I saw this steel stamping set at Michael’s, it was an instant impulse buy.

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At first, I was trying to use the letters to stamp on washers that I had picked up from Canadian Tire, but the truth is that the metal that they use to make washers is too hard for the blanks. You needed to hit the letter so many times to make an impression, and it was hard to make sure that the letter hadn’t shifted in the interim.

As recommended by Michael’s, the best metal for this particular stamp set is a soft metal. However, I would go as far as to say that the Bead Landing blanks I ended up using were almost too soft, as they would bend during the stamping process. For the record, they are an aluminum/iron blend. My friends and I settled on a three tap method, where you would only strike the letter three times, and that would give you the happy medium of engraving the letter without denting the blank too far out of shape. You can also always bend the blank back into shape after the stamping process!

We also found it helpful to use a Sharpie to draw a line for placement of the blanks beforehand to help you have a straight line for your words. In that sense, we also found teamwork to be the best option, where one person was in charge of holding the letters in place, and the other person would do the hammering. This helped to ensure straight letters, and more appropriately spaced words. You can also use that same Sharpie afterwards to colour over the letters to help them pop more! Any excess Sharpie can be wiped off with an alcohol wipe.

It was honestly a lot of fun giving this a try! There was a bit of trial and error, but I think it will go a lot smoother the next time I bring this set out. What would you choose to engrave? You could put it on a necklace or bracelet afterward, and it can be a reminder of your own personal mantra.

Until next time, happy crafting!