How to make crimp end caps for pendants | Electroforming

The most common piece of jewelry is worn around the neck. Pendants and necklaces come out in an infinity of variety with a chain, a solid wire or a cordage. When using cords specifically, it's necessary to set a finding that allow to link the two extremities behind your neck. There are lots of options on the market, hooks, clasps, loops, caps, and ending of any kind but all machine made.

I wanted to make something organic that resemble the handmade style of my creations.
With an electrical wire terminal that it's crimpable and a bit of copper wire, I made by hands what I had in mind.

These are my handmade crimp ends or crimp end caps.

 

Supplies

• Electrical wire terminals https://ebay.to/3y9ZWEE | https://amzn.to/3SVL2dq
• Electrician scissors https://amzn.to/3zZSjBE | https://ebay.to/3DXUvLs
  
• Copper Wire 0.6 mm: https://amzn.to/3LwdFtM | https://ebay.to/3Iifrxj
• Wrap n tap pliers https://amzn.to/3DxT9YM | https://ebay.to/3N4yMFJ
• Flat Nose Pliers: https://amzn.to/3IZ88ea | https://ebay.to/36yXkVZ
  
• Solder iron: https://amzn.to/3hoRRGL | https://ebay.to/3tfzM0q
  
• Solder flux: https://amzn.to/3DJfwt2 | https://ebay.to/3Eiq04g
  
• Lead free Tin solder: https://amzn.to/3fMONno | https://ebay.to/3Tm1iEn
  
• Third hand clamps: https://amzn.to/3EdPT56 | https://ebay.to/3TfldVr
  
• Acetone: https://amzn.to/3fJeDc9 | https://ebay.to/3UGNC7W
  
• Copper tape: https://amzn.to/3G08HpO | https://ebay.to/3UJTAoB
  
• All the electroforming supplies https://kit.co/cuforming/electroforming-advanced-kit
• Liver of Sulfur https://ebay.to/3BOoR1i | https://amzn.to/3Gt7p34
• Zapon Lack: https://ebay.to/35BMb6z
• Round Nose Pliers: https://amzn.to/3DwI9ZO | http://ebay.to/3IVSPm5
• Lobster clasp : https://amzn.to/3IukJ96 | https://ebay.to/3JZaiuJ 

 

Starting by removing the plastic sleeve from the terminal and keep the metal part that is gonna be the main body of our caps.

 With my wrap 'n tap pliers, I made a loop on a piece of copper wire that I set on top of the metal cylinder. I wrapped the wire around the body to secure the initial extremity, with a first coil on top, and then I made a second coil on the bottom. After that, I cut the excess wire and I bent the final extremity to keep it from sticking out.

With the same technique, I made a similar one with just one coil.

A third way to make a crimp end is to just make a loop with no coils.

After I prepared a bunch of pieces, I then set them up on my third hand to solder them with a common solder iron for electronics.
When I solder wires, I normally use flux. It makes the job easy and I can be sure that the solder tin goes inside all the crevices of the wire, making the join sturdy and firm. The downside of flux is that it's messy, and it's gonna isolate the surface of the metal. It's a greasy stuff and electroforming is not gonna work on it.

After I spent a few hours soldering every piece, I dip them in acetone. Sadly, it doesn't dissolve all the flux, but it does help to soften it. I then put them in a small pot with boiling water and left them for a few minutes. Seeing all the grease floating up on the surface of the water made me be sure that my pieces were perfectly clean and conductive, ready for the next step.

I also made a non soldering option with copper tape. I cut small strips of tape and wrap them around the tube to secure the copper wire loop. One on the top and one on the bottom to leave the middle part clear for crimping.

I then prepared a copper wire with a bunch of waves to hang all those little pieces inside the tank.

I dip everything into it and left it to electroform for 3-4 hours. This was more like plating the surface to give them the copper look, but also to make them more secure and sturdier.

Once I took them out of the bath I rinse them in water and dip them long enough, in a solution of liver of sulfur, to give them an antique look patina. Rinse again and let them dry.

Liver of sulfur is the chemical substance used to color copper and silver. It has an intense smell produced by the evaporation of the sulfides, just like rotten eggs. It's recommended to use a respirator mask or work in a ventilated area.
After we are done with our job, we need to neutralize it with baking soda or better with bleach or leave it to evaporate before flushing in the drain. It's a toxic substance, we don't want to contribute to pollution.

 

 The patina might change look with time, so I'm gonna protect them with Zapon lack. This is the boring part of this job. I have to dip them in zapon and centrifuge them one by one, or they will stick together in the process. Then I let them cure for 2 days.

Crimp ends are finished, and now they need to be mounted on cords. To do this, we need pliers of the right width. Any kind will do the job as long as they don't have teeth.

Insert the cord in to the hole and press the tube. Double coil crimps can be crimped in the middle. Single coil, on the bottom, and the no coil ones can be crimped on their entire body to become flat. Also, the ones with copper tape can be crimped in the middle, but they are not as cool as the wire ones.

They always go in pairs and, to complete the necklace, we can add a clasp or a hook for the closure.

I hope you liked this project and got inspired to make some of this small things.

Also watch the related YouTube video and subscribe my channel for more tutorial like this one

 

If you like them, but you are too tired to make them, you can find them on my Etsy shop:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1327980293/2pcs-copper-crimp-ends-for-pendant

Thank you all by CuForming.

I made amethyst hoop earring for my 500 subscribers

Thanks to all my 500 Subscribers. This is a fantastic checkpoint for my channel that I want to celebrate with all of you. For the occasion, I made a pair of hoop earrings that I want to giveaway to one of my faithful friends.

To participate, you need to subscribe to the channel and to leave a comment. Just type whatever you want and in which country you live. The lucky winner will be drawn between all the comments.

The winner will contact me on Facebook or Instagram for the shipping information. 2 more comments will be drawn just in case the first or the second winner won't show up.

I'm just sorry about the fact that I can ship to these countries only:
Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Monaco, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands, United Kingdom, United States.
If you don't live in one of these countries, I won't be able to ship the giveaway.

Thank you all!!!

Supplies:

• Copper Wire: https://amzn.to/3LwdFtM | https://ebay.to/3Iifrxj
• Amethyst crystals: https://amzn.to/3Fl3Ejl | https://ebay.to/3NbxNn3
  
• Ball peen Hammer: https://amzn.to/3AXbED6 | https://ebay.to/3JXCk9M
• Texturing hammer: https://amzn.to/3urqxfs | https://ebay.to/3vk7WCo
• Rubber Hammer: https://amzn.to/3GmsgoH | https://ebay.to/353QAzf
• Anvil: https://amzn.to/3AW8DTj | https://ebay.to/35nXsqR
• Wooden mandrel https://amzn.to/3DtF8Lv | https://ebay.to/340N0Fy
• Butane torch https://amzn.to/3TDooXI | https://ebay.to/33TeRqZ
  
• Copper braising alloy https://amzn.to/3Du6Tng | https://ebay.to/3DxjRk3
• Tweezers: https://amzn.to/3tgwY2S | https://ebay.to/35aY2IZ
• Heat-proof surface: https://amzn.to/3sdpCMZ | https://ebay.to/3JR1bfm
  
• Pickling solution https://amzn.to/3FfgteY | https://ebay.to/3SzVRRx
• Wrap n tap pliers https://amzn.to/3DxT9YM | https://ebay.to/3N4yMFJ
• Nippers: https://amzn.to/38p5eST | https://ebay.to/3BQzX62
• CA Glue: https://amzn.to/3J1gnpI | https://ebay.to/3pfSgfL
• Apoxie Sculpt https://ebay.to/3URwopj | https://amzn.to/36N1TfF
• Modelling tools https://ebay.to/3srynEG | https://amzn.to/3pksmrp
• Isopropyl Alcohol https://ebay.to/3fGkj6l | https://amzn.to/3C88qgK
• Conductive Paint https://ebay.to/3CtqeVc | https://amzn.to/3okY7QA
• Brush: https://amzn.to/3omJxrz | https://ebay.to/33UInwy
• Liquid Latex: https://amzn.to/3Jcwu3I | http://ebay.to/3LL3dyU
• All the electroforming supplies https://kit.co/cuforming/electroforming-advanced-kit
  
• Liver of Sulfur https://ebay.to/3BOoR1i | https://amzn.to/3Gt7p34
• Respirator mask: https://amzn.to/3JTS1yI | https://ebay.to/3TMmRyY
• Earring hooks: https://amzn.to/3SAbcSd | https://ebay.to/3gysamD
• Flat nose pliers https://amzn.to/3TMCKoy | https://ebay.to/36yXkVZ

 When you beat copper it becomes stronger, when you warm this metal it becomes soft and malleable.

 

With a hammer, I'm flatting the copper wire. This is the first step to create its look.

When I bent it on my wooden mandrel, it feels strong, and then I warm it up with my torch.

Quenched in water and pickled in pickling solution to remove fire scales, it can be easily bent in to shape.

With wrap 'n tap pliers, I made a small loop on one end and trim at the right measure with nippers. I've repeated the process twice, since earrings are usually two.

I set both pieces at the same time on a heat-proof surface. Adding a small piece of braising alloy, I have joined them with my butane torch. The right heat is sufficient to melt the alloy, but not the copper.

I repeated the quenching and pickling process to clean the surface of the copper and decided to give some character by texturing the sides with my DIY texture hammer. I choose a linear patter.

To complete the shaping process, I used a rubber hammer to make them straight and also to give them much more strength.

To attach the amethyst crystals, I simply glued them with CA glue on the hoop's bottom. 

After I left them a few minutes to dry, I mixed some Apoxie sculpt. A little flat piece on the bottom is perfect to secure the crystal with the copper and to hide the gap in between. Four small oblong pieces at the sides are attached to resemble prongs and to make more grip as well.

I smooth the surface of the resin with a silicone brush and isopropyl alcohol.

After a day of waiting to let the Apoxie cure completely, they were ready for the conductive paint.
It takes less than five minutes to dry, so I can give them a second coat right away.

I'm now applying liquid latex on the stones.

This is a procedure that I usually don't apply to quartz crystals or any other stone with hardness higher than 6 in the mohs scale. In this case, I'm using raw crystals, and I'm not sure if they have cracks. If so, the electroforming solution could penetrate inside and the copper sulfate contained, once crystallized, can push in to those cracks and break the stones.

Once the latex is completely dry, our earrings are finally ready for the most important part of the job, the electroformation itself. In the electroforming solution, they will get coated in copper through an electrochemical process called galvanization.

It takes several hours to be completed, so we can sit back and relax for a while, but always keep an eye on them and move them once in a while to avoid the hooks, that we made to hang them, don't get incorporated in the piece.

The power supply needs to be started at low amps at first. It can be adjusted once the part with graphite is coated in copper and let them to electroform with a good amount of copper on them.

In this case, I was happy with the thickness of the copper after 17 hours. I took them out of the bath to rinse with water and remove the copper sulfate residue on them.

I then prepared a container with distilled water and Liver of sulfur. I drop the earrings in it not for long to get a rainbow patina.
In the video, you can see me using my bare hands to move the hoops in the liver of sulfur solution... DON'T DO THAT. I was in a hurry and I forgot to wear gloves. If you do touch liver of sulfur with your skin, wash it good, it's a toxic substance and can cause troubles.

It also has an intense smell produced by the evaporation of the sulfides, just like rotten eggs. It's recommended to use a respirator mask or work in a ventilated area.
 Not only that, after we are done with our job, we need to neutralize it with baking soda or better with bleach. You can also leave it to evaporate before flushing in the drain. We don't want to contribute to pollution.

  After I peeled off the latex from the stones, I dipped them in Zapon lack to protect patina's color. Sadly, I don't have the footage and I couldn't show this part of the process in the video.

I mounted a pair of earrings hooks and make them ready to be shipped to the lucky subscriber that is going to comment on the YouTube video.

Don't forget to leave a comment to win the giveaway.

 

 Thank you all by CuForming!!!

How to make copper mini pumpkin for Halloween | Electroforming

We have no putka pods in Europe. The nearest things that look like mini pumpkins are spindletree pods. They are also cute and perfect to make another Halloween project with copper. 

Supplies

• Spindle Tree pods (or Putka pods)
  
• Copper Wire 0.6 mm: https://amzn.to/3LwdFtM | https://ebay.to/3Iifrxj
• Wrap n tap pliers https://amzn.to/3DxT9YM | https://ebay.to/3N4yMFJ
• Nippers: https://amzn.to/38p5eST | https://ebay.to/3BQzX62
• CA Glue https://ebay.to/3pfSgfL | https://amzn.to/3gkYJ49
• Conductive Paint https://ebay.to/3CtqeVc | https://amzn.to/3okY7QA
• All the electroforming supplies https://kit.co/cuforming/electroforming-advanced-kit
• Liver of Sulfur https://ebay.to/3BOoR1i | https://amzn.to/3Gt7p34
• Zapon Lack: https://ebay.to/35BMb6z

additional supplies

• ring hoop
• Tweezers: https://amzn.to/3tgwY2S | https://ebay.to/35aY2IZ
• Copper wire 0.3 mm: https://amzn.to/3LwdFtM | https://ebay.to/3Iifrxj
• Pendant chain: https://amzn.to/3M7VFac | https://ebay.to/3IsXkou
• Lobster clasp : https://amzn.to/3IukJ96 | https://ebay.to/3JZaiuJ
• Earring hooks: https://amzn.to/3SAbcSd | https://ebay.to/3gysamD
  

This is a simple project and relatively easy.

With my wrap n tap pliers also called bail making pliers I make some bails with the copper wire. I choose a size in the middle of the pliers to match the size of the stem.

When I was satisfied with the number, I started to clean all the actual stems on the pods and, with CA glue, I attached the bails I previously made.

After I left them for an hour to let the glue to fully cure, I prepared them for the conductive paint. I made a hook for each piece and dip one by one in to the conductive paint. Dipping all my pieces in the paint is the fastest way to cover them, and it's the way I usually like better.

One dip isn't enough so, after let it dry for less than a minute, I gave them directly a second coat and hang to dry more before the bath.

I dipped them in my tank then and, since they are organic with air inside, they couldn't be able to sink in the solution, so I had to secure all hooks with cloth pins. Pods are still floating, but at least they are completely submerged in the solution. They will eventually sink once they become completely coated in copper and heavier.

After an hour, I made some adjustment to the power supply, so they start to go at full capacity.

The electroforming process will take a while, so in the meantime I've decided to make a ring.

I had a premade ring hoop, so I just needed to glue a pod on it. To make it more realistic and make it look more like a pumpkin, I've created tendrils that are the curls that come out from the pumpkin stem.

With a smaller copper wire and a toothpick, I twisted two tendrils and glue them on to make it ready to be coated in conductive paint and then dipped in the solution.

I managed to fit 8 pieces at the time in the tank, and they were getting completely electroformed at different times. So when some of them were perfectly coated, I made space for more to be electroform.

After they were ready, I dip them in water to rinse the electroforming solution residue off of them.

In a small glass, I prepared a solution of liver of sulfur to make patina. I wanted to make them orange, but sometimes they went out brown. I also left some with no patina to have a different range of colors.

Liver of sulfur is the chemical substance used to color copper and silver. It has an intense smell produced by the evaporation of the sulfides, just like rotten eggs. It's recommended to use a respirator mask or work in a ventilated area.
Also, after we are done with our job, we need to neutralize it with baking soda or better with bleach. You can also leave it to evaporate before flushing in the drain. It's a toxic substance, we don't want to contribute to pollution.

 

 To protect those colors from oxidation, I covered them one by one with Zapon lack that needs two days to fully cure.

These mini pumpkins are versatile and can be adapted to any use. With a chain I made a pendant and by attaching earrings hooks they became earrings. They can also be included into a bracelet composition, or you name it.

 

If you really liked this easy project don't forget to check the video on YouTube.

 Thank you all by CuForming and Happy Halloween!!!