I've had several people asking me how I created the peachy enamelled watch strap that was on the Create and Craft tv Show, so I thought I'd better put it out into cyberspace for anyone else who might also be interested...
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| Efcolor Enamelled Watch Strap |
Materials Needed:
Copper Blank Set - (90 050 21)
Basic Efcolor Powder Set - (03 717 10)
Efcolor Tealight Stove - (93 717 06)
Wooden Clothes Peg or Heat Resistant Pad
Scrap Paper
Watchface - The Bead Shop
Silver-Plated Copper Wire 0.6mm - (22 200 06)
Swarovski Crystals - (21 050 02)
Silver-Plated Carabineer Findings - (99 214 71)
Jewellery Pliers
Flat Nosed Pliers
Old piece of lace
(Efco Product Codes in brackets)
1. Pour some white Efcolor powder onto a scrap of paper and add a little yellow. Mix them together with your spatula.
Enamelling the Back:
2. Lightly sand both sides of a copper blank and wipe clean. Pick up some of the mixed Efcolor powder on the end of your spatula and tap it over one side of the blank. When you have covered the blank with a good layer of the powder place it on the tealight stove. When the Efcolor powder has melted, leaving a smooth, glossy finish, remove the blank from the stove and leave to cool. (If necessary, repeat with a second coat.)
Enamelling the Front:
3. When cool, flip the blank over and cover the other side with the same creamy mix of Efcolor powder. This time, place it on the metal stand to heat on the tealight stove. (The more level you get it on the stand the less it is likely to nick the edges of the first enamelled side.) When melted remove the stand from the heat and leave the blank to cool before lifting it off. (Use a clothes peg, pliers or heat resistant pad to lift the stand off the stove as it is very hot and will burn your fingers.) Again, if necessary, repeat with a second coat to achieve a smooth, glossy finish.
4. Take some bright pink and orange Efcolor powders and mix them together on a scrap of paper. (nb. It's a good idea to mix up enough powder for all the blanks so that they match, as it is not easy to mix exactly the same colour twice.)
5. Lay a piece of old lace over the blank and, picking up some of the peachy mix on the end of your spatula, gently tap the Efcolor powder over the lace. When you have covered the blank with a thin layer of powder carefully lift the lace up and move it to one side. (Try not to tip the lace up as you remove it as the powder sitting on top could fall through the holes onto your blank ruining your pattern - if this happens though, don't worry, as you can tip off the powder, wipe the blank clean and start again.)
6. Carefully lift the blank onto the stand endeavouring not to get the peachy Efcolor mix on the back of the blank. Place the stand back on the stove to heat. When the powder has melted, remove the stand from the heat and leave to cool before removing the blank.
7. Repeat the process for the other three blanks.
Making up the Watch Strap:
8. Use jewellery pliers to bend a piece of wire at 90º approx 1.5-2 inches from the end. Start to wrap the bent wire around the end of the pliers, leaving a gap. Loop the end of the wire through one hole of a blank so that it sits in the ring you've created. Take the end and, using pliers to pull it tight, close up the ring, wrapping the end twice around the wire to secure it. Trim the excess.
9. Thread a Swarovski crystal on the other end before repeating the process to attach another blank. Make sure when you bend the wire you leave a little gap after the crystal as otherwise you won't be able to wrap the wire around to secure it.
10. Connect the other two blanks in the same way.
11. To attach the watch face put a 90º bend in a piece of wire approx. 2 inches from the end. 2mm towards the end from this first bend, bend it back on itself around the pliers and thread the end through one hole of the watch face finding. Bend the wire around the other side of the finding until it crosses over the other end of the wire. Wrap the end twice around the wire before trimming the excess.
12. Attach one of the copper blank sections in the same way as above but this time without adding a crystal. (If a longer watch strap is needed you can thread on a Swarovski crystal as above.)
13. Repeat for the other side of the watch face.
14. Attach a wire to one end of the strap in the usual way. Decide whether or not you wish to add a Swarovski crystal - it depends on how long you need it to be. Then attach a jump ring to the other end of the wire before wrapping it to secure it in the usual way.
15. Repeat for the other end of the strap but this time attach the clasp.
As you can see, decorating the copper blanks is easy and, if you have a little jewellery making experience, making up the strap is easy too!
Happy Crafting!
Fee x
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