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Shrink-Plastic Intaglio Bracelet Shrink-Plastic Intaglio Bracelet From "Jewelry Making" episode DJMK-311

Shrink-Plastic Intaglio Bracelet

Materials:

Shrink plastic
20-gauge wire
Glass beads or crystals
Jewelry clasp
2 jump rings
130- (medium-) grit sandpaper
Tack cloth
Template shapes
Permanent marker
Chalks (moss green and brown)
Craft knife
Rubber stamps
Scissors, regular and deckle
1/8" hole punch
Foil-covered chipboard
Small block of wood
Heat tool
Jewelry glue
Needle-nose pliers
Jewelry snips

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1. Sand one sheet of white shrink plastic, both vertically and horizontally, front and back. Wipe with a tack cloth.

2. Draw two templates, one rounded rectangle and one oval.

Figure A

3. Trace six rectangle shapes and six oval shapes onto the shrink plastic (figure A), making sure to trace the shapes all in the same direction, ensuring uniformity of shrinking.

4. Cut out each of the rectangle shapes with regular scissors. Cut out each of the oval shapes with deckle scissors.

5. Punch four 1/8" holes in each of the six rectangle shapes, two on each long side, in about the same place on each piece.

6. Rub moss-green chalk on each of the rectangles with your finger.

	Figure B
	Figure C

7. Using a craft knife, scrape moss-green and brown chalk onto each of the oval shapes (figure B) and rub the color in with your finger.

8. Shrink each of the six rectangles on the foil-covered chipboard (figure C).

Hint: The pieces won't fly away as easily if the chipboard is placed in a box before heating the shrink plastic. Flatten each plastic pieces with a wood block after it has been shrunk.

9. Use the heat tool to shrink one oval shape. While hot, press the rubber stamp into the oval, using firm pressure. Let the stamp sit on the shrink plastic for about 10 seconds, then remove, creating an intaglio effect on the plastic.

10. Repeat the stamping with the remaining five oval shapes.

11. Center and glue one oval shape to each one of the six rectangle shapes, making sure that the punched holes remain open.

12. Prepare 14 beaded double-loop links with a glass or crystal bead between each link. To do this, cut about 2" of 20-gauge wire. Use needle-nose pliers to form the first loop; add a bead and form the other loop. Repeat the process until you have 14 sets.

Figure D

13. To put the bracelet together, connect each of the shrink plastic pieces with two beaded double-loop links (figure D). Connect the beaded double-loop links at each end of the bracelet with a single jump ring.

14. Add the jewelry clasp.