DIY Network

For Your Guy: Silver Link Bracelet by Gary Brown From "Jewelry Making" episode DJMK-510

In this first segment viewers will learn about making chain linked metal bracelets in silver and copper. Guest jewelry artist Gary Brown joins host Jackie Guerra to teach a riveting technique that creates a masculine metal bracelet that any guy can wear!

Experience Level: Advanced

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Guest Gary Brown shares the techniques for making a metal chain link bracelet.

Materials --

18 or 20-gauge sheet of silver, brass or copper
Bench pin

Tools --

Sanding paper or foam backed sanding pads (coarse, medium and super fine)
Tin snips
Riveting hammer
Ball peen hammer
Steel plate/block
Rawhide mallet
Wire cutters or nail clippers
Adjustable "tooth free" wrench/pliers
Optional: jeweler's saw/blades, adjustable speed dremel/flexshaft, jeweler's files, eye protection, metal polish

	Figure A
	Figure B
	Figure C
	Figure D
	Figure E
	Figure F

Silver Link Bracelet

1. Most people find it helpful, when designing, to do some preliminary drawings on paper (figure A). In this case you will want to determine how many segments to use and their shape and size. Measure your wrist with a piece of string or strip of paper to determine the length your bracelet should be. You will need to do a bit of math here. Determine how many sections you will use in your design. When designing, remember the overlap. Design/draw your segments. Test your design in paper. Cut out, and then lay out to determine overlap.

   
   

2. Once you have your design, there are a few ways to transfer it to the sheet metal. Make a master out of card stock and trace/scratch the design into the metal with a sharp needle or X-Acto blade.

   
   

3. Draw the design on a thick piece of plastic, then trace the design on a piece of transparent tape, pull the tape from the plastic and position it on the sheet metal. You can do multiple links on one strip of tape.

   
   

4. Move the metal to bench pin and use a jeweler's saw to cut out the design. You need to use the proper angle when sawing -- you saw straight up and down (figure B). If you saw at an angle, you will snap the metal.

   
   

5. If you are doing something straight it is much easier, just scribe your line onto the piece of metal using a ruler and X-Acto knife (figure C). Use tin snips to cut straight down the line. When using tin snips you only have so much control. Carefully cut the sheet metal. As the cut gets deeper, the blades of the tin snips might fight you. Use controlled snips to maintain your design.

   
   

6. If you use tin snips, the metal is going to bend. It is a lot easier to work on the metal once it is flattened, so place the cut metal onto a metal plate and use a rawhide mallet to straighten it out (figure D). As you hammer, the molecules are compressing, which hardens the metal.

   
   

7. Use coarse sanding material or jeweler's files to smooth sharp edges. Always sand at an angle or you will scratch the surface of your metal if you don't. Be careful not to scratch the metal sheet. Once the edges are rounded use the medium and then super fine sanding material.

   
   

8. If you would like your design to be textured in any way, such as a hammered or brushed finish, you will need to add that detail now or on your sheet before cutting.

   
   

9. To make the rivet holes make sure that your drill bit is the same gauge as the wire. Prepare your surface by using a hammer and a finishing nail to create a small drill bit indent in the spot that you would like to rivet (figure E). This will keep your drill bit in place and prevent it from moving across the metal surface causing scratches.

   
   Tip: A quick way to clean up the metal is to take your craft knife and scrape off the excess metal around the holes.

   
   

10. If your segments are the same size and shape, you can properly align them and securely bind the group with tape so there is no shifting, then drill as a group.

    
    

11. If you are using two rivets, drill the first hole and set your rivet, then once the first rivet is in place, drill your second hole. This is very important because the rivet holes will not line up if the hole positioning is slightly off.

    
    

12. When you cut the wire for your rivet, there should be about one half millimeter of wire exposed on each side.

    
    

13. Line up holes and feed wire through. Cut wire with a nail clipper or wire cutter. File flat. Adjust "tooth free" pliers/wrench and position rivet, eyeball for balance and give a light squeeze. This will spread the rivet. Finish hammering rivet on hard metal surface with ball peen for a flush rivet, or flat rivet hammer for a flat, round surface detail.

    
    

14. To start the rivet with a rivet hammer, set your rivet through the hole with the extruding ends even on both sides. Carefully position on metal surface. Lightly tap the center of the rivet with the pointed, sharply angular, end of the hammer. This will spread the top of the rivet preventing it from falling out of the hole. Turn the riveting hammer over and tap the rivet flat.

    
    

15. For the closure, on one of the links saw a channel just wide enough for the wire to slip through. Use sand paper or a small file to widen the channel if needed.

    
    

16. To create the closure rivet, drill a hole through a business card and position the card between the links, and use the same riveting process. Tear out paper. The spacing created by the paper should allow enough room to pivot the hook around the rivet post. You may need to file or sand to widen the channel.

    
    

17. Now shape by hand, or if necessary around a form (Gary uses a baseball bat) with a mallet (figure F).

    
    

18. Polish with appropriate metal polish -- and you're done.

GUESTS :

Gary Brown
GF Brown Designs
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