Saturday, April 14, 2012

texturing metal - no chemicals, no heat required

mary jane dodd


we keep at something long enough and as we experiment, we learn... 

while i love etching and using the torch - perhaps one of my favorite things to do is texture the metal i work with... and i did quite a bit of that this week making bits for my components shop on etsy... 

one of the first tools i used for texture was the round head on the chasing hammer... 



i became aware of texture hammers (but will admit i bought only one... they are a bit expensive and i like to try to use things where i can that are less expensive...)



a basic economy stamp set has lots of design options in it - o's, x's


and u's


a center punch from your local craft store


can do this -


these texture sheets have lots of uses... people use them in rolling mills or use them as sheet metal for example... metalclay supply has a nice assortment... 


but i like to  hammer small areas of them for a hint of texture... 


go to your local hardware store and look at the small tools - there i found this chisel... 


look in your home with new eyes, see what you already have and give it a try... 
i used 24 gauge sheet metal in all of these examples...

and remember - 

the art bead love tour is currently at my life under the bus - stop by for your chance to have this strand of handmade beads come to you... where you take what you like and add what you can ... then send it along!





9 comments:

Julie Holmes said...

I love textured metal, and these are all great ideas!

Izzy said...

I love to texture. I have to admit, I have spent way too much money on texturing hammer(s) but do love them. But it is fun to see what other tools you can use to create different looks. My husband is always fussing at me for taking this tools from the garage. =)

Artisan Beads Plus said...

I love texture too! I also try to find items that are less expensive and I don't like to pay high shipping for heavy purchases. I was working with metal today.... not texturing, but enameling with my 11 year old niece.
MaryAnn

Barbara said...

Ahhh, I love this! Would you believe the first cheapy set of alphabet stamps I purchased didn't have a U??? but it had two V's....hee hee. I picked up a basic primer today on traditional skills at a garage sale and in it, it talked about making your own stamps for metal working out of steel nails...sparked lots of good ideas in my head....now I need to find the nails it calls for...might be easier said than done nowadays....

I don't, as of yet, own any fancy chasing hammers. I'm leary of purchasing expensive tools because of our climate (things rust here easily with our humid sea breeze) and I'm terrible about taking care of tools so I'm just making do for now.

Kalaya Steede said...

What a good idea to hammer the textured sheets on to metal. Wow! That thought never occurred to me. Merci Mary Jane! XO

Mystic Indigo said...

I didn't get a chance yesterday to comment...but I just love using stuff I find around the house to texturize metal...I love using screen...or lace, and just using my chasing hammer to put more texture on the metal too..right now I have been using sandpaper and hammering it ...beautiful pieces as usual!!

Barry said...

MJ-you have demonstrated once again that the creation of beautiful things can be achieved with the very ordinary bits and pieces around us. Most of my gear is from the hardware store. Hammers for bowl beating - well I do have a hammer or two from the panel beating section of the hardware store - I get a really high polish on hammers using a belt sander turned upside down on the floor. Thanks for sharing. B

stacilouise said...

I need to experiment more with texture! I have old brass texture sheets I got early on for PMC. I never tried hammering them over my copper, but you have inspired me to try it out!

Unknown said...

Love what you did with the chasing hammer! I make a mess when I use that....I'm still trying to figure it out. Thanks for the great tips!--Kelly

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