Upcycle Your Scrap

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Tutorial:
Upcycle Your Scrap

Created by FIDANA
www.fidana.com www.fidana.etsy.com
PLEASE, DO NOT DISTRIBUTE, MASS-PRODUCE, LEND OR COPY. PLEASE, ALWAYS GIVE CREDIT TO FIDANA.
This tutorial will show you three easy techniques how to reuse, recycle and re-craft your everyday scrap to create simple embellishments, which you can use in your next project. The tutorial also shows few ideas and tips on how these versatile designs can be easily adapted in many jewelry projects. Materials: Any wire scrap/leftovers/unsuccessful wire project longer than 1.5 in [4cm] Tools: Wire cutters Round-nose pliers Chain-nose pliers Chasing hammer Steel block Butane torch Optional supplies: Rawhide mallet File/Sanding pad Permanent Marker
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Story behind this tutorial: I am very thrifty when it comes to working with wire (specially the silver one), so I kept saving every bit and piece for some quite time that one day I reached a point when the amount of short wire snip-offs started to force me to take some action. And since I DO love a balled up wire for its simple beauty, idea was born. PROJECT #1 Step 1: Bring it out! Gather all scrap pieces of wire. Sort through them and set aside the longer ones. In this technique we will use the short cut-offs. Great length is anywhere between 46 cm [1.5-2.5in].
Step 2: Prepare for some basic work with fire. Set your fireproof station or anything of your choice for work with butane torch. You will need: fireproof surface to set aside your balled up wire, torch, and tweezers with fiber handles. Hold wire with tweezers at the tip of inner blue flame and wait for the wire to ball up. [ http://youtu.be/ZxIGHCAXf6s ] Set on fireproof surface. Repeat with remaining pieces.
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Step 3: *** TIP *** If you like the beautiful red tips on the headpins, here is simple trick to it. Before you start making your headpins, prepare a bowl filled with cold water. Stainless steel works best. Dont use plastic. The hot headpin when dropped into it can burn hole right through it (believe me) When your headpin is finishing up to the desired size, take it from the flame and immediately drop it into the water.
Step 4: Taadaaa, and magic happens! After little hiss, beautiful red copper oxide forms on the surface. Do a little clean up/polish with steel wool. Or let the tumbler do the hard work, if you have one. And now its time to use these in some fun projects. Here are some ideas. Your imagination is the limit.
Step 5: This design is perfect for the various lengths of your headpins. Wrap the headpins randomly around the frame of your work. Let them jut out for more conspicuous pattern
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Step 6: wrap them tight to the frame for more robust, resilient design.
Step 7: And here is your first up-cycled piece!
Step 8: Bend up a bit along the length of the headpin, make a loop at the end and string them on a leather necklace. Makes one fierce chocker!
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Step 9: In this design it nicely balances off the area above the gemstone beads. Filling up the area with beads would make the design busy, clashing. This was (for me) perfect solution. Adorned, dressed up, yet complimenting.
PROJECT #2 Step 1: For this technique, use some of longer wires for unsuccessful project, where the wire is all bend up and you dont feel like straightening it up. Any scrap wire longer than 10 cm [4in] will work well. We will make some cool wire beads. If you want the bead bigger, use longer wire.
Step 2: Cut desired length. Roughly straighten it. Nothing fancy. Do not worry about nicks and dings. Having it somewhat straight makes it easier to work with.
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Step 3: Hammer it flat. The wider, the better for shaping the bead.
Step 4: If you like, add some texture.
Step 5: With a permanent marker, mark the middle of your wire.
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Step 6: Now starts the fun! With your round nose pliers start making tight coil. ***TIP*** Make the first loop to fit the future purpose of the created bead. The first loop determines the inner diameter of the finished bead.
Step 7: Keep wrapping. Do not forget to keep the spiral tight.
Step 8: Stop at the mark (from the marker J)
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Step 9: Now repeat the steps 6-8 from the opposite end of the wire.
Step 10: Now you have double spiral
Step 11: reminding an old VHS tapeor binocular.
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Step 12: Take a pointy object like pencil (but your round nose pliers works well too). Gently push one spiral evenly out, so the revolutions of the spiral are still overlapping one each other. *** TIP *** You can actually push the spiral out, so that there are gaps between each revolution. You just end up with different design of bead J
Step 13: Now push out the other spiral out in opposite direction.
Step 14: This is how your work should look like from the other side.
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Step 15: Gently bend the two spirals in a motion simulating the move when you separate two shells after you crack an egg.
Step 16: Bend the two spiral caps together to close the form of the hollow bead.
Step 17: Different lengths and different gauges of wire create (surprisingly J different beads).
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Step 18: And here is one idea how those beads can be used in a project.
PROJECT #3 Step 1: In this last design use your longest scrap wires, and the ones, which are really badly marred and bended beyond repair (or a will to repair) Any scrap wire longer than 10 cm [4in] will work well. We will make flower design, which can be used as an embellishment in your future project.
Step 2: With round nose pliers make short coil. Length of the coil will determine the depth of your flower.
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Step 3: With round nose or chain nose pliers start bending wire around the coil to resemble the shape of flower petals.
Step 4: Start with the outer outline, which you want your flower to be.
Step 5: Keep bending the wire, layering the revolutions of the wire upwards around the coil.
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Step 6: If you want your finished design to be more robust and rugged, as you layer the wire, you can weaved the wire into the lower layers (not shown).
Step 7: You can use your finished flower as it is or you can decorate it with a bead or your previously made headpin.
Step 8: Finished flowers.
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I hope you enjoyed this fun tutorial. It is more of a guide to stir up your creativity. I am more than open to any ideas on how to improve this help guide. Please, feel free to leave a message. I tried really hard to make this tutorial as concise as my English, my second language, allowed J J J

Upcycle Your Scrap

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Upcycle Your Scrap

Step 7: And here is your first up-cycled piece!

Step 4: If you like, add some texture.

Step 5: With a permanent marker, mark the middle of your wire.

Step 7: Keep wrapping. Do not forget to keep the spiral tight.

Step 8: Stop at the mark (from the marker J)

Step 10: Now you have double spiral

Step 11: reminding an old VHS tapeor binocular.

Step 8: Finished flowers.

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