Holiday Woodland Fairy Ornament

by Judy Larson

Category: Holiday Designs
Technique(s): Texturing, Butane Torch Techniques
Skill Level: Intermediate

These cute ornaments make wonderful, unexpected gifts. Make a smaller version for a pendant-so cute! I used Argentium silver for ornaments for my grandchildren. They were so fun to make that I made a few kits in copper for friends to make them, too.
This is a long tutorial, only because of the many options provided. Since everyone does not have access to the same tools, supplies, and embellishments, those options will make it easier to design around what you have on hand and hopefully make it easier to construct a fabulous one-of-a-kind ornament to cherish for years to come. Let your imagination carry you away!

Materials

22 Gauge Dead Soft Argentium Silver Sheet - 6 Inches

H19-22SM6

Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 1 Inch
Price: $65.27
Gold Club Price: $48.95

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24 Gauge Dead Soft Argentium Silver Sheet - 6 Inches

H19-24SM6

Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 1 Inch
Price: $51.80
Gold Club Price: $38.85

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cabachons

Lesson Quantity: 2.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 2.00 each

18 Gauge Round Half Hard Argentium .940 Silver Wire

H19-18H

Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 1FT
Price: $6.50
Gold Club Price: $4.87

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18 Gauge Square Half Hard Argentium .940 Silver Wire

H19-18SQH

Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 1FT
Price: $8.87
Gold Club Price: $6.66

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Tools

Silver Solder Paste Soft SS65- 1/4 T.O.

SOL-822.10

SOL-822.10
Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
Price: $16.95
Gold Club Price: $12.71

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Basic Soldering Kit

G15-4

G15-4
Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
Price: $58.95
Gold Club Price: $44.21

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12 Piece Dapping Punch Set with Wooden Base

G17-6

G17-6
Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
Price: $16.97
Gold Club Price: $12.73

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2 1/2 Inch Dapping Die Block

DAP-125.00

DAP-125.00
Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
Price: $32.30
Gold Club Price: $24.23

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6 Step Barrel Plier - Pack of 1

G2-503

G2-503
Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
Price: $14.95
Gold Club Price: $11.21

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C.H.P Milano Italian Flush Cutter, 5 1/2 Inches

PLR-487.00

PLR-487.00
Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
Price: $16.97
Gold Club Price: $12.73

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Small Rawhide Hammer 1 Inch - Pack of 1

G3-1

G3-1
Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
Price: $21.95
Gold Club Price: $16.46

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Steel Bench Block 4x4 Inch - Pack of 1

G17-10

G17-10
Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
Price: $21.95
Gold Club Price: $16.46

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5 1/2 Inch Nylon Flat Jaw Pliers with Replacement Jaws

G2-1

G2-1
Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
Price: $9.97
Gold Club Price: $7.48

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Metal Cutting Shears

SHR-536.00

SHR-536.00
Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
Price: $14.97
Gold Club Price: $11.23

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Instructions

Step 1

Read through the tutorial before starting the project. Follow all safety precautions for the space you are working in as well as all safety precautions pertaining to the tools and supplies you will be using to complete the project.

The first step is to choose the body/dress stone. Do not choose a stone larger than the 30x40mm cabochon on the left in the first photo with the two prototypes I made. Because of the large surface area that must then be soldered, it can be difficult to get the solder to flow using the torch head on a butane canister. The stone in the second photo is 35mm long but does not cover the same amount of surface area as the large oval in the first photo so will be easier to work with.

Next, choose a size cabochon that will work well with the stone body/dress. The button, with the shank removed, used with the 30x40mm cabochon in the first photo is a little over 13mm in diameter. The puffed flat bead used with the smaller 15x30mm bead is 11mm in diameter, as is the carved mother of pearl face with the 25x35mm cabochon in the second photo.

Pro Tip: Changing the orientation of the stone will give a whole new look to the fairy. Your design can be changed all the way up to cutting the metal sheet for the background.

Judy Larson's Holiday Woodland Fairy Ornament - , Holiday Designs, Texturing, Butane Torch, Soldering, Solder, holiday woodland fairy ornament

Step 2

Choose a bezel wire. A variety of gallery wires would be pretty to use in this project.

It is important to keep the height/thickness of the stones used in mind when choosing a bezel wire. For all the ornaments shown here, 3/16" fine silver bezel wire was used.

With my Grandchildren's ornaments, the stones, especially the faces which were only about 1.5mm thick, were shimmed to raise them to fit the width of the bezel wire to give a little more visual weight to each piece. The faces were raised to be more in line with the height of the body.

Construct the bezels for the body and head. Make sure the bottom of each bezel is level so they will attach evenly and securely to the backing when soldering.

Step 3

What would you like to use for a headpiece or crown for your fairy? Since I was using open eyes and closed eyes cabochons for two of the ornaments for my Grandchildren, I made metal clay day and night woodland themed garden headpieces for them-first photo. Another option would be to make an angel by adding a large oval jump ring halo to the back of the ornament at the head when soldering the wings in place.

A different woodland theme was achieved on some of the ornaments by using leaves and "flowers" for the headpieces.

Stamp leaves on scrap 22 or 24 gauge sheet metal. Cut the leaves out with Lindstrom shears which leave a better flat edge than scissor type shears. A more three-dimensional look to the headpiece can be obtained by curving the leaves. Place a leaf right side down in a large well in a dapping block. Dap once with a large dapping punch that fits the dapping block well. Do this by hand rather than with a hammer to lessen the risk of losing the stamped image.

Other options for imparting a slight bend to the leaves:

Use a wood dapping block and nylon punches

Bend the leaves in the largest section of a wood swage block using a 1¼" diameter wood dowel

Use a nylon ring bending or nylon bracelet bending pliers to curve the leaves.

For the "flower" between the leaves a 4mm snap set and CZ was used for the headpiece on the larger fairy-eighth photo.

Because the bezel and the snap set are the same height and the prongs will spread a bit when the CZ is put into place, the snap set should not be placed against the bezel.

The void can be filled with small pieces of balled wire, or a bit of 1.5mm ball chain as was done here. ¼" of 18 gauge round wire was balled and added to the center of a 5mm scalloped bead cap that was turned upside down to use as the center flower of the headpiece for the smaller fairy.

A ¼" 24 gauge copper disk was cupped to make the flower on the copper fairy-ninth photo-and an 1.8" disk was domed for the flower center.

The head and body bezels should be placed far enough apart to make it easy to push the bezel edges in.

Using a short piece of 1.5mm ball chain as a necklace spacer is the perfect width-seventh and eighth photos-where 5 balls were cut.

Other options: Use 1.5mm and 1.8mm hole punch pliers to make small dots to use as necklace beads-ninth photo. OR Cut short pieces of 20 gauge twisted square wire or two 22 gauge square wires twisted together. Curve the pieces to match the curve of the bezel around the head. The length needed is determined by what looks good to you in comparison to the head and body.

Copper does not ball without pitting so balled hands were not used on the copper ornaments-tenth photo. An 11/16" piece of 18 gauge wire was balled for each hand on the Argentium silver fairies-eleventh photo. Use the same necklace embellishment for the "cuffs" above the balls used for the hands.

Step 4

Pro Tip: When making more than one ornament, it can be helpful to sketch around the parts on a piece of paper-first photo. The paper shapes can be cut out and arranged on sheet metal to conserve as much metal as possible. Arrange the bezels and headpiece on a piece of 24 gauge sheet metal. There should be enough room around the bezels for the headpiece as well as the arms and hands. As the designer, choose an arm style that you like and works with the stone and metal being used. Getting the solder to flow to secure all the parts to the backplate becomes more difficult if too much sheet metal is left around all the fairy parts. Trim away as much excess metal as possible-drawn line in second and third photos. Trimming excess metal makes it easier to get to the temperature needed for the solder to flow. Use a rubber/nylon or rawhide mallet to flatten the backplate on a bench block

Optional texturing of the backplate after cutting it out: Since most of the body/dress cabochons being used for ornaments for the Grandchildren were triangular, I decided to use a similar shape rolling mill texture sheet on the backplate. The back could also be textured with one or more different texture hammers. After texturing, anneal the backplate. Depending on the pickle used, the backplate may need to be neutralized in baking soda water before rinsing and drying. Use a rubber/nylon or rawhide mallet to flatten the textured backplate on a bench block.

Step 5

Use a fine sanding sponge to clean and buff the front of the backplate. Remove the dust using an alcohol-soaked pad. Remember, a squeaky-clean surface means a good solder join will be achieved.

Step 6

Note: Paste solder for copper has a higher flow temperature than Hard Paste Solder for Silver. Because of problems some of my friends had with copper paste solder, it may be easier to use the paste solder for silver indicated in the tutorial as the flow temperatures for silver solders are lower.

Place medium paste solder around the bottom of the bezel for the head. Place it on the backplate, leaving room for the headpiece. Place a small amount of medium paste solder on the backplate where the necklace spacer will be secured. Push the necklace spacer into the solder.

Place medium paste solder around the bottom of the bezel for the body. Place it on the backplate, making sure that both bezels are pushed firmly against the necklace spacer. Place medium paste solder on the backs of each headpiece component, starting with the center flower, and press into place.

Where to place the hands is personal preference, but there will be a Goldilocks spot-not too high or too low, but just right. Both lines drawn with an ultra-fine point retractable Sharpie marker worked for me in the first photo, so I chose to place the balls above the upper drawn line. Place a dot of medium paste solder on the backplate where the hands will be placed. Push the balls into the paste solder. Put a narrow line of medium paste solder above each hand. Press the cuff embellishment pieces into the solder.

Pro Tip: Use a toothpick slid into place under a leaf to prop it up. It acts kind of like a third hand so another leaf could slip underneath it.

Step 7

Place the assembly on a soldering surface. Paste solder will bubble when heated too closely to start, possibly moving some of the smaller pieces. Therefore, it is a good idea to heat around the piece, about a finger width away, until the smoke and flame is done before moving closer. Heat until the solder flows. Immediately remove the heat. Allow the piece to cool before moving it to a bench block to finish cooling.

Step 8

Pickle the piece to remove any fire scale and then neutralize it in baking soda water. Rinse and dry the piece.

Step 9

Use an ultra-fine point retractable Sharpie to draw lines on the backplate indicating where to cut the arms. Starting at the end of the necklace on each side, try to draw an impression of shoulders. The length, shape, and size of the arms/sleeves is up to you, the designer. If there are no hands-third and fourth photos-curve the end of the arm line in toward the body.

Step 10

Use Lindstrom shears or a saw to cut away excess metal around the design-first photo. File and refine the edges. No edge, as on the larger bodied ornament, or a narrow edge, as on the smaller body ornament, can be left around the body, arms and hands, and head and headpiece-second photo. Use sanding pads to finish smoothing and refining the edges of the fairy body.

Step 11

Place a piece of 320 or 400 grit sandpaper on a bench block. Place the fairy body right side down on the sandpaper. Run the bezels across the sandpaper in a figure-8 motion until the tops of the bezels are level.

Step 12

Tumble the piece for several hours to bring up a shine and soften any dings in the metal. Rinse and dry the piece before continuing.

Step 13

Rolling mill wing texture sheets were used to make the wings for many of the ornaments shown here but it is easy to make your own. Scale the wings template to size. Make and texture your own wings using the templates-first photo.

Audition the wing sizes in relation to the ornament you are making by laying the finished body on top of the templates to determine which you prefer-second photo. The size and shape of the wings paired with your ornament is personal preference.

Cut a rectangle of 22 gauge sheet metal that is a bit larger than the wings chosen.

Texture the metal using hammers, stamps, rolling mill texture sheets, or scratch the surface with a scratch awl.
Using pre-textured metal to make wings is another option.

Once the metal is textured, flatten it with a rubber/nylon or rawhide mallet on a bench block. If the piece is too distorted, it is helpful to anneal the piece before flattening. Trace the chosen wing shape on textured metal-not necessary for roller printed metal wings.

Use a saw or Lindstrom shears to cut the wings out. The narrow center part of the wings does not need to be more than 5/8" long-line in the third photo. Cut the wings out. Use files and sanding sponges to refine the wing edges.

Step 14

Depending on the texture, the wings may seem a bit plain. Embellishments can be added at this point.

Positioning the center of the wings on the back of the neck is important since the spot between the neck and body is the weakest point on the ornament. When the wings are soldered over the neck, this is no longer an issue.

Draw a center line up and down on the wings with an ultra-fine point retractable Sharpie. Position the fairy body on the wings, making sure the wings cover the fairy neck. Trace the outside edge of the head and arms onto the wings. Working from a coil of 20 gauge round wire, make a curl in the end as shown.

Cut the wire from the spool so that the embellishment tail extends beyond the drawn line into the center of the wings. Curve the wire tail to mimic the curve of the wings. Place the wires where desired on the wings.

Trim off the wire that crosses over the body line to the center of the wings. Embellishments should not be placed within 3/8" of the wing center line.

Place a bit of medium paste solder under the length of each wire curl and press into place on the wings. Place the wings on a soldering surface. Heat around the wings until the solder flows. Immediately remove the heat. Allow to cool a bit before removing to a bench block for a quick cooling.

When making butterfly wings, I made a rolling mill texture mistake that was disguised by soldering on dots punched from 24 gauge sheet metal. It is a great option for embellishing wings.

Step 15

If curved wires were soldered to the wings, using files and sanding pads smooth down at least a ¼" long section of the cut wire ends on the wings closest the drawn head/neck/body line. If they are not smoothed down, the thickness may imprint into the fairy body section and cause problems when setting the stones.

Step 16

Use an ultra-fine point Sharpie to draw a center line on the back of the wings.

Draw another line 1/8" away on either side of the center line-first photo. Clean the back of the ornament body with alcohol-soaked pad.

Draw a center length line on the back of the fairy body. Since the fairy neck is the weakest part of the ornament, it should be covered by the center of the wings to make it more stable. Place the wings on the fairy back, matching center lines.

Draw a positioning line on the body above and below the wings-second photo.

Step 17

2½" is more than enough of 18 gauge square wire to make a hanging loop to use with the largest wing templates. The loop uses up to 1¼" of wire and the center length of the largest wings could use up to 1½" of wire length.

18-gauge round wire can be used but there is less surface area contact so the solder join is less reliable. Any wire scrap can be balled and used as embellishments on the next fairy you make.

Center the hanging loop wire between Step 3 and 4 on the 6 step barrel pliers.

Bend the ends around step 4 on the pliers until the ends evenly meet and cross-second photo.

Use soft jaw pliers to squish the wires together close to the step 4 barrel of the plier jaw-third photo. Make sure the wire ends are flat, are parallel to each other and touch-fourth photo.

Step 18

Firmly grasp the wings with flat nose pliers just inside the outer left line drawn on the back of the wings. Bend the wings up toward the back at a 30-degree angle on both sides of the plier jaws. Repeat the process on the other side of the wings.

Note: I stamped the back of the wings with my initials and metal content so when the ornaments are passed down to future generations, they will know who made them and what they are made of. Argentium is now .940 but since that stamp is not available, .925 works. It is also very recognizable as a quality mark.

Step 19

The loop section of the hanging loop should extend above the center back of the wings. Mark where the excess wire should be trimmed away. Cut those wires a bit longer.

Place a line of medium paste solder down the center line on the back of the wings. Position the hanging loop on the solder and press into place. Heat until the solder flows. The bend in the wings will relax a bit, which is nothing to worry about. Allow the wing/loop assembly to cool naturally.

Use wire cutters to trim excess hanging loop wire from the bottom of the wing section. Use files and sanding pads to file back the hanging loop tails even with the bottom of the wings. Use sanding pads to refine and smooth that area as well as any parts of the wings that may need a bit of smoothing.

Step 20

This step can be done without a pumice pan, but if too much heat is applied or if heating continues after the solder has flowed and you did not see it, there is a risk of the embellishments on the front falling off because that solder heated to flowing temperature. A pumice pan can help prevent that problem.

Nestle the body in the pumice in the rotating pan. The pumice should press/push up against all the soldered on parts on the fairy body front. Make the body back as level as possible.

Place a line of easy paste solder on the center front flat section of the wings.

Center the wings, back side facing up, on the back side of the fairy body, between the two drawn lines.

Line the center of the wings hanging loop up with the center line on the fairy body. Press the wings into place.

Pro Tip: Notice the little blob of paste solder protruding below the center back of the wings? It was becoming quite difficult for me to see when the solder flowed while securing the wings. Leaving that little bit there made it much easier to see when the solder flowed. Putting a small piece of balled silver into that solder blob would cover it up while still making it easier to see the solder flow.

Step 21

Heat around and over the piece, concentrating a bit on the center back of the wings as it is the thickest part being soldered.

It is IMPORTANT to not aim flame toward the looped end of the hanging loop-first photo! It will melt. Always aim the flame away from the loop.

If the fairy head faces towards you when soldering, the hottest part of the torch flame at the tip will not be on the loop when heating the center of the wing section-second photo. Propping the loop up away from the head with a small piece of pumice and propping the wings up a bit with pumice will keep the wings/hanging loop from relaxing and soldering/fusing to the back of the body if too much heat is applied-third photo.

Heat the fairy ornament until the solder flows between the wings and body. Immediately remove the heat. Again, the wings may relax a bit, but as long as they do not relax and become flush with the body, it is fine. If they become flush with the body, the solder will flow past the center line and secure them in place so they can't be bent back.

Allow the ornament to cool for 30 or more seconds before removing it from the pumice. Place it on a bench block to cool it faster.

Step 22

Pickle the piece to remove any fire scale and then neutralize it in baking soda water. Rinse and dry the piece.

Step 23

Tumble the piece for several hours to bring up a shine. Rinse and dry the piece before continuing.

Step 24

It is perfectly fine to leave the ornament bright silver. Patina was added here to highlight all the raised design elements. Because patina darkens/blackens the whole metal surface, remove patina from raised areas 0000 using steel wool and/or very fine sanding pads.

Pro Tip: Work over a large piece of paper to corral the bits of steel wool that fall from the pad.

Step 25

Using steel wool on metal imparts a pretty sating finish. Tumble the piece again for 20 to 30 minutes to bring up a shine again. Tumbling longer than 30 minutes may start to remove more patina in areas the tumbling medium can get to.

Step 26

Press the wings flat against the body.

Step 27

Follow bezel setting methods to set the stones. Because the back of the ornament is not perfectly flat, it needs to be cushioned when setting the stones. Stabilize your ornament in a way that the front will not be misshapen when working on it.

For this project, I tried something new. I cut an absorbent paper towel into 8 pieces and stacked them on my bench block. They provided just enough cushioning to make the uneven back of the ornament a non-issue. However, the paper towel was slippery on the bench block until I put a dollar store jar opener flat gripper under it. Works like a charm!

I personally like to use fun tac on a bench block. It does, however, have drawbacks. It adheres very tightly to metal surfaces, with some brands having more adhesion power than others. Because of this, it is important to carefully lift the ornament and fun tac together off the bench block, and only then peel the fun tac off the ornament. Trying to peel the ornament off the fun tac on the bench block can result in a bent ornament or worse, a broken one.

Step 28

Set the stones following good bezel setting practices. The most difficult area to bend the bezels over the stones will be at the neck between the two stones. The thin end of a clothes pin can help. The Whaley Sliding Hammer with flat round head inserts does a great job on bezels in tough to get at areas and hard angles to work on with other tools.

Step 29

Bend the hanging loop at approximately a 30 degree angle away from the head

Step 30

Bend the wings away from the body. This is the LAST time the wings should be bent. The more times metal is bent in the same area, the more stressed and brittle it becomes and will eventually break.

Step 31

Your Woodland Fairy Ornament is ready to hang!

Step 32

Storing your ornament: Any ornament hanging hook will work with your fairy. However, some metals left in contact with silver or copper could start a corrosive process or permanently discolor it. So, do not leave a hanging hook on the ornament, or store it with it, when ornament is not in use. It is important to clean the ornament before storing it in an anti-tarnish resealable plastic bag, container, or bag. My favorite is storing each ornament separately in silvercloth bags, which are highly anti-tarnish and will last generations if not washed. Washing will remove all the anti-tarnish qualities in the cloth. Since these will be used for many years to come, I chose a dark color to disguise any staining they may happen. Cushioning between ornaments will help them keep their shape.

Reviews

Judy Larson

My philosophy has always been "I will never live long enough to learn everything I want to learn, go everywhere I want to go and see everything I want to see!" So, what I make and how I create it is always changing and evolving. I was born shortly after WWII to parents who grew up during the Depression. They always had a "we can do it, we can make it" attitude which rubbed off on my two younger brothers and me. My brothers are amazing and can make and do ANYTHING! When I was a little girl, my mother gave me an old carved cigar box, which I cherish, filled with pop beads, wooden beads and yarn for stringing. That was the beginning of my jewelry making journey.

On a visit to the Grand Canyon when I was a young woman, I was fortunate enough to help a Native American silversmith sand cast my first silver bracelet and bezel set a large turquoise nugget on top. I was in love, hook, line and sinker! While working full time and having a family here in northern Minnesota, my artistic endeavors slowed down but never stopped. I am an artist, scrapbooker, seamstress, woodworker and jewelry artisan. Now that I am retired, I am able to indulge in all my hobbies. However, there just never seems to be enough time in the day to do it all, but I try!

I have been teaching community education beginner and intermediate jewelry making classes since my retirement. Many of my students have been bitten so hard by the jewelry making bug that they say I have turned them into monsters-they just can't get enough. Making jewelry, seeing something take shape from small bits and pieces, is so rewarding that I hope it brings out the "monster" in you, too!