Stamped Saucer Beads

by Judy Larson

Category: Contemporary
Technique(s): Dapping, Stamping, Butane Torch Techniques
Skill Level: Intermediate

These beads have a definite southwest flair. Change the style of the stamps and they could fit any style. The beads in this tutorial were made with 24 gauge sheet metal. 26 gauge sheet can be used as a full necklace of them may be a bit heavy.

Materials

24 Gauge Dead Soft Sterling Silver Sheet - 6 Inches

H8-24SM6

Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 1 Inch
Price: $39.28
Gold Club Price: $29.46

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Silver Solder Paste Medium SS70 - 1/4 T.O.

SOL-822.15

Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
Price: $18.95
Gold Club Price: $14.21

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

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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Tools

Small Disc Cutter, 7 Pieces

DAP-400.10

DAP-400.10
Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
Price: $46.95
Gold Club Price: $35.21

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Brass Hammer - 1 Pound

HAM-456.10

HAM-456.10
Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
Price: $24.97
Gold Club Price: $18.73

Out of Stock

Auto Center Punch

PUN-430.00

PUN-430.00
Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
Price: $8.97
Gold Club Price: $6.73

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center finder

Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each

Designer Metal Stamps--Diamond Dot

PUN-100.23

PUN-100.23
Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
Price: $9.95
Gold Club Price: $7.46

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Designer Metal Stamps--Circle With Lines

PUN-100.04

PUN-100.04
Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
Price: $9.95
Gold Club Price: $7.46

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Design Stamp, Alternative, Flower

PUN-107.29

PUN-107.29
Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
Price: $9.95
Gold Club Price: $7.46

Out of Stock

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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8 Punch Dapping Set

DAP-708.00

DAP-708.00
Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
Price: $48.97
Gold Club Price: $36.73

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Blazer MT 3000 Hot Shot Butane Torch, Red

TRCH-3004

TRCH-3004
Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
Price: $34.95
Gold Club Price: $26.21

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NATURE'S TOUCH CITRIC PICKLE, 2LB PLASTIC JAR

CLN-163.00

CLN-163.00
Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
Price: $17.95
Gold Club Price: $13.46

Out of Stock

Pickle Pot, 16 Ounces

CLN-584.00

CLN-584.00
Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
Price: $31.95
Gold Club Price: $23.96

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Deluxe Titanium Soldering Pick, Blue Handled, 6-1/2 Inches

SPK-930.00

SPK-930.00
Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
Price: $5.97
Gold Club Price: $4.48

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Stainless Steel Shot - 1 lb Bag

G24-4

G24-4
Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
Price: $43.95
Gold Club Price: $32.96

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WireJewelry Professional Single Barrel Rotary Rock Tumbler with 3 Pound Capacity Drum (2021 Version)

G24-1V2

G24-1V2
Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
Price: $106.60
Gold Club Price: $79.95

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Instructions

Step 1

It is important to read through the directions before starting the project.

Use a disc cutter to cut out the discs. This project shows beads made with 11/16" discs for the large center saucer sections with 5/16" discs for the small domes on either side; and 3/4" discs for the large center saucer sections with 3/8" discs for the small domes on either side.

Step 2

Center a disc under a transparent circle center finder. Mark the center of the disc. Use a center punch to mark the center of each disc. Or, forgo the marker and just center punch the disc. Repeat with all the discs.

Judy Larson's Stamped Saucer Beads - , Contemporary Wire Jewelry, Dapping, Dapping Jewelry, Stamping, Stamps, Butane Torch, Soldering, Solder, stamped saucer beads

Step 3

Ooops! I goofed! Sometimes I get so engrossed in what I am making that I forget to do things in a certain order. That is why some photos in the next steps do not show the holes drilled yet.

Drill a hole in the center of the discs. Use a 1.5mm bit for the larger disc and a 1mm bit for the smaller disc. Note: Steel shot can get into the bead during tumbling if the hole in the smaller disc is larger than 1mm. It can always be drilled larger later. The larger hole in the larger disc makes stringing the finished beads easier.

Pro Tip: Hint for using small diameter drill bits: When securing the bit in the jaws that hold drill bits, leave only a small portion of the bit sticking out to help keep the bit from breaking off. Be careful when drilling through the metal to not push the tool all the way down to the metal. This could leave dents or marks around the hole in your disk.

Step 4

Decide on the design to be stamped on each disc. Then figure the number quadrants needed to accommodate the size of the stamp. Center the disc on top of the circle center finder. Use the radial lines to mark the quadrants where the design will be stamped.

The 11/16" disc shown below is marked in 6 quadrants and will have 6 of the smaller sun rays stamped on it. The width of the stamp is approximately 6mm. The larger sun ray stamp design is approximately 9mm in width. It is used on the 3/4" circle that is divided into 4 quadrants.

Mark the center of each quadrant with a longer line. Marking the center of the design on the stamp as well will help in centering the design on the disc.

Pro Tip: To save time, place the marked disc on a piece of paper and draw around it. Mark each quadrant and center lines. Now each disc can be placed inside the circle and the lines marked with ease. Keep construction notes on the paper so the beads can be recreated later.

Step 5

Stamp each large disc with the desired stamps. These are handmade beads so the stamp placement does not need to be perfect. The circles and dots added were inherited watchmaker tools, but a period stamp and a nail set will give the same effect.

Step 6

Optional: Anneal, pickle and dry each stamped piece to make doming easier.

Step 7

Place a piece of leather in the well of the dapping block. Place the stamped disc right side down on top of the leather. Dome the large disc. Continue to go down in well size until the desired depth of dome is achieved. Place the domed pieces together to make sure the bead is the desired size. The width across the bottom edge of the 11/16" finished domed disc in this tutorial is 16mm. The width of the 3/4" disc is 21mm.

Pro Tip: Make note of the smallest well used when doming so each dome will be the same. Since the dapping block does not have numbers marking each depression, make note of the width of the finished dome.

Step 8

Dome the small disc (leather not needed) until it has the desired depth. In the photo on the left I went a bit too far so the disc ended up with a ring around the rim. I liked it, so did the other in the same manner. This was not done all all the beads, however.

Step 9

Place a piece of 320 grit sandpaper on the bench block. Place a fingertip on the small domes and sand in a figure eight until the bottoms are flat. Repeat with the large domes. Hint: It may be easier to hold the larger dome during sanding after the small dome is soldered on.

Step 10

Use a clean solder pick to place medium paste solder around the lower edge of a small dome. Center it on top of a large dome. Hint: If you think that the small dome may slip, place a piece of titanium wire through the holes in the small and large domes and into your soldering block, making sure to avoid getting any solder on the wire. The discs are shown here on a honeycomb ceramic soldering board.

Secure the Handy Flame Butane Torch head to a canister of butane. Turn on to a medium sized flame. Run the tip of the flame around the large disc, about 1/4" away from the edge, until the solder flows.

Repeat with the other two domed discs.

Step 11

Pickle the pieces. Rinse several times to make sure that all the pickle has been removed from under the small dome. Make sure that each bead half is completely dry before soldering. Placing the pieces in a dehydrator can speed the process.

Step 12

Sand the bottoms flat if this has not already been done.

Step 13

Dig a little hole in a solder brick to set lower half of the bead in.

Step 14

Use a clean solder pick to place easy paste solder around the edge of one bead half.

Step 15

Place the other half of the bead on top, pressing the two pieces together. Make sure the edges are even. Since the stamped designs may not match up perfectly, you may wish to offset them, as seen in the finished bead here.

Step 16

Place the small dome of one side in the hole in the solder brick, making sure that the bead sits evenly. If it is not even, the bead halves can slide apart during the heating process. A titanium, or even a stainless steel wire, can be placed through the bead and into the brick if desired, but avoiding the solder.

Pro Tip: It is very difficult to see the solder flow if there is a good fit between the halves. Since this edge will be filed and sanded, let a bit of the solder hang outside the bead. That way, when the solder flows, you will know it.

Step 17

Pickle and rinse, rinse, rinse. The pickle is an acid, and even when dried, it can keep eating away at the inside of the bead.

Step 18

Make sure that the beads are completely dry before using metal files on them as the files can easily rust after coming in contact with water. A dehydrator or a hair dryer can make quick work of this.

Step 19

File and sand the edges. If there are a few very small gaps between the two halves, the filing will push some metal into them so they will not be as noticeable. The little square sanding pad seen here is from a nail salon.

Step 20

Tumble the beads for one half to two hours. Rinse. The beads shown here were dried and then put away until more are made so they can all be patinated at the same time.

Step 21

Patina the bead. Neutralize the patina process in baking soda water. Rinse, rinse, rinse.

Step 22

Use 0000 steel wool to remove excess patina from the bead.

Judy Larson's Stamped Saucer Beads - , Contemporary Wire Jewelry, Dapping, Dapping Jewelry, Stamping, Stamps, Butane Torch, Soldering, Solder,

Step 23

Tumble the bead for a half hour to bring up a shine. Skip this step and brush the bead with soap and water and a brass Bristol brush for a softer looking satin finish.

Pro Tip: Notes on making other styles of saucer beads:

Any size disc can be used, bead caps exchanged for the small domed sections, and jump rings added for a finishing touch. Hint: The smaller beads are better made with 26 gauge sheet.

Pro Tip: The holes on this bead are large enough that shot could get stuck inside when tumbling. To avoid that, thread and secure thicker wire through bead or string of beads before tumbling.

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!