COPPER WASHERS

This is a post about copper washers, but .... first things first! I almost didn't notice this small cactus blooming. We can only water twice a week now in Southern California and I was so lucky to get a shot of this beautiful bloom on one of the watering days. Maybe a prickly pear cactus? It was gone the next morning.

Okay, off to the washers. My daughter brought this box of washers from Harbor Freight for me on Mother's Day, and it's taken me this long to open the box and use them with the rolling mill.

The box has several sizes. A friend bought copper washers at a local hardware store and paid over a dollar each!

These may not be the best quality, but there are 80 copper washers for about $4.00!!! Someone on one of my Facebook groups said they don't enamel well, but I haven't tried that yet. But I like what I have made so far.

I made four sets of different sizes and ran them through the rolling mill several times, tightening the rollers each time, until I got the thickness I wanted.

Then I annealed them to soften the metal and ran them through the rolling mill again with a brass texture plate.

Next they were domed and now I'll have to decide how to use them. Liver of sulphur or other patina? Ear wires ... attachments .... maybe small turquoise pieces or white pearls dangling in the center? Or below the ear wires? I'll be sure to post pictures later ...