MAKING BUTTONS WITH USED COINS

The last time I posted here was in December 2018....I can't believe it! It certainly doesn't seem that long ago, but as we all know it...time goes by super fast. My friend Ellinor and I did so much enameling during the summer when the garage was super hot. Now it's super cold (okay, so it's only in the 50's). The next step in my new button-making project is soldering, and that is done in the garage. Brrrr...

So what inspired this? A couple months ago I read several posts from Kate Richbourg, a well-known metalsmith, and she showed photos of the buttons she was making with used coins. They are beautiful! Check out her website katerichbourgjewelry.com  So I ordered buttons from a couple suppliers and will show you what I've done so far. Hope this will excite a few of you too!

Here are a few of the buttons. Pretty grungy looking, aren't they? I wondered if I should anneal them first before doming. I decided just to go ahead... and not go out to the cold garage! It worked out all right, although I'm sure annealing the metal first would make doming easier.

Here is what I used....a metal doming block with a couple dapping punches and a brass hammer.

To get ready for soldering, I cleaned the inside of the domed pieces with a rubber Temo tip inserted into my flex shaft. It did a great job.

You can see the difference between the two sides after using the Temo tip. I also made a coil of 16 gauge jump rings and cut them. They will probably need some adjusting and filing to fit the curve of the coin.

My next step is soldering the jump rings to the coin backs. Wish me luck! I'll post again after I have a few to show you.