http://www.instructables.com/id/Vintage-Locket/

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Vintage Locketby Mrballeng on February 14, 2011

Table of Contents

License:   Attribution Non-commercial Share Alike (by-nc-sa) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Intro:   Vintage Locket . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

step 1:   Hammer Out Two Nickels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

step 2:   Heat The Metal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

step 3:   Make A Bottle Cap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

step 4:   Make The Wire Form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

step 5:   Roll The Edge Over . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

step 6:   Dome The Cap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

step 7:   Polish The Locket . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

step 8:   Cut The Hinge Grooves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

step 9:   Make Hinge One . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

step 10:   Hinge Two And Jump Ring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

step 11:   Assemble . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Related Instructables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

http://www.instructables.com/id/Vintage-Locket/

License:   Attribution Non-commercial Share Alike (by-nc-sa)

Intro:  Vintage LocketNo special tools or know-how needed.

Everything I could find about making lockets required fancy tools or know-how. So, I set out to make one without them. I’m sure it’s been done for hundreds of yearsthough, for me, figuring this out took about 20 hours, a dollar worth of nickels, and half a box of paper clips. It’ll be well worth it if someone else makes one.

What I would do with a laser cutter:

When friends or family welcome a new baby in their lives, I wood work a piece of furniture for them; such as a changing table or toy chest. A Zing 16 Laser from Epilogwould allow me to include a monogram of the child’s initials. Parent’s love that kind of stuff.

Also, I hope to move up from hammering nickels to using jewelry sheets of gold and silver. However, I’m not about to “shoot from the hip” with high price metals. TheZing 16 would open the door to precious metals because I could engrave the shape I need to cut with exact precision. This includes other locket shapes, pendants and,especially my next Instructable “Message Bracelet” which includes setting polished glass beads in brass with worded messages behind them. It should be a good onebut still an Instructable anyone could do.

step 1: Hammer Out Two NickelsUse a smooth faced hammer on a smooth surface. I like to start out by placing a smaller ball peen hammer on the coin and using a larger hammer to pound it. This helpskeep the coin in place and better directs your blows where you need them. Wear your safety glasses.

Once the detail of the coin begins to disappear, hammer along the edge. Notice that the coin has a tapered edge in the fourth picture. After you taper the entire edge ofthe coin, go back to the center with hammer on hammer. Do this until the coin is an 1¼” in diameter.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Vintage-Locket/

http://www.instructables.com/id/Vintage-Locket/

step 2: Heat The MetalTake the flattened coins to your stove. Heat the coins until they are a dull pink color. Run cold water over them in the sink. The coins will oxidize to a black color. That’sOK.

This step makes it eaisier for the coin to take on the shape in the next step.

step 3: Make A Bottle CapTake a marker and trace the desired size circle onto the disc. I used a socket the same diameter of a nickel. Take a “C” clamp and sandwich the disc in-between twosockets. The top socket needs to be just a little smaller. Make sure to center the coin in the marked circle.

Hammer the disc at a 45 degree angle so that a skirt forms around the socket. You should start to see ripples in the skirt when the edge of the disc is hammered closer to90 degrees.

Remove the skirted disc from the clamp and place two washer in it. These washers need to fit well. Take tin snips and cut away the ripples along the edge. Place the cap(not a disc anymore) back in the “C” clamp. Hammer the skirt until it sit’s flush with the side of the socket. Remove the cap but leave it on the socket. Refine the 90degree edge of the cap on the anvil (I use my big hammer as an anvil) with a small hammer.

Take a punch and hammer out any indentations from the backing while it lays flat on the anvil. Place two washers in the cap and turn it upside down on a file. File the capdown until the edges are exactly two washers tall. When the file starts to cut the washers, you should notice a distinct difference in the feel of your filing. You can alsoperiodically check the washers to see if there being filed down.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Vintage-Locket/

http://www.instructables.com/id/Vintage-Locket/

http://www.instructables.com/id/Vintage-Locket/

step 4: Make The Wire FormCut a section of wire from a coat hanger. Scrape off any coating on the wire. Using a socket, form a ring. Bend the tail end of the wire towards the center of the ring. Forma “U” in tail end. Cut the excess off the wire form so it looks as shown.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Vintage-Locket/

step 5: Roll The Edge OverInsert the wire form in the cap. Use the socket you used to form the cap to tap the form in. Butt the cap into a corner. I used my hammer where the handle meets thebusiness end. Hammer the edge of the cap at a 45 degree angle so it rolls over the wire form. After you’ve done this all the way around, pull out the wire form. It will takea little force.

One cap will stay like this the other will move onto the next step.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Vintage-Locket/

step 6: Dome The CapFind two carriage bolts; one larger then the other. File off any letters from the head of the bolts. Using the larger carriage bolt, hammer a convex shape into a scrap pieceof wood. Place the cap over the indentation and use the smaller carriage bolt to hammer the initial shape of the dome. After blows to the center, offset the cap to fill outthe dome shape in the cap.

Lay the carriage bolt on the edge of the anvil. Hammer the cap over the edge of the bolt to finish off the shaping.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Vintage-Locket/

http://www.instructables.com/id/Vintage-Locket/

step 7: Polish The LocketA drill press is helpful but not necessary. Mount a socket through a bolt into your drill press. Wrap tape around the socket until the caps press fit onto the socket.

Spin the socket round and use 350 grit sand paper on the cap. Only sand enough to identify the low spots on the cap. With the drill press off, hand sand the low spotsout. Move on to 2000 grit sand paper and then polishing compound.

Take care not to breath metal dust.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Vintage-Locket/

http://www.instructables.com/id/Vintage-Locket/

step 8: Cut The Hinge GroovesOrient the caps so they as congruent as possible.

Mark where you want to cut the grooves.

Use a file to cut the grooves.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Vintage-Locket/

Image Notes1. Cut groove

step 9: Make Hinge OneThe hinge is made from two paper clips and held together by a thicker gage paper clip. Each hinge is shaped basically the same. The only difference is one side startsout with a sharp folding in half, while the other begins with a “U” shape. Use cone nose pliers along with needle nose pliers.

Side one: Extend a paper clip and fold it in half. Use pliers to completely crease the wire. Loop the end of the creased side with round nose pliers. Insert a piece of thickergage wire through the loop. Use pliers to work the loop smaller around the wire. Splay the wires apart so they are bent 180 degrees away from each other. Use socket tobend the free ends into a circle. See the pictures.

Trim the free ends so there’s no over lap when they’re sprung into the caps. Make sure to file off the any sharp edges.

 

http://www.instructables.com/id/Vintage-Locket/

http://www.instructables.com/id/Vintage-Locket/

step 10: Hinge Two And Jump RingSide two: Extend a paper clip and fold it in half. Make sure the clip is just far enough down the needle nose pliers to form a “U” which will marry the other hinge. Again,see the pictures.

Roll the “U” into a loop. Meet the hinge together and connect it with the larger paper clip. Adjust as needed to make a tight fit.

Pinch the free ends together and splay them apart like the other hinge. Just like the other side, form the free ends into a circle.

Trim the free ends so there’s no over lap when they’re sprung into the caps. Make sure to file off the any sharp edges.

Use a section of the larger paper clip to make the hinge pin / jump ring. Finally, sand out any tool marks and polish the hinge.

Other possibilities include: Peening the hinge pin, drilling the back cap to install a jump ring, and forming a tang in the locket to help keep it closed.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Vintage-Locket/

http://www.instructables.com/id/Vintage-Locket/

step 11: AssembleSince I used a nickel sized socket to form the caps, I used a nickel to trace out the out the pictures.

Close the jump ring into the hinge.

Cut and place the pictures. Slip the hinge into the caps.

Pictures are easily changed out by popping hinge back out.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Vintage-Locket/

Related Instructables

The Ring Locket(Aimed at men)by gmjhowe

Five Cent HoopEarrings byMrballeng

EmbossedKeychainMonster byMrballeng

How to make amagical twoheaded coin byarkabeoeht

How to make aJewelry Clasp(out ofpaperclips, too!)bydoublebirdstrike

Chocolate CoinWrapperEarrings! bydobbylvr

Comments50 comments Add Comment

 reinovator says:  Feb 20, 2011. 6:38 PM  REPLYThank you,Very well put together instructions.I will give this a go.This method has given me other Ideas for cabinetry and automotive applications.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Vintage-Locket/

 andrew.spencer.2 says:  Feb 20, 2011. 5:52 PM  REPLYWhat an awesome instructable! I really love the techniques and tools you used, way to be creative! I used a NZ 20c piece; steel core coated in copper andnickel layers. I like the sort of antique/steampunk/mokume gane look of it. Will have to try it with a proper nickel though, next time I'm stateside

 Drumbum8 says:  Feb 20, 2011. 4:49 PM  REPLYim very impressed by your creaivity in making the hinge! awesome projuect!!!

 vbanaszak says:  Feb 20, 2011. 4:26 PM  REPLYWhat a great ible! Thanks for the great instructions and pictures.

 F-YOrch says:  Feb 20, 2011. 4:19 PM  REPLYSimply wordless...

 hahahippo=) says:  Feb 20, 2011. 4:00 PM  REPLYWow! I can't believe this is made of a nickel!! Awesome!!!

 Repter75 says:  Feb 20, 2011. 3:01 PM  REPLYThis is amazing!

 thinkpadt30 says:  Feb 20, 2011. 2:23 PM  REPLYI am SO impressed!! Fine jewelry and the pride of it being handmade. That could, and should be passed down to future generations as an heirloom. Youshould really feel proud of yourself, not only for making such a fine piece of jewelry, but for passing on to us in such great detail how we can do the same. Iintend to try this myself. I'm sure it won't be as good as yours but, for a nickel, it's worth a try. Thank you so much for inspiring the creative spark in me! Don'tstop the projects. I look forward to each that you do.

 robbied says:  Feb 20, 2011. 1:40 PM  REPLYFantastic work. I've made a few pendants but nothing as complex or nice as this!Great instructable, nice clear photos and lots of them.

 JamesRPatrick says:  Feb 20, 2011. 1:25 PM  REPLYThis is impressive.

 kvangurp says:  Feb 20, 2011. 11:35 AM  REPLYThis is such an inspiring instructable! Way to go!I was thinking that, should I find the time to make one myself, that at the "bottom", making some space between where the paper clip ends meet andepoxying two small, weak magnets, to keep it all closed.Best wishes in your endevours!

 ktkeith says:  Feb 20, 2011. 7:35 AM  REPLYAbsolutely great project - beautifully executed and well-explained. Thanks for this!

A couple of thoughts:

- What keeps the locket closed? It doesn't seem like there's any latch or positive holding mechanism.

- Paper clip wire is notoriously weak and susceptible to fatigue. Would it be better to use small-gauge steel wire?

Thanks again. Great job!

http://www.instructables.com/id/Vintage-Locket/

 rodporte says:  Feb 20, 2011. 6:42 AM  REPLYOur organization, the Western Maine Blacksmith Association, is always looking for things to sell to raise money. Thank you for this great idea.

 lisagloria says:  Feb 19, 2011. 5:43 PM  REPLYthis is great. i won't try it, lol, but it was so much fun to read! thank you!

 Spaceman-Spliff says:  Feb 19, 2011. 1:58 AM  REPLYReally nice! I especially like the whole adapting tools and materials to make it work bit, like the paperclip hinge. I guess it`s true: Once you have a goodhammer everything starts to look like a nail ;-)Keep on smashing those nickels

 Mr.Sanchez says:  Feb 16, 2011. 7:56 AM  REPLYDid you dome just one piece and the other flat...?

 Mrballeng says:  Feb 16, 2011. 8:25 AM  REPLYYes. That way it sits flat when it's worn. Of course you could do any combination of the two.

 Mr.Sanchez says:  Feb 17, 2011. 6:42 AM  REPLYThnk U so much for answer, I begin to make one for my Daughter´s B-Day.I think is the best Gift for a Girl.

 stulk42 says:  Feb 16, 2011. 7:51 AM  REPLYYour stuff is incredible!! I'm enormously impressed by how you use such simple, available materials! two nickles, a paperclip and a chain??!!

You're my instructable-McGuiver hero!!

Have an awesome day!

 mdog93 says:  Feb 15, 2011. 9:57 AM  REPLYwhat coins could someone from the UK use? Or what substitute sheet metal would be suitable?

 VadimS says:  Feb 15, 2011. 11:09 AM  REPLYAnything from a 5pence to a 50pence should work. They are currently made from a nickel copper alloy, same material as an American nickel.

 mdog93 says:  Feb 15, 2011. 11:39 AM  REPLYokay thanks

 Mrballeng says:  Feb 15, 2011. 11:00 AM  REPLYUse a coin that is uniform through out. Meaning, It's not one metal sandwiched between another like the American quarter.

If that's not possible, try using a hobby sheet of brass, sheet metal, or aluminum. Scroll down and you'll see the brass I'm working with right now.

 mdog93 says:  Feb 15, 2011. 11:10 AM  REPLYOkay so these are the british coins currently in circulation http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coins_of_the_pound_sterling#Specifications

The ones that are made of Cupronickelhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cupronickelwhich is a copper- nickel alloy 75% copper 25% nickel, are these uniform throughout?

And if you used that would the finished item still look silver or would it turn to look like copper if you beat it about?

 Mrballeng says:  Feb 15, 2011. 3:04 PM  REPLYIt looks like the American nickel and British 5 pense are made of the same metal. So it should work just the same.

 mdog93 says:  Feb 18, 2011. 2:49 PM  REPLYyeah it does, i think i'll use 10p though since a coin of diameter 18mm will be harder to get big enough. The ten pence piece is 24mm and thenickel is 21mm so its better to have a too big piece and trim it down that too small, or large enough but its now too thin?

And the nickel has 5g of weight, the 5p only has 3.something and the 10p has six point something so that's closer too.

Use a 10p yeah?

http://www.instructables.com/id/Vintage-Locket/

 Mrballeng says:  Feb 19, 2011. 12:58 AM  REPLYDepending on the size locket your looking for, you can use whatever coin you want.

You may have some trial and error with which thickness works best but it's not as hard as it may seem.

Hope you post some pictures.

 mdog93 says:  Feb 19, 2011. 8:36 AM  REPLYok, i'm not sure i'll ever be able to do it. Probably don't have the skills or tools to do it well.

That's a good point how big was your finished locket?

 Mrballeng says:  Feb 19, 2011. 12:49 PM  REPLYMy finished locket was about 1" or 24mm.

If you decide to give it a try you know where to find me. I'll be happy to help you along with any step you get hung up on.

 mdog93 says:  Feb 19, 2011. 1:00 PM  REPLYOk thanks, so if i want it to be smaller i'll either use a 5p or use a 10p but just trim more off when i bend it round a socket orsomething.

because of the different sized coins, you said to hammer it out until its 1.25" or bigger in diameter. How thin would it be at thatsize so i can measure that, as size will vary with the british coins.

 Mrballeng says:  Feb 20, 2011. 1:23 AM  REPLYIt will be about 5 sheets of paper thick.

 mdog93 says:  Feb 20, 2011. 12:55 PM  REPLYok thanks, i'll try a 5p although, i don't know what i'll use for an anvil and i don't have ball peen hammers only a 16ozclaw hammer and a 8oz cross pein pin hammer.

 Mr.Sanchez says:  Feb 15, 2011. 6:50 AM  REPLYEpic....yeahhh that´s the word that i´m just looking for describe this IBLE.Thnk U so so so much for Share.

 ladycroft108 says:  Feb 15, 2011. 6:29 AM  REPLYThank you!!! I have been wondering how to make lockets for ages, and no-one would ever give me instructions that didn't include wax casting. Keep up thegreat projects!

 Mr.Sanchez says:  Feb 15, 2011. 6:12 AM  REPLYAwesooome...Dont stop nickeling...

 mattthegamer463 says:  Feb 14, 2011. 2:50 PM  REPLYI believe that by heating a metal extremely hot, and then quenching it, you are in fact hardening it. Cooling the metal as quickly as possible will actually makeit as hard as possible. Allowing it to cool as slowly as possible (for example, heated in an industrial oven and left inside as the oven cools) will anneal thematerial and make it as malleable as possible.

I must say though, incredible work. You continuously out-do yourself.

 Punknudder says:  Feb 14, 2011. 5:30 PM  REPLYAs far as hardening vs annealing the nickle...

If I remember correctly, I believe that the actual temperature that the nickel is heated to is more important than the speed at which it is cooled. I think thisis unique to nickle (or maybe low carbon steels in general). I think hardening comes from the high carbon steel being quenched and the carbon aligningcorrectly. And a nickle is not a high carbon steel, so it anneals (becomes less brittle and hard).But it has been a LONG time since I'd read up about this stuff. So I could be mistaken. I'm gonna go google-ize it....

 mattthegamer463 says:  Feb 14, 2011. 6:14 PM  REPLYWell, according to this site:

http://www.keytometals.com/Article32.htm

Annealing metal is done by quenching, and hardening it is done by letting it furnace or air cool from a high temperature. Amazing. It is the reverse ofsteel. I thought that it was a general rule that slow cooling makes it soft and fast cooling makes it hard. In the case of nickel it is the opposite.

Now Mrballeng, are you using nickels which are the current 75% copper 25% nickel or some other composition? In Canada our nickels are nowalmost all steel, but ones from about 1965 to 1980 or so (can't remember exactly) are 99.9% pure nickel, which works well for these kinds of tasks Ithink. Our current nickels would not be soft after quenching.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Vintage-Locket/

 Mrballeng says:  Feb 14, 2011. 9:12 PM  REPLYI simply use what's on hand. That's always been the regular current nickels from the grocery store.

But, It would be awesome to make a silver locket from an American pre-1960's quarter.

 Mrballeng says:  Feb 14, 2011. 4:39 PM  REPLYCall me crazy but I tried it both ways. Quenching in the sink and letting it cool down natually. I thoughtt was eaiser to work the metal with quenching.

 spiderham says:  Feb 14, 2011. 4:27 PM  REPLYYou're right about the annealing process, matthegamer463. Fast cool for hardening and slow for softening.

Mrballeng, there's a market for this type of work. Every year, for my wife's birthday, I take her to the nearest Zephyr store to buy handmade jewelry. It'snot cheap and the majority is made of non-precious or semi-precious metals.

I'm trying my hand at your embossed monster. Once that's done, this is next.

 rickharris says:  Feb 15, 2011. 8:03 AM  REPLYAnnealing is very dependent on the metal involved. A Nickle is an alloy of nickle and copper, (actually at present worth more for the metal than aNickle), As a non ferrous metal annealing is done by heating to cherry red and quenching.

Ferrous metals however need to be allowed to cool slowly.

Any doubt see:

http://cltad.arts.ac.uk/groups/camberwellmateriallibrary/wiki/f347a/Non_Ferrous_metals.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annealing_%28metallurgy%29

 padawanspider says:  Feb 20, 2011. 11:25 AM  REPLYIAWTC - went to jewelry school and method of annealing depended on what metal was being used.

 ac1D says:  Feb 14, 2011. 8:05 PM  REPLYAwesome, this look so nice!I will try and make one for sure!Do you know any method to give it a gold color?

 Mrballeng says:  Feb 14, 2011. 9:00 PM  REPLYYou can use a sheet of brass to get a gold color. Just cut circles out of the sheet. The brass in the photo is .046"X4"X10" and cost me less then $5.00 atthe local hardware store.

The plus side with this is you don't have to hammer anything flat because it already comes in a uniform thickness. 

Right now I'm figuring out a heart locket. I'll post it when it looks %100.

 oliverkrystal says:  Feb 14, 2011. 8:45 PM  REPLYI have to say that you are posting some fantastic instructables! Everything is nicely detailed, and you have plenty of pictures to help the project along.

 Punknudder says:  Feb 14, 2011. 5:34 PM  REPLYThat locket is frickin' sweet. Really got my mind turning. All your jewelry posts are cool. Thanks for taking the time.

 nickodemus says:  Feb 14, 2011. 5:31 PM  REPLYYour coin jewelry never ceases to amaze me :)

http://www.instructables.com/id/Vintage-Locket/

 iPodGuy says:  Feb 14, 2011. 2:48 PM  REPLYI hope you never stop posting new nickle jewelry.

 Dr Pepper says:  Feb 14, 2011. 2:14 PM  REPLYSweet!