This is beyond clever! Keirsten over on the
Art Jewelry Elements blog
figured out a way of making your own end caps from metal discs. This way you can not only make any size of end caps but also have the option of customizing it with hammered patterns and patina.
It's hard to get different size end caps so I have been thinking of ways to make our own. I considered resin clay (alas not metal), metal clay (need a kiln) and the good old standby, coiled wire cones (may not suit some designs - see tutorial links below).
But this creative solution is brilliant. You do need some basic metal work skills and tools. At the very least, some metal snips and metal files to round the edges. The only issue is the thickness of the metal discs. That's why the instructor annealed hers (heated it so the metal is softer) to making the folding easier. An alternative is to purchase some thin metal sheets, say 24G, and cut out the discs yourself either with a disc cutter or metal snips - the latter will need some filing around the edges.
She pickled it - cleaned it thoroughly by dipping into a mild acid solution and rinsed. You could also just tumble the discs.
Hat tip to reader Aims for this fabulous find!
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