Famous Jewelry Collections: THE BEADING GEM'S JOURNAL

Thursday, August 18, 2011

THE BEADING GEM'S JOURNAL

How to Make Copper Tube Jewelry Tutorials

Posted: 18 Aug 2011 04:00 AM PDT

Copper tubing is easily available from the hardware store. It's what plumbers use. Different sizes of copper pipes can be used in jewelry making. Some sort of cutting tool will be needed such as a pipe or tube cutter or hacksaw.

If you are a bit phobic about tools, you needed be concerned. The pipe cutter is really easy to use. Just watch this video and see how easy it is to cut a metal pipe.

Cutting Steel Tubing -- powered by eHow.com

Sysiphus created this tutorial on how to make a ring from copper pipe (see picture above). What diameter copper piping will depend on the size required. Shown above is a size 9 - 9.5 made from 3/4" piping. It's easier to stamp on flat metal but it's not impossible to do so on the copper ring if one has a mandrel to hammer it on.

Other easy thing to make from copper pipes are simple beads as all you have to do is cut small sections of tubing. Lynda Carson's Smashed Copper Tube Bead tutorial over at Making Jewelry Now shows one way to do so.

Image by Lynda Carson

A super way to add a design is to stamp the copper beads! Check out this tutorial for the tips and tricks. Alas there are no pictures. It makes sense to feed the shaft of a screwdriver through a copper bead, secure it so it doesn't move and then stamp.

GeltDesigns has a series of copper pipe jewelry tutorials on the New Jewelry A Day blog. The earrings tutorial uses simple copper beads. These could also be connectors in larger jewelry projects.

Image from New Jewelry a Day

A more involved project is the Bangle Bracelet from Copper Pipe tutorial also from New Jewelry a Day. The lovely blue patina was achieved with ammonia.

Image from New Jewelry a Day

If you're not into sawing or cutting pipes, check out the copper couplings from the hardware store. Erica from P.S. I Made This did and came up with her chunky Rose Gold Necklace tutorial. The use of a bent coupling is inspired!

Lynda Carson of Fresh Baked Designs shared her experimental copper tubing bangle on Rena's Making Jewelry Now blog. The embellishments are limitless once the main bangle has been beaten flat and folded at the ends.