Cold Connections Class

I took a “Cold Connections” class from Irene Purificato at Metalsmith’s Symposium 2018

Using 14 gauge copper, we cut up small pieces and used rivets and eyelets to hold them together.

Tools: rawhide hammer, ball pein hammer, anvil, hand held dremmel or drill, metal shears, center punch, block of wood, clamp, ball set (if making something round)

Materials: 14g Copper or brass, rivets, eyelets, 14g wire and copper tubing

First you cut out your two pieces of copper (or brass) and line them up. We used very nice Vintaj metal shears with a spring. You may need a rawhide hammer to straighten the pieces before (and after) drilling. This is the time to decorate your piece (ball pein hammer, chisels, files, stamps, etc). Next we used a center punch to make a dimple for the drill. The drill bit needs to be the same gauge/diameter as the wire. We used 14 gauge copper wire and a 2mm drill bit. Though we measured the wire with a digital caliper (1.63mm), Fire Mountain Gems has a wire gauge to inches and millimeters conversion chart available if you don’t have access to one. (https://www.firemountaingems.com/resources/encyclobeadia/charts/6404) We then drilled the hole with a handheld dremmel tool through each single piece clamped onto a block of wood. This took a bit as the bit seemed to need to be sharpened. Next, we made our connections. We did 3 of the 4 styles and ran out of time.

We used: purchased 3/16” eyelets, purchased 3/32” copper rivets, and 14 gauge wire. We did not get to use the tubing instead of the eyelets, but it would have worked the same way.

For the purchased rivet, you place the head side down on the anvil, then your 2 pieces with the back facing up. You cut the rivet slightly longer than the top piece and pound it down. Too long and there’s a lot of excess material to pound and it will be messy.

For the wire, it is the same as the rivet except you need to use an extra piece of metal to get the correct length for the front side. Place the extra piece of metal on the bottom, then your two pieces with the backs facing up. Place the wire through the hole and make sure it goes to the anvil. Cut it so it is slightly longer than the piece on the back and pound it down. Flip the piece over, remove the excess piece of metal and repeat.

For the purchased eyelet, we used an extra piece of metal to gauge the length. So place the extra piece of metal on the bottom, then your two pieces with the backs facing up and the eyelet going through all 3. Cut the eyelet so it is slightly longer than the top piece. We used the punch and then rounded stamps to curl the edges back nicely. Then turn the piece over, remove the extra piece of metal and repeat the rounding process. The tubing “eyelet” would be done with the same method.