How to Use a Jewelry Riveting Hammer
Jewelers use rivets to hold metal jewelry pieces together. Rivets are created by hammering metal wire through drilled holes in the jewelry pieces until the wire is firmly held in place. A jewelry riveting hammer is one type of hammer that's used to create rivets. It consists of a fine-tip end and a displacement end. Both ends are used to tap the wire and create rivets. Before using a jewelry riveting hammer, however, you must drill holes in the metal pieces to prepare them for the wire.
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Things You'll Need
- Drill bit
- Drill
- Wire
- 2 metal jewelry pieces
- Masking tape
- Fine-tip marker
- Nail set
- Hammer
- Safety goggles
- Jewelry riveting hammer
- Cloth
- Wire cutters
- Vise
Instructions
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Prepare the Metal Pieces
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1
Install a drill bit in the drill. The size of the bit should match the size of the wire you're using to connect the metal jewelry pieces.
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Place the bottom metal piece on a hard, flat surface.
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3
Place the top metal piece on top of the bottom piece and align them until they're in the desired locations. Their locations depend on your jewelry design.
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4
Tape the two metal pieces together with masking tape to prevent them from moving, if possible.
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5
Use a fine-tip marker to mark the locations of the rivets on the top piece. If the two pieces aren't taped together, mark the locations of the rivets on the bottom piece also.
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Place the tip of a nail set on top of one of the marks and lightly tap the top of the nail set with a hammer to dent the metal's surface. Repeat this process for the remaining marks.
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Put on a pair of safety goggles.
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8
Place the tip of the drill bit in one of the indentations. Hold the drill so that it's pointing straight down.
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Apply light pressure on the drill, then drill through the metal.
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10
Drill holes in the remaining indentations.
Add Rivets
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Clean the jewelry riveting hammer with a cloth.
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12
Cut off one end of the wire with wire cutters. The flat side, also called the flush side, of the wire cutters should face the longer portion of the wire. Discard the smaller end.
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Place the wire between the vise's clamps with the cut side facing up. One to 2 millimeters of wire should extend beyond the tops of the clamps.
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Tighten the clamps until the wire is firmly held in place. The wire should be pointing straight up.
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Tap the top of the wire with the fine-point end of the riveting hammer repeatedly, then turn the hammer 90 degrees and continue tapping the wire. Tap the wire until the head, which resembles a nail's head, develops.
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16
Loosen the vise, then remove the wire from the clamps.
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Align the drilled holes in the metal jewelry pieces, then place the wire through one pair of drilled holes until the wire's head sits flush against the metal.
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Place the metal pieces on a hard, flat surface with the wire sticking up. The end of the wire containing the head should rest on the hard, flat surface.
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Cut the wire so that 1 millimeter of wire is protruding from the metal pieces. When cutting, the flat side of the wire cutters should face the metal pieces.
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20
Tap the top of the wire with the fine-point end of the riveting hammer repeatedly, then turn the hammer 45 degrees and continue tapping the wire. Tap the wire until the head develops.
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21
Turn the metal pieces over, then tap the head of the wire in the same manner as before.
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Continue turning the metal pieces over and tapping the heads until the heads are flat.
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Tap the head of the wire with the displacing -- thicker -- end of the riveting hammer until the head sits flush against the metal. Turn the metal pieces over and repeat.
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1
Tips & Warnings
If you don't have a vise, cut the wire to an appropriate length, then place it through the drilled holes. Carefully hammer one end of the wire until the head forms, then hammer the other end. You can also use rivets to add decorations to your jewelry.
Using a dirty or scratched jewelry riveting hammer causes the heads on the wire to look dull and scratched. Hitting the metal jewelry pieces with the hammer might damage the pieces.
References
- Photo Credit Hemera Technologies/PhotoObjects.net/Getty Images
