How to Make a Horseshoe Nail Cross
Whether your target clientele as a jewelry maker or metal artist is the country/western, rodeo, biker or punk crowd, horseshoe nail crosses are a staple item and a regular seller. These crosses can be made into pendants or earrings. They make excellent gifts for first communions, confirmations, Easter or other religious events.
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Things You'll Need
- 4 new horseshoe nails
- Measuring tape or ruler
- Black permanent marker
- Nippers, dykes or jeweler's saw
- Tape, board and drill press
- Lead-free silver solder
- Soldering iron or torch
- Hand-held high-speed rotary tool
- Carbide burring bit or jeweler's files
- Fine wire wheel or buffing wheel and compound
- Carbon steel brush or emery-impregnated disk
- 20-gauge or finer copper wire
- Instant adhesive, semi-precious gemstone cabochons or crystals (optional)
Instructions
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Use a ruler or measuring tape and a black permanent marker to mark three new horseshoe nails 1 inch from the nail head. Mark the fourth nail 1.25 inches from the nail head.
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2
Use nippers, dykes or a jeweler's saw to cut the nails to length from the pointed ends. Do not cut off the nail heads.
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3
Tape the short nails to a board. Bore a hole through each nail using a titanium-coated bit and a drill press, about 1/4 to 1/8 inch from each nail head. This will allow you to use the cross as a pendant or earrings, or connect multiple crosses using jump rings or other jewelry pieces.
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Deburr the holes using jeweler's files or a burring bit on a high-speed, hand-held rotary tool. Grind the cut ends of each nail smooth using a carbon steel brush or emery-impregnated disk. According to model engineer Chris Heapy, "It is absolutely essential that the joint faces be quite clean and oil-free to obtain a sound joint. The solder will not flow across nor bind to a dirty or oxidized metal surface."
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Arrange the four nails in a cross with the nail heads at the outer tips and the narrow ends touching in the center. The three short nails become the top, left and right arms of the cross, with the long nail at the bottom.
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Use lead-free silver solder and a soldering iron or small propane torch to fuse the nails together.
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Use jeweler's files or a carbide burring tip on a high-speed, hand-held rotary tool to clean the soldered area.
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Repolish the cross using a fine wire wheel or a buffing wheel and compound. Bind the center of each cross in an "X," if desired. You may also use instant adhesive or solder to attach a semi-precious gemstone, cabochon or crystal to the center.
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Tips & Warnings
Blacksmith Bill Clemens describes how to forge horseshoe nails into a cross pendant. The article originally appeared in the March/April, 2007, issue of "Hammer and Tong Magazine." If you have access to a fully equipped blacksmith's shop, the project he describes will give you practice in forge welding and hammer control.
Always wear wrap-around eye protection when drilling, grinding or polishing.
