How to Make a Mold for a Fingerprint Brooch

Make a mold for a fingerprint brooch for a special gift for a friend or loved one.

Fingerprint brooches are pieces of jewelry displaying a person's fingerprint as the decorative portion of the brooch. Make your original design out of polymer clay and make a mold from the original. Use the completed mold with metal clay. When the molded piece is fired, the clay burns away, leaving pure metal with a fingerprint design in the center. Clean and polish the metal and glue a pin to the back to complete a brooch for someone special.

Things You'll Need

• Polymer clay
• Clay tools

Instructions

1. Condition the polymer clay by squishing and squeezing it until it is soft and pliable. Shape the clay into any design that you like for your brooch, but leave a flat surface in the center large enough for the fingerprint that you want on the jewelry. Make a plain oval, or make an intricate design with leaves, flowers or other items surrounding the open fingerprint area. Design the brooch to be larger than the desired finished size, as the clay shrinks up to 33 percent as it fires.

2. Put a piece of parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Place the clay on top of the parchment paper, and have the cookie sheet on a flat surface. Press the person's finger into the flat center portion so it leaves a clear fingerprint. Bake the clay in the oven according to manufacturer's instructions.

3. Let the clay cool for an hour. Condition a second piece of clay, and press it over the top of the original design. This second piece of clay makes the mold. Pull the clay carefully off of the original design, and lay it on the parchment paper on top of the cookie sheet with the side showing the design facing up. Cook according to manufacturer's instructions. The mold is ready for use.

Tips & Warnings

• Once the mold is ready, condition metal clay the same way you do polymer clay. Fill the mold with metal clay, and pull the clay out of the mold. Let it dry overnight. Place the clay on a fire brick or kiln shelf. Light a butane torch, and move the flame around over the brooch until it glows orange. Fire the brooch for three minutes, then turn off the flame. Let it cool for several hours before touching it. Use a wire brush to clean the white residue off of the metal.

References

• Prairie Creations: Instructions and Helpful Hints
• Art Clay Supplies: Fingerprint Pendant, Brooch, Tie Pin or Charm
• Meda Creations: Torch Firing Silver Clay

Resources

• Metal Clay Supply: PMC Clay
• Hobby Lobby: Fimo Clay