MerrellCane746
Copper Foil Luminaries - Making Your Own
Handmade copper candle shields, otherwise known as Luminaries, are an artistic and beautiful means of adding a rustic atmosphere to any home. This project is a breeze to do and looks great when you find yourself finished. You will find an endless number of different tools you need to use to decorate your copper foil luminary, but let us discuss the necessities: You need copper foil about .005-.010 inch thick (30-40 gauge), metal-cutting scissors, a hole punch, and fasteners to keep the copper foil inside a cylindrical shape. Some optional supplies might include needle-nose pliers, handheld lighter, an older ballpoint pen or stylus for embossing, permanent inkpad, notary stamps, various stencils, paints best for metals, decorative scissors along with a soft pad or simply a magazine for embossing the copper foil.
To start the project, you will need to cut a 6x12 inch section out of the copper foil. You should use decorative scissors to cut the top and bottom edges on the copper foil, while it will deliver the luminary one more artistic touch. Next, place the copper foil for a flat workiing surace and use some sort of smoothing tool to iron out any unwanted wrinkles in the copper. A classic charge card works well. Now, it's the time to your decoration. There are endless possibilities using this type of project, but I'll provide you with an alternative that you can follow if you appreciate. You can use plastic stamps with permanent ink to imprint a design to the copper. Then, emboss the designs in the copper foil by looking into making an indentation along side design which has a stylus or even old ballpoint pen. You are able to "color" the copper foil by heating it which includes a common lighter or perhaps a candle. While heating the copper foil, avoid allowing heat to think about just one single point. Keep the temperature constantly the copper foil. Just a couple of a while for any copper to change color; if you heat it for much longer, the copper will suffer all its color and simply turn silver. Also, it's really a great idea to use pliers to contain the copper foil across the heat source. Copper conducts heat well but it will surely end up very hot. You can also paint the copper foil with metal paints. However, NEVER paint before burning. Most paints are flammable and should not be exposed to open flame.
As soon as the decoration is done, begin to punch holes while in the copper safety foil to allowed the candlelight shine through. I propose utilizing an 1/8 inch diameter for these holes. Try to space the holes evenly throughout the copper foil. If you want more light to glow your luminary, punch more holes within your design. Also, it adds a nice touch if you utilize decorative hole punches.
Congratulations, you need to make up the copper foil in a cylinder. First, punch three holes during one within the short sides (with this example the 6" side) of a quarter inch from your edge. The holes on the top bar and bottom really should be of a half inch in the copper foil. Next, carefully from the cylinder and overlap the sides regarding a quarter of an inch. Having a permanent marker, mark in which the next holes needs to be made. Then punch the copper foil where indicated. After the holes have been punched, take advantage of the fasteners to contain the copper foil constantly in place, forming a cylinder.
Now placed the copper shield for a candle and appreciate watching the sunlight dance across the room. In closing, listed below are some safety tips: never leave a flame unattended, wear gloves while handling copper foil to control the sharp edges, always heat the copper foil outside or perhaps in a well-ventilated room and constantly employ a fire extinguisher handy as the precaution.
Enjoy your handcrafted copper luminary!
