I'm loving this bottle cap upcycling project! It's so fun to flatten out used bottle caps to turn them into unique jewelry, but you can take your upcycling project a step further by turning your bottle caps into jewelry cones for pendants and earrings and keychains.
Make them for yourself, or to give as gifts! It's easy with this tutorial.
My husband knows how much I love upcycling and making jewelry, so he sometimes brings beer caps home on beer Fridays. Some men bring their wives flowers, and some men bring their wives beer caps. What can I say? My husband knows me.
Lately, I've kept part of my stash under a dome on the coffee table. It's been a conversation starter, and the possible outcomes of a mishap make us all chuckle and shrug.
To create your own jewelry cones from upcycled caps, begin by cleaning and flattening the caps. If you are only going to make one or two, you can use a small board and any hammer to flatten them.
If you will be making several, it's best to use good tools. I like to use (these are affilliate links, which means, if you chose to purchase these items, Amazon would give me a very small percentage of the sale, at no extra cost to the purchaser):
ImpressArt Stamping Hammer, 1-Pound, Brass Metal
Beadaholique Solid Metal Bench Block Wire Hardening and Wire Wrapping Tool
ImpressArt Crystal Rivet Setting Mat, 4-Inch x 4-Inch
You can see these tools in my spoon flattening tutorial here. When I am at our city crash pad making one or two items, I use the small hammer and board, but when I am at our house, I pull out the good tools. You can work so much faster with proper tools, and if used properly, you won't end up with an achy wrist or hand. Also, you can get a much smoother bottle cap (which may or may not be what you want).
In the picture below, I'm actually working on a doming project, but the caps must still be flattened first.
You may choose to leave the plastic seal on the back of the cap, or may may remove it, if you are worried that it will show in your finished jewelry piece. Most of the time, they are pretty easy to remove. When you are flattening out your bottle cap, the metal begins to flow or move, which causes the seal to begin to pull away from the displaced metal.
After hammering the cap, you should be able to grab the edge of the seal with some needle-nosed pliers and pull it off. It may come of in one piece or several pieces. If it gives you problems, you can hit it with a heat gun, and then you should be able to pull it off.
When you are satisfied with the flatness of your bottle cap, you can take your needle nosed pliers and begin gently curling in the sides to form a cone shape. I like to start the curve on both sides, then gently curve the middle, then go back and overlap one side with the other. This will give you a lovely rustic jewelry cone. For smoother cones, you can experiment with a small jewelry anvil. I have a conical plumb bob that I will use as a form sometimes.
You can use your handmade jewelry cones just like you would use a purchased cone. I like to run a wire up through them, with charms and doodads attached by wire or chain to one end. The top of the wire can then be fashioned into a loop for hanging. You can wrap your excess wire around the top of the cone, as I have done here, or clip it and tuck it in with your needle nose pliers.
A word of warning: this is another of those "addictive" projects! Have fun, and don't blame me if you just. can't. stop. Just saying.
If you enjoyed this tutorial, please subscribe to House Revivals in the sidebar, so you won't miss the fun projects we have scheduled. Find us on Facebook, too, so you can catch all the "in between" stuff; and see what I'm working on daily on Instagram. Please consider linking today's post to your favorite social media sites to help get the word out about House Revivals.
Thanks so much for stopping by!
Make them for yourself, or to give as gifts! It's easy with this tutorial.
My husband knows how much I love upcycling and making jewelry, so he sometimes brings beer caps home on beer Fridays. Some men bring their wives flowers, and some men bring their wives beer caps. What can I say? My husband knows me.
To create your own jewelry cones from upcycled caps, begin by cleaning and flattening the caps. If you are only going to make one or two, you can use a small board and any hammer to flatten them.
If you will be making several, it's best to use good tools. I like to use (these are affilliate links, which means, if you chose to purchase these items, Amazon would give me a very small percentage of the sale, at no extra cost to the purchaser):
ImpressArt Stamping Hammer, 1-Pound, Brass Metal
Beadaholique Solid Metal Bench Block Wire Hardening and Wire Wrapping Tool
ImpressArt Crystal Rivet Setting Mat, 4-Inch x 4-Inch
You can see these tools in my spoon flattening tutorial here. When I am at our city crash pad making one or two items, I use the small hammer and board, but when I am at our house, I pull out the good tools. You can work so much faster with proper tools, and if used properly, you won't end up with an achy wrist or hand. Also, you can get a much smoother bottle cap (which may or may not be what you want).
In the picture below, I'm actually working on a doming project, but the caps must still be flattened first.
You may choose to leave the plastic seal on the back of the cap, or may may remove it, if you are worried that it will show in your finished jewelry piece. Most of the time, they are pretty easy to remove. When you are flattening out your bottle cap, the metal begins to flow or move, which causes the seal to begin to pull away from the displaced metal.
After hammering the cap, you should be able to grab the edge of the seal with some needle-nosed pliers and pull it off. It may come of in one piece or several pieces. If it gives you problems, you can hit it with a heat gun, and then you should be able to pull it off.
When you are satisfied with the flatness of your bottle cap, you can take your needle nosed pliers and begin gently curling in the sides to form a cone shape. I like to start the curve on both sides, then gently curve the middle, then go back and overlap one side with the other. This will give you a lovely rustic jewelry cone. For smoother cones, you can experiment with a small jewelry anvil. I have a conical plumb bob that I will use as a form sometimes.
You can use your handmade jewelry cones just like you would use a purchased cone. I like to run a wire up through them, with charms and doodads attached by wire or chain to one end. The top of the wire can then be fashioned into a loop for hanging. You can wrap your excess wire around the top of the cone, as I have done here, or clip it and tuck it in with your needle nose pliers.
If you enjoyed this tutorial, please subscribe to House Revivals in the sidebar, so you won't miss the fun projects we have scheduled. Find us on Facebook, too, so you can catch all the "in between" stuff; and see what I'm working on daily on Instagram. Please consider linking today's post to your favorite social media sites to help get the word out about House Revivals.
Thanks so much for stopping by!