Simple Metalworking Techniques and Making a Steel Butterfly

Blacksmithing and traditional metalworking are ancient crafts and techniques that are quickly disappearing from society. Regain some of that simple-times joy by learning how to make things with a hammer and anvil! Creativity is the name of the game, and beating things with a hammer all day is both rewarding, stress relieving, and terribly fun!

This instructable demonstrates the simple metalworking techniques I used to create a steel butterfly, using tools that most household handyfolk have readily available and materials that are inexpensive. The process is relatively safe because all the work is done at room temperature. Goggles, gloves and some earplugs are a good idea though. These methods let you create beautiful objects for cheap that have a great personal feel. You could even sell them.

Today I'll show you how I made a small steel butterfly.

Here is a link to the free clipart image I used. Please respect the site rule of Personal and Classroom use only.

http://www.abcteach.com/free/b/butterflymonarchbnw.jpg

Step 1 Materials and Tools

Not too many materials that we need for this job.

Materials:
- 22 gauge steel sheet
- Butterfly picture
- Solid-core wire

Safety gear:
- Gloves
- Goggles
- Ear protection

One of those steel thumb protectors would be a good idea.

Tools:
- Hammer (8oz to 16oz weight hammer will give the best control, make sure the face is flat and smooth)
- X-acto knife or craft knife
- Tin snips or equivalent
- Anvil ( or a carriage bolt as I'll later describe )
- Vice
- Pliers
- Scotch tape
- Assorted metal files ( needle files and larger )
- Drill and small bit ( 2mm diameter or around 5/64ths )
- Soldering Iron ( optional, but makes life prettier )

Comments

[spockck]

do you think i could do this with a soda can?

[mattthegamer463]

Probably, but it won't be very strong. I'm pretty sure there are coke can flowers and such on this site somewhere.

[backburnerforge]

Very nice! I have been blacksmithing for ten years and I am partial to the many natural patinas of raw steel. However, I have found a wonderful product for coloring metal (it also works on many other materials). I have made grape leaves and roses and coated them with Baroque Art Gilders Paste. Link to www.gilderspaste.com

Another technique you should try is to heat the steel to a black-red and begin brushing the piece with a fine bristle brass brush! It will leave a fine residue of brass on the metal. Brass actually produces a mechanical bond (rather than a molecular bond as in welding), which sets it off nicely.

[mattthegamer463]

That sounds quite interesting, I will definitely give that a try sometime. Haven't done any sheet metal work like this in a while.

[Mrballeng]

I really like this. I'm going to have to give it a try. Thanks.

[lemonie]

Good make, I like the slightly beaten finish. Any thoughts on heat-treating this (for colour)? L

[mattthegamer463]

I'll have the answer for you later tonight when I test that out!

[mattthegamer463]

It looks pretty cool when flamed! I hammered a heart shaped keychain and then torched the center until it glowed red-hot, and then quenched it. Heres the result:

[lemonie]

Yes, that's quite a difference, I was thinking of heating to the stage where you get the blue-ish colours? L

[mattthegamer463]

It is quite blue. The picture is tough to capture but the result is a definite "steely blue". I was going for more colour but the first colours were all dark and ugly, and then this blue was the final heated colour. I think it looks okay. It would have been cool to get a reddish colour but I have no idea what kind of heating technique would be required to get much other than blue out of it.

[lemonie]

I see it as a bit black, but it could be blue - heating just the edges or just the centre was my original thinking, but the dark finish does look good. Gun-blue is a chemical-option, but perhaps not as easy? L

[mattthegamer463]

It is a dark blue-green, I just couldn't get a good picture of it. Charcoal dust bluing might be interesting, but gun-blue is a very dark blue, it looks black in most light. When doing my heating I tried out heating the edges, the problem there was that the center of the flame was needed to get any real heat, and the outer flames were just in the way, and when heating the flames would move outwards when hitting the piece, so getting a small spot heated is difficult.

[lemonie]

Thanks for the details, I see what you mean about the flame. L

[jtobako]

For color on steel, don't heat to red hot. The colors form under 600 degrees F. If you use a torch up close, you can get rainbows. The colors are different thicknesses of oxides, so they can wear of or change if you don't seal them.

Here's a chart of colors, stolen from http://www.tpub.com/content/aviation/14018/css/14018_664.htm and www.giantimpex.com/colorchart.htm

[spylock]

I learned some of this in gunsmithing school,Im glad you posted this,I have a book showing heat treatments as well as blueing,parkerizing,even slow rust blueing which is really a mellow brown color,now I just need to find my book.

[BluesHarp]

This is a color guide for tempering steel ... completely different than the actual temperature of steel based on its color. The temperature of steel and its color will vary on different pieces of steel, based on the type of steel it is (carbon content, etc). Mild steel can be black but still be over 1000 degrees F. BTW ... blacksmithing is alive and well ... check out www.abana.com There are regional groups in many areas of the country that are keeping the craft alive. Modern blacksmiths use traditional (and non traditional) methods to create anything from campfire tools to artistic works. There are still people making a nice living by creating hand-forged railings, table, lighting, etc.

[jtobako]

If you follow the thread, that was the point (developing heat color). If you follow the signs, you can visit my blacksmithing shop : )

[jtobako]

And http://www.finishing.com/2600-2799/2662.shtml for copper colors.

[lemonie]

Yes that's what I was thinking of, might ~~boolmar~~ save it. thanks L

[nvxcmz]

ive just started blacksmithing thankyou this will be my next project

[Speedmite]

Wow. Good anvil.

[babiedol]

wow! I love this, time to get out my little jewelry making "kit" that my Mother helped me put together, she is teaching me some of the metal work for jewelry. :) We were going to next add an anvil to my kit, so I thank you for the idea on how we could get by in the mean time! Thank you for this beautiful project, I cannot wait to get going on it, I love it! :)

[mattthegamer463]

It shouldn't be hard for you to find a 5lb jewelers anvil locally. More than suitable for the typically softer metals used for jewelery.

[denacho]

there's lots of free clipart from the Microsoft site that you can download as well to make other cool objects. i'm using them for garden welding objects and it's actually pretty easy (as you saw here) to cut them out and do them yourself. thanks for the post!

[Wanderer.Anthony]

After your done with it, just for a neat look, you could draw a design on it and electroplate it. Just a thought.

[inad]

a photo of this on 1/4" grid graph paper would be so cool and helpful.

[mattthegamer463]

The dimensions of the butterfly template is 3.75 inches by 2.5 inches. If you use Microsoft Paint, you can simply print it at 100% and it'l be the size that I used. You can obviously make it whatever size you want. Good luck and have fun trying your own!

[OnePrettyThing]

I've been wanting to try working with metal, thanks for the project. I'll be linking.

[mtm101097]

that is really awsome. about 4 months ago i made a knife out of a big nail using a forge that i made out of an old grill. this worked well for a while, but when i tried to make something bigger, the charcoal and the air source that i got wasn't enough to heat it red hot like the nail did.so basicly an 11 year old made a forge, made a knife, and then tried to make a bigger thing than a knife,failed almost all by himself except for buying the anvil and charcoal. That was one of my greatest achievements. And again awsome instructable!!!!!

[Mr. Rig It]

Simple, cool, good looking, did I mention cool?

[laurel1]

I really like your butterfly. Wind chimes would be beautiful. I have a tree branch made from brass and copper. The branches and leaf stems are made from brass. The leaves are hand cut (maple) leaves. The artist turned the copper leaves shades of rust, red and to almost a purple/red by torching the copper. The leaves and branches have a very real shape. This thing is approx 4.5 ft long and 2.5 ft wide. I seem to remember an artist signature on one of the bottom right leaves. The piece is magnificent! Now my daughter now has it hanging over her fireplace and it takes up the whole wall. I paid $250 for it 25 years ago. laurel

[ChrysN]

Wow, that turned out really well, making a wind chime from these would be really cool!

[colin353]

It's amayzing!