With Instructables you can share what you make with the world and tap into an ever-growing community of creative experts.
Valentine's Day is just around the corner.
Take a nickel and hammer it out. Make sure to hammer on a smooth surface with a smooth faced hammer. Other wise you'll end up with deep gouges that ta...
Use tin snips or metal shears to cut out the shape. It may be eaisier to hold the disc with a pair of pliers while you make the cuts.
Find a piece of wood. Then find a convex shape. In this case I used the ball section from the spindle of a headboard. You could use a spoon or the ...
Using a rotary tool, shape the teardrop. !CAUTION! this gets hot! I used my drill press with a sanding attachment.
Take some vice grips and clamp a drill bit on the edge of the teardrop. Use light blows from a hammer to shape the loop. Next, shape the eyelet int...
Sand or file the edges down. This helps the teardrop look more like a droplet and less like a hammered nickel. I used a sanding disc on my dr...
Starting with 500 grit sand paper start smoothing out the teardrop. I found it eaisier to place the sand paper on a piece of carpet and rub the teardr...
Happy Valentine's Day, Birthday, Mother's day or just because.
PDF Downloads
As a Pro member, you will gain access to download any Instructable in the PDF format.
You also have the ability to customize your PDF download.
Remove these ads by
Visit Our Store »
Go Pro Today »
Here I show my earring drop, I hope you like it
Best regards from mexico. thanks
http://www.thecoinsmith.com/THECOINSMITH/HOME.html
thanks
It's just a couple of ball peen hammers. One is homemade but there's nothing special about it. Good luck.
Bass Teardrop Pendant
So you got a two-headed quarter from the gas station, every person that keeps using that quarter as currency would be breaking the law since it was not minted like that and somebody defaced it to be a novelty item.
According to U.S. code Title 18, Chapter 17, Section 331:
I hear there's a site called "etsy" where people sell stuff they make. I'll check it out and let you know if I get it going.
Thanks again for taking the time and effort to share....much appreciated!
Keep the light in your shop on because I'm posting a new instructable soon. It's taken me about 20 hours to figure out the process but it'll be worth it when I know someone actually made it.
I have to ask: do you have any plans for the metal pieces left behind when you cut out the center for the pendant?
I also made a second attempt, which has a few more scrapes, but is better formed. I'll be making a third shortly to try to make it perfect. Now all I need is a chain, and I've got a great Valentines present!
202-354-7227
it is not illegal to turn money in to art or jewelry. it would be illegal to try and make a dime look like a quarter and try to pass it off that way.
i sell $20 bills with peoples kids and pets on them but if i tried to buy something with them then i would be breaking the law.
dont confuse the use of the the word fraud at the begaining as pertaining to the whole of the law it is still defacing destroying or mutilating goverment property just because its in your pocet doesnt make it yours. it is the same as painting the side of a building just because it looks good doesnt meant its not vandalism
The Treasury's Letter to Vance Fowler
Is it legal to press pennies or other coins?
Mr. Angelo Rosato reproduced this letter from the Department of the Treasury to Mr. Vance Fowler in his book "Encyclopedia of the Modern Elongated", (ISBN 0-9626996-2-4) angrospub@aol.com. The letter was dated July 22, 1980, letterhead: The Department of the Treasury, Office of the Director of the Mint, and is probably the source of many quotes collectors have seen over the years. It reads in part:
"This is in reply to your letter of Jun 20, 1980, concerning United States statutes governing the destruction, melting, or other extramonetary uses of United States coins. You refer to and question the legality of a souvenir machine which compresses coins and returns a souvenir. You refer to Title 18, U. S. C. sections 331 and 475.
As you are already aware, a federal statute in the criminal code of the United States (18 U.S.C. 331), indeed makes it illegal if one "fraudulently alters, defaces, mutilates, impairs, diminishes, falsifies, scales or lightens" any U.S. coin. However, being a criminal statute, a fraudulent intent is required for violation. Thus, the mere act of compressing coins into souvenirs is not illegal, without other factors being present.
Section 475, which you refer to in your letter, regarding the attachment of notice or advertisement to legal tender, does not apply to your souvenirs in this case. Your are not impressing or attaching a business or professional card, notice or advertisement to a coin, your are simply making an impression on the coin.
We hope this information answers your question. If we can be of any further assistance, please contact us.
Sincerely,
Kenneth B. Gubin
Counsel to the Mint.
http://codes.lp.findlaw.com/uscode/18/I/17/333
there are lengthy legal discusions about defacing curancy on the web
Believe in Google, Punctuation and Spellcheck.
"Section 331 of Title 18 of the United States code provides criminal penalties for anyone who 'fraudulently alters, defaces, mutilates impairs, diminishes, falsifies, scales, or lightens any of the coins coined at the Mints of the United States. This statute means that you may be violating the law if you change the appearance of the coin and fraudulently represent it to be other than the altered coin that it is. As a matter of policy, the U.S. Mint does not promote coloring, plating or altering U.S. coinage: however, there are no sanctions against such activity absent fraudulent intent. (Source U.S. Mint)"
http://reviews.ebay.com/CUT-COIN-Jewelry-Is-Coin-Cutting-Legal-OK-or-Illegal_W0QQugidZ10000000001433735
"If you are thinking this is illegal, your not the first.Section 331. Title 18, U.S. CODE: Prohibits among other things the fraudulent alteration and mutilation of United States and foreign coins. This statute does not prohibit the mutilation of coins if done without fraudulent intent or if the mutilated coins are not used fraudulently. This now Lehman Law was written only to protect the silver content of coins back when coins actually contained silver and the government actually invested in the circulation money."
http://www.coincutart.com/servlet/StoreFront
http://www.parkpennies.com/pressed-penny/penny-pressing-legal.htm
http://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/faqs/Coins/Pages/edu_faq_coins_portraits.aspx
I Googled your spelling, and found nothing pertinent; just ads.
Actually, "Lemon Law" doesn't apply here, either.
I think you mean "Blue Law," meaning an outdated law or ordinance.
http://www.coincutart.com/servlet/StoreFront
for the answer.
The most important part my original post is: "As a matter of policy, the U.S. Mint does not promote coloring, plating or altering U.S. coinage: however, there are no sanctions against such activity absent fraudulent intent. (Source U.S. Mint)," ("no sanctions" means there are no penalties such as fines, imprisonment, censure, reprimand, seizure of the altered coins, etc.) See the very last paragraph "Is it illegal to damage or deface coins?" on this U.S. Treasury Dept. web page.
http://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/faqs/Coins/Pages/edu_faq_coins_portraits.aspxhttp://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/faqs/Coins/Pages/edu_faq_coins_portraits.aspx
An example of fraudulent activity would be alter a quarter (painting, plating, or stamping or engraving) to resemble a dollar coin and passing it off as a dollar coin thus defrauding the seller. Another example would be to plate a dollar coin to look like real gold and passing it off as a "proof" to a collector thus defrauding the collector. Another would be to pass off a two-headed coin made by gluing or fusing two coins together as a rare "mint mistake" to collectors, thus defrauding the collector. Actually doing any of these examples would make you guilty of two crimes, violation of Section 331. Title 18, U.S. CODE (altering coin for the purposes fraud) and fraud in the act of the selling. Altering the coins for purposes of fraud is a violation only of Section 331. Title 18, U.S. CODE, but I would think the fraud would actually have to be carried out to prove the intent of altering with intent to defraud.
http://codes.lp.findlaw.com/uscode/18/I/17/333
Specifies paper currency, not coinage.
This may just be a strange coincidence, but this leads me to think that it may not be illegal to destroy a foreign currency. Just food for thought.
With that said...it really is a cool little project.
Besides, as people have said correctly in pretty much every instructable with coins or bills, It's not illegal to deface currency as long as you don't try to circulate it again, and I don't think you can buy bubble gum with a peny turned into a teardrop.
And I don't think it's unpatriotic, maybe stupid, if coins weren't minted anyway, but why unpatriotic? I think it's less patriotic to go around the internet makig stupid comments, therefore making people arounf the globe think USA people are jerks. I' not talking about you, your comment was well written and expressed your ideas in a non-trolly way, but "americans" are generally very cocky when they're online and come out as...not pleasant people to have a conversation with
however I dont think you'll have any feds kicking down your door, unless you start doing this on a commercial scale
However like I said in my previous comment, I don't really think the feds are going to kick down your door for making a pendant. I dont know about an instructable. But definitely wouldn't try to commercialize or sell.
"Whoever mutilates, cuts, defaces, disfigures, or perforates, or
unites or cements together, or does any other thing to any bank bill,
draft, note, or other evidence of debt issued by any national banking
association"
so no info on money.
AFIK, It's illegal to deface US currency fraudulenty, ie: in order to make a profit by turning it into another piece of currency.
This clearly isn't trying to be another coin, so I think the writer of this instructable is in the clear.
Here, let me translate for you. it says:
"[if anyone]" .. "mutilates, cuts, defaces, disfigures, or perforates, or
unites or cements together, or does any other thing " .. "to render such bank bill, draft, note, or other evidence of debt [read: coins] unfit to be reissued"..
Basically it says, you smash, cut, melt, dye, or drill a coin or bill, it's thus "unfit to be reissued" and thus violates that law.
"This statute means that you may be violating the law if you change the appearance of the coin and fraudulently represent it to be other than the altered coin that it is. As a matter of policy, the U.S. Mint does not promote coloring, plating or altering U.S. coinage: however, there are no sanctions against such activity absent fraudulent intent. "
So, if your intent isn't fraudulent, you're golden
http://codes.lp.findlaw.com/uscode/18/I/17/333
and refers to paper instruments only, not coinage.
Probably the most popular bit of artistic "mutilation" would be to fold a paper bill into a wearable finger ring. As a practical matter, I doubt the Feds will spend tens of thousands of dollars to prosecute you if you were to tear up or burn or spindle or mutilate the odd bit of paper currency. When you have purposefully destroyed a million dollars or so of paper currency, I suppose they might be interested, although you would be out the million dollars or so, so maybe the crime is its own punishment.
Cheers
The process is the same (more or less) and the results too!
It gets ad smooth and shiny as glass
I've done some and they where all way appreciated.
http://www.instructables.com/id/Carve-A-Traditional-Maori-Hook-Necklace-From-Bone/
(not mine)
Nice Instructable, cool project, and brilliant transformation of a nickle into jewelry. Nice work : )..
You do very nice work!
Bet, your a jeweler!