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No special tools or know-how needed. Everything I could find about making lockets required fancy tools or know-how. So, I set out to make one witho...
Use a smooth faced hammer on a smooth surface. I like to start out by placing a smaller ball peen hammer on the coin and using a larger hammer to poun...
Take the flattened coins to your stove. Heat the coins until they are a dull pink color. Run cold water over them in the sink. The coins will oxidize ...
Take a marker and trace the desired size circle onto the disc. I used a socket the same diameter of a nickel. Take a “C” clamp and sandwich the disc i...
Cut a section of wire from a coat hanger. Scrape off any coating on the wire. Using a socket, form a ring. Bend the tail end of the wire towards the c...
Insert the wire form in the cap. Use the socket you used to form the cap to tap the form in. Butt the cap into a corner. I used my hammer where the ha...
Find two carriage bolts; one larger then the other. File off any letters from the head of the bolts. Using the larger carriage bolt, hammer a convex s...
A drill press is helpful but not necessary. Mount a socket through a bolt into your drill press. Wrap tape around the socket until the caps press fit ...
Orient the caps so they as congruent as possible. Mark where you want to cut the grooves. Use a file to cut the grooves.
The hinge is made from two paper clips and held together by a thicker gage paper clip. Each hinge is shaped basically the same. The only difference is...
Side two: Extend a paper clip and fold it in half. Make sure the clip is just far enough down the needle nose pliers to form a “U” which will marry th...
Since I used a nickel sized socket to form the caps, I used a nickel to trace out the out the pictures. Close the jump ring into the hinge. Cut ...
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This is staggering! I've got so many ideas from this. thank you for posting!
i made pocket watch using this instructable. thanks!
Aparently I didn't heat it enough to soften it first, that caused the problems in my previous comment. But then I found a small crème brûlée burner and this did the job.
The hinge turned out to be the hardest part in my opinion.
And the polishing was done with toothpaste and chocolate, I didn't get the mirror fishish (still a bit cloudy) but at least it smells nice (and it looks better irl than the image) .
Much thanks for the instructable!
i'm sure your gf will love this. i'm going to have to try one of these. mothers day is coming up after all.....
dragonfly
I love the way your brain works, and I wish mine worked more like it!
Amazing.
Thanks for posting it.
Does the finish last long?
I am not familiar with your start point: the american coins, would this work with a British coin?
Thanks for posting this bench mark of an instructable.
-Andy.
You should be able to use a 5 pence which I hear is made the same as an American nickel.
I look for coins with same birth date as the person being gifted and try to leave that part of the nickel intact.
I was thinking that, should I find the time to make one myself, that at the "bottom", making some space between where the paper clip ends meet and epoxying two small, weak magnets, to keep it all closed.
Best wishes in your endevours!
A couple of thoughts:
- What keeps the locket closed? It doesn't seem like there's any latch or positive holding mechanism.
- Paper clip wire is notoriously weak and susceptible to fatigue. Would it be better to use small-gauge steel wire?
Thanks again. Great job!
However, I left it out of the instructable because I was afraid people would be less inclined to make it the more complicated it seemed. So for this one, gravity keeps it closed.
My idea behind this locket was that anyone could make one without having to buy special materials. Of course paper clips and nickels are easy to find. But your absolutely right. Higher quality materials can be used to make a better piece.
Very well put together instructions.
I will give this a go.
This method has given me other Ideas for cabinetry and automotive applications.
Great instructable, nice clear photos and lots of them.
You're my instructable-McGuiver hero!!
Have an awesome day!