Howdy y'all I decided to make a sheriff badge for a cowboy costume. It did not take long at all and was very easy to make.

Step 1: Get Some Rust Off

I was clearing out the cellar and I found this slightly rounded price of metal. It was going to go in the bin but I saved it. I have no idea what its past use was but I thought it would make an awesome sheriffs badge. First I cleared some of the rust with WD40. I wasn't to bothered about getting all the rust off as it was only really rusty on the back.

Step 2: Round It Off

On the piece of metal there were two odd shapes on the top and bottom. I marked out where to cut with a permanent marker then cut it out using a metal cutting tool with the dremel. once the circular shape was cut out I rounded it off with some sandpaper.

Step 3: Draw the Star

I first got lots of reference images so that I could decide how to draw the star. Once I decided how to draw the badge I started to draw it with a permanent marker. Drawing the outer circle first then making some measurements before drawing the whole star.

Step 4: Cut Out

To cut out the star shape I used the metal cutting tool on my dremel again. I followed the lines that I had drawn carefully with the dremel. I made sure to leave plenty of room where the star met the circle so that the corners of the star would not snap and fall off.

Step 5: File Down

I was going to use some needle files to file it all down so the edges looked good. However in the end I used some engraving accessories with my dremel as this was much faster. I used different sized tools to smooth down the different parts of the badge.

Step 6: Engrave the Badge

I had to then engrave the "sheriff" into the badge. I found it easiest to write it on a piece of paper and then copy the size of the writing onto the metal. I marked it out in pencil on the metal then marked it permanently with the dremel.

Step 7: Pin on the Badge

To create the pin for the back I thought it would be easiest to take apart an exiting badge that I got given somewhere. I then cut it down to size, the metal was only thin so I could cut it easily with scissors. Once it was the correct size the two prices of metal were attached together using contact adhesive. I would have liked to solder the badge on but I don't have a soldering iron so I glued it instead.