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Description
When designing the pedant "Fire", I thought that it would be a nice change to take a few WIP images for my own record. A few turned into a lot and the thought went from "for my records" to "ohhh, I can show people on deviant the process." The final finished pendant can be seen here in full detail [link]

I start by cutting out two "bullet" shapes from a flat sheet of brass. After annealing one or both of the cutouts, they are smithed into a boat shape. It usually takes two or three smithing rounds (annealing and hammering) to get the desired shape. I will normally smith both halves. Once one or both halves are smithed, I will scribe and then pierce the design into the front half. The edges of the halves are matched and prepared for joining. A file is used to remove remaining hammer marks and smooth the surface. After that they are joined together by torch and solder.
Before the metal has a chance to cool, I quickly quench it in the pickle solution. I do not use separate solutions for copper and brass so the brass tends to get plated with a thin layer of copper. The piece is removed from the solution and washed off. At this point the metal is soft from being annealed during the soldering process. Using a plastic scribe, I carefully push the metal inside the pierced design. I will try to create some depth to the design itself.

The surface of the brass is sanded smooth and polished to a high shine. The parts of the design that were pushed in retain file marks and the copper plating. This creates a beautiful difference between the smooth brass surface and the rough copper plated section.

The bale is produced by cutting a strip of copper large enough to wrap around the brass body. After roughly fitting the strip at the top of the "bullet" body, it is soldered close and refitted. Another small strip is cut and soldered on top of the bale, capping it. Using recycled electrical wiring, I design and attach the part of the bale the chain will go through. The bale is again fitted to the brass body and a hole is drilled through both. They are riveted together with a brass tube. The bale is filed and sanded. From this point I either leave the bale textured with the sanding or will polish it to a shine. The whole process takes a total of 6 hours from start to finish. The finished pendant is solid and uniquely beautiful, drawing the attention of those who see it. Those more daring will ask to see it or even hold it.

The pendant is for sale on my Etsy site [link]

Description
When designing the pedant "Fire", I thought that it would be a nice change to take a few WIP images for my own record. A few turned into a lot and the thought went from "for my records" to "ohhh, I can show people on deviant the process." The final finished pendant can be seen here in full detail [link]

I start by cutting out two "bullet" shapes from a flat sheet of brass. After annealing one or both of the cutouts, they are smithed into a boat shape. It usually takes two or three smithing rounds (annealing and hammering) to get the desired shape. I will normally smith both halves. Once one or both halves are smithed, I will scribe and then pierce the design into the front half. The edges of the halves are matched and prepared for joining. A file is used to remove remaining hammer marks and smooth the surface. After that they are joined together by torch and solder.
Before the metal has a chance to cool, I quickly quench it in the pickle solution. I do not use separate solutions for copper and brass so the brass tends to get plated with a thin layer of copper. The piece is removed from the solution and washed off. At this point the metal is soft from being annealed during the soldering process. Using a plastic scribe, I carefully push the metal inside the pierced design. I will try to create some depth to the design itself.

The surface of the brass is sanded smooth and polished to a high shine. The parts of the design that were pushed in retain file marks and the copper plating. This creates a beautiful difference between the smooth brass surface and the rough copper plated section.

The bale is produced by cutting a strip of copper large enough to wrap around the brass body. After roughly fitting the strip at the top of the "bullet" body, it is soldered close and refitted. Another small strip is cut and soldered on top of the bale, capping it. Using recycled electrical wiring, I design and attach the part of the bale the chain will go through. The bale is again fitted to the brass body and a hole is drilled through both. They are riveted together with a brass tube. The bale is filed and sanded. From this point I either leave the bale textured with the sanding or will polish it to a shine. The whole process takes a total of 6 hours from start to finish. The finished pendant is solid and uniquely beautiful, drawing the attention of those who see it. Those more daring will ask to see it or even hold it.

The pendant is for sale on my Etsy site [link]