Special Project: Dad’s Money Clip
It’s been a couple months since crafting this Christmas gift for my Dad, but it happens to be snowing right now. So, how perfect to sit and write this!
I crafted my Dad’s gift by combining elements he love’s (money clips, rock cairns, and handcrafted items), and the continual honing of my skills at the bench! I recorded the project, and in lieu of watching the multi-hour video, I pulled out the highlights for you!
(To preface, I started with a (purchased) Sterling silver blank, as a time and material saver.)
Prep for Etching
To create the design on the front face of the money clip, I’m using a chemical etching process. A process in which the chemical bath it soaks in will essentially eat away at any exposed metal. So one must be intentional about what is exposed. You can use various materials to cover/protect areas you want left alone. I use adhesive vinyl (from clearance bin at craft store) to cover most large areas. In this case, the back, inside, and a thin “frame” around front. I made sure to include the scrap strip of metal that sticks out the top, as my “cathode” (needed piece to carry conductive energy to the piece I’m etching). For the smaller and hard to reach areas, I used nail polish.
2. Illustration and Etching
(LEFT) I used a fine tip lacquer marker to draw the design onto the metal. The lacquer, similar to nail polish, protects the metal, only eating away at the areas around it that are not protected. (RIGHT) After approximately 30 minutes of frequent checking in the chemical bath, I was happy with the depth of etching (how pronounced my drawing was).
3. Cleanup Edges
I peeled off the vinyl and soaked off the areas with nail polish. Then I used a variety of filing and grinding tools to round out the corners, as well as give a more hand-worked edge to all sides. I do this until my finger is happy with the feel running along and around areas I worked.
4. Adding and Refining the Details
Instead of my ‘n’ signature, and thanks to the Little Rascals movie, I signed it with one of many nicknames my Dad has for me! Yes, I could have etched this, but due to its thin lines, it was just faster to do by hand. (LEFT) I laid out the writing with Sharpie, and (MIDDLE) used a fine bit in my Foredom to engrave by hand (eeeek). (RIGHT) I used that same bit to run around all the lines in much of the etched design on the front. This will create the dark patina to sink more deeply, further defining the details!
5. Adding Some ‘Well-loved’ Character
(LEFT) I ran along the edges with the ball side of my small jewelers hammer, to “soften” the perfectly straight lines from being machine cut. This resembles the feel and character of a time when having machine precision wasn’t a thing. Rather, it was precision of the eye, and signs of the hand tools to manipulate it, were the “norm”! A subtle reflection to our New England roots. (RIGHT) To further enhance the design and embrace small dings and marks from my hands/tools, I wanted to apply a patina. So I drop the money clip into a jar for a patina bath. I do this with all my pieces, and greatly enjoy the result!
6. Bath time!
I used a simple, sulfur, patina. The most safe and natural option. Sulfur-derived patina’s come in many forms, and for this, I used dry chunk sulfur. It’s not a very precise technique. (LEFT) You simply drop the piece in very warm water, along with some sulfur, and let it dissolve. Within a few moments, the water is now dark yellow, and your studio smells of hard-boiled eggs! (RIGHT) The chemical reaction with the sulfur and metal, turns the metal to a dark, matte, gray. At this point the details are even less visible…
7. Find the Highlights
With a variety of abrasives, like sand papers, and my favorite - padded nail files/buffers (LEFT) - I work my way around the piece buffing away the dark gray patina on the important parts. Buffing away the patina reveals the bright, raw, metal wherever desired. (MIDDLE) You can start to see the tall tree, on the right side, coming through while the deeper areas, the “background”, remains gray. I love this phase! (RIGHT) I softly buffed the entire back surface, allowing a heavier concentration of patina to remain in the engraved lines of “XO Spanky”.
8. Final Polish and Buff
(LEFT) To give the silver and patina some added protection I apply a coat of Renaissance wax. It’s a micro-crystal paste that is often used in historical preservation of surfaces. I apply with an old sock and the buff quickly. (RIGHT) The money clip is buffed, with the semi-satin finish of the wax, and ready to be wrapped up and placed under the tree.