5 Tips for Making Hand Stamped Jewelry

• Letter/Number Set
• Metal Blanks or Tags
• Brass Hammer (1-2 lbs)
• Steel Bench Block
• Leather Sandbag (for noise reduction)
• ImpressArt Stamp Straight Tape (optional)

1. Don't be shy 

You really have to whack stamps with a heavy hammer. The heavier the hammer, the easier it is to get a clean hard strike. We recommend a one or two-pound brass hammer but everyone has their own preference. 

Note: Why use a brass hammer? Brass will not damage the ends of your stamps as a steel hammer will. Since brass is soft, hammering leaves marks on the head of the hammer rather than on the metal stamp. Brass dead blow hammers are also more ergonomic to minimize strain on your joints.

2. Heavier is easier 

It was completely counter-intuitive to me, but it is true; it is much easier to get a clear impression on thicker gauge metal blanks and sheet. Thinner metals tend to just bend around the stamps outer edge and diminish the depth of the stamp design impression. I have the best luck with 22 gauge or thicker. Check out our article: What Jewelry Wire Gauge & Hardness Do You Need?

3. The alignment is tricky! 

It's easier to curve names or words around the inner edge of a circle blank so that slight misalignments are less noticeable. If you need a straight line, the ImpressArt Stamp Straight tape is pretty ingenious because it's basically an inexpensive electrical tape that you use as the bottom edge for your word.

Directions: Align your blank then tape it down onto the metal block just below where you would like to stamp it. Slide your letter stamp down the surface of your piece of metal until you feel the bottom edge of the stamp design catch on the tape. Stop there with the stamp and then strike hard with the hammer one time. Alignment takes a lot of practice so don't get discouraged!

4. You can stamp a lot of things 

Don't feel limited by flat, smooth metal blanks and tags. With some practice, you can stamp bangles, rings, cuffs, hammered metal, and some textured metal, too. When stamping on a curved item, use a steel mandrel that is secured in place with a clamp or vise.

5. Liver of Sulfur is a girl's best friend 

You will be surprised at the number of sins you can correct with liver of sulfur darkening in relief. Many of the stamp impressions that are a tad uneven or shallow will look great once you treat items with liver of sulfur to blacken the impressions. For optional coloring choices, Impress Art makes acrylic ink markers in black, brown, gold, green and silver. These markers highlight your stamped impressions quickly and easily!