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Make Your Own Bezel

Today Rosanne of FabFibers and Melanie from Earthenwood Studio and I are gathering together for a creative session exploring resin. We have bezels and objects to fill, images and text to cut, mementos and treasures to add to the mix.
I thought I’d share a fast and easy way to create your own bezels.
I started with a 34mm brass blank from Vintaj. You can find them at Bello Modo.

You’ll also need letter stamps, a dapping block and a hammer. Check out Evie’s Emporium for tools.


1. Stamp a phrase or word onto the brass blank.

2. Set the blank in the dapping block and use the wooden punch with the wider bottom. Hammer the end of the wood punch, forcing the brass blank to conform to the bowl of the dapping block. Start in the center and work your way out to the edges.

3. You can use a little bit of steel wool, fine grit sandpaper or a brass brush to bring out some of the highlights on the metal.

4. Turn over and fill with resin!

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15 Comment

  1. Lorelei
    July 17, 2009 at 2:03 pm

    Hey I've got a question. (this is a really cool project by the way!!)
    I've seen the dapping blocks in wood like you show here, and also in metal. Is one better than the other?

  2. mairedodd
    July 17, 2009 at 2:14 pm

    ahh… this is fabulous! i have the blanks and some stamps… half way there! thanks so much for these wonderful posts…

  3. TesoriTrovati
    July 17, 2009 at 2:54 pm

    Yippee! I recognize that little guy! I still need to fill mine with resin….thanks for reminding me! ICE Resin is so much fun. I am also experimenting with Gel du Soleil and a UV lamp. Good stuff…very unique and mixed media. Thanks for sharing!
    Enjoy the day!
    Erin

  4. Melissa J. Lee
    July 17, 2009 at 3:25 pm

    Love the Puck-ish quote you chose for your sample!!!

  5. lunedreams
    July 17, 2009 at 3:38 pm

    Thanks for sharing the know-how, and the great links. I'm always looking for ways to do metalwork that don't involve torches, so this is great!

  6. Amber Leilani
    July 17, 2009 at 3:42 pm

    i've been dying to work with resin. thanks for the links and tips!

  7. lilibulle
    July 17, 2009 at 4:04 pm

    thank you so much!!

  8. Alice
    July 17, 2009 at 9:07 pm

    Oh, you make it sound so easy! Now you've got me itching to try it, which means buying more tools and supplies.

    Thanks for sharing with us!
    Alice

  9. Carol B
    July 17, 2009 at 11:19 pm

    What gauge is the thickness? I've had trouble with the dapping making the stamping look funny. Maybe I was using too thin a piece of metal.

    thx

  10. Marbella Designs
    July 18, 2009 at 1:48 am

    great post, thanks!

  11. Heather Powers
    July 18, 2009 at 12:53 pm

    I'm not sure what gauge it is Carol, it's pretty thin. I just know to work from the center out, and I haven't had any trouble.

    sorry Lorelei, that's a mystery to me too.

    Melissa, I have this whole Midsummer Night's Dream thing going for me. 🙂

  12. Barbara Lewis
    July 19, 2009 at 12:13 pm

    My understanding of when to use a wood dapping block over a metal one: use the wood when you have texture on the piece, such as the stamped text, so that you don't distort or mar the finish.

  13. Cyndi L
    July 31, 2009 at 2:57 pm

    I love resin, and usually use bottle caps for my bezels. This is such a great alternative!

  14. The Beadjar
    August 3, 2009 at 7:04 pm

    Cyndi, is ICE Resin any safer than resin/epoxy? Do you have to use a respirator? That stuff scares me, but I've wanted to use it for the longest time!

  15. LLYYNN - Lynn Davis
    August 5, 2009 at 2:07 pm

    Being the tool-fool that I am, I have both a wood and a metal dapping block. I use the metal for heavier gauge (thicker) metal sheet, and the wood for thinner, but that's just me! Others may just use one for both types of metal. I also use the wood block for softer metals like copper that dap easily.

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