Making your own jewelry has a special flavor because it is your creativity and skill that is put into play. Learning how to make them will not only allow you to show off your original accessories but also provide a possible job opportunity by selling your own products.
If what we want is to have very special and original bracelets, we can recycle old forks and spoons and achieve admirable accessories with little work.
If you use spoons you won’t have many different options to make, instead the forks offer you these possibilities because you can give it many different shapes while maintaining its original shape or creating figures with its teeth, as we will show you.
The forks or spoons you need to work with should be metal, and if you have a choice of metal, silver is best because it can be more easily bent. In addition, silver cutlery are antiques that have great beauty in terms of color and decoration, this will make your bracelet look even more beautiful.
On the other hand, stainless steel is not suitable for this because it is too rigid and if you try to bend it you will only break it.
One of the main things you should do is know how to choose the work materials, the old cutlery is the best for its beauty, its engravings and the variety of shapes. You can find loose silver forks at antique houses, garage sales, or just ask your grandmother because she probably keeps some.
Before making bracelets with forks we advise you to read these two articles where you will learn what you can do with these forks before turning them into bracelets.
- Making Gummy Octopuses with Forks
- Creeper style gummy bracelets
If you want to know how to make bracelets with forks, you should follow some steps that we will indicate and use your creativity to achieve new and original designs.
What do you need to make bracelets with forks?
- Antique forks (silver if possible)
- Long nose pliers
- Pliers
- Support
- Cloth
- Accessories: Ancient stones or coin
- Metal glue
Instructions for making bracelets with forks
- Take the fork you chose to make your bracelet with and slowly bend it inwards until it forms an oval shape.
- You should leave room for your wrist to fit between the ends. You need to measure and try on the size. You can’t use too big a fork if your wrist is too small.
- If you like the bracelet to be open, you can take advantage of this space to put it on and if you don’t, you can leave it closed but so that you can pass your hand through it. Another option is that the bracelet is slightly open and after putting it on you adjust it gently.
- If you want to give a special shape to the teeth of the fork, you must hold it firmly, fixing it to the work table to be able to shape the teeth without it moving.
- Then with a thin and long tweezers take the first tine of the fork and turn forming a spiral. Then take the second one and do the same. Repeat this with each of the four teeth. Depending on your taste, you can make spirals of different sizes, to one side or the other.
- Once you have decided and finished the design of the tines of the fork, remove it from the holder. Lay it down on a cloth, cover it with another and gently tap the spirals so that they flatten, that is, so that there are no points left on the outside or inside that could bother or look untidy. Finally, take the fork and begin to bend it to give it a circular or oval shape, that is, the shape of the bracelet as we explained before.
- If the fork has engravings, the bracelet will have enough showiness, but if it is smooth, you can add some decorations, such as stones or old coins. You will have to glue them with metal glue once the bracelet has a rounded shape, otherwise they can come off when you bend it.
- Create your own design and get to work. Surely as you create new ideas will emerge. Try spoons to start, these are easier to work with.
Tips for making bracelets with forks
- Choose materials that are easy to bend, otherwise the fork may break.
- Look for forks that have engravings to make them more showy.
- Visit an antique house, there you will find the best forks to make your bracelets.
- When using tweezers or pliers, place the cloth between the tool and the fork so as not to scratch or damage it.