Whether you’re looking to make them for yourself or to sell, there’s a real thrill in making decorative ornaments.
Making something with your own two hands is very exciting. Not only that, but it provides a great creative outlet. You can make anything from doorknobs to small trophies if you wanted, but how do you get started though?
Get Educated
Being self-taught isn’t totally out of the question here, but in the interest of clarity let’s suggest you take a course. Night school or vocational schools often do classes that involve metalwork and woodworking.
They provide the education needed to go from ornament design layman to a seasoned expert in the craft.
Of course, youre in for the long haul with a class. You can leave if you want, but it’s always advised to see things through.
Get Your Tools
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You’re going to need some metalworking and woodworking tools. That’ll include any cutting tables or an angle grinder like the Hitachi G23ST.
If you want to make certain types of ornaments, you’ll need something akin to a kiln. For instance, say you wanted to bend a bronze rod to create a heart shape. You’d need to heat the rod sufficiently, but it’d need to be hot all over.
Heating individual parts and then trying to shape it will result in an uneven shape. A kiln or specialised metal heating tool would be used to heat the rod through to achieve that.
Get Your Materials
In effect, pick between wood or metal. From there you can start looking into the sub-sections and specifics of each material. For wood, you’re going to be looking at colour and grain. Some woods are suitable for ornament making; some aren’t.
For metal, you’re going to be looking at the reflective qualities and the temperature you’re going to have to heat it too. The temperature can make a big difference with metal working.
Part of the problem with not learning the optimum temperatures for the metals you’re using is the flexibility and hardness. If you haven’t heated the metal enough, it’ll still be stiff. If you’ve overheated it, you won’t be able to shape it properly.
As to where you get the materials from, you’d need to visit a specialist hobby or craft shop. Some may not have exactly what you’re looking for, so it’s wise to phone ahead and ask.
Get Your Designs
You can’t create anything without a design. You can either try working on something you’ve designed yourself or work with an existing pattern. The benefit to working from an existing pattern is that you have the steps laid out clearly for you.
Working on something from your own design may take some trial and error. Not even the masters get it right first time.
Get Experience
You’ll only get better if you do it long enough. It’s important to do this for fun though. The second it starts becoming unenjoyable is when you have to consider taking a break. Creating something shouldn’t have to be an unenjoyable task. It should inspire you to work harder, and create even more.
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