The little brass disk with the threads on the back came from "Walnut Hollow". I picked mine up at the craft store. It's in the wood burning section. They have quite a few other shapes like stars, squares, arrows and hearts that are small enough for glass stamping. I like these because the edge is sharp and makes a good clean press into the glass.
For cutting your own shapes the large disk is good one. It's the size of a dime and is also thick enough to take a deep cut and hold up to the heat of the glass.
One thing you have to be aware of when making your design is the back has threads that you will later put into a handle. You won't want to cut into them.
I put scotch tape on the disk and then trim the tape to fit the disk. This gives you a place to draw your design and have a sharp line to cut on with the jewelers saw. I clamp the disk with a pair of locking pliers before sawing which makes the cutting easier. You can carve between the toes with the burr before or after cutting the shape out.
I used a small burr from Dremel Tools to clean out the brass from between the toes. Take small layers at a time and go slow because you will have this stamp for a very long time. Once you get your first pass done you can dig a little deeper and not slide off or out of your pattern. Slow is the key here. You will be happy in the long run.
While working on the stamp it's a good idea to press it into a little clay.....or the pad of your thumb........to see the progress and areas that might need a little more work.
When I finished my first one it came out wide......just like my foot. Now how did that happen ? ? ? ..............................
The tools that I used.
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Now for the tutorial
1
Draw a circle on the disk to let you
know where the threads are on the back
so you won't cut into them.
Draw your design on a piece of scotch tape
and attach it to the top of the disk.
2
Clamp the disk with a pair of locking pliers
to keep it stable while you are sawing.
3
Starting the cut.
4
The first cut.
5
The second cut. Stay close to the toe lines
so it will make the final clean up easier.
6
The final cut. Now you are ready to play with
the shape.
7
A side view of the thickness. This keeps the
stamp stable for the hot glass.
8
Start out very slow and let the burr cut a shallow
channel along all the lines of the toes and the pad
of the foot between the toes. Make a few passes
to get the channel deeper. Once you have this you
can take more and more from the brass without
skiddering all over the place. Only cut down into
the brass about a fourth of the way. This gives the
very small toes some backing to keep them strong.
When you get the shape for the toes completed
with the burr you can file the heel and sides to
shape. File the instep in a little to form the foot.
Remember to anchor the piece and your hand holding it,
so you don't slip with the saw or the burr.
A picture of the stamps I made pressed into clay.
O.K. now go have fun ! ! !
Post pictures of your stamps ! ! ! ! ! ! !
Whitehotglassworks
Bobby
P.S. more brass stuff and such ! ! !
http://www.lampworketc.com/forums/sh...ad.php?t=38040
http://www.lampworketc.com/forums/sh...ad.php?t=80198
http://www.lampworketc.com/forums/sh...ad.php?t=43634
Have fun
Bobby
Footprint Tutorial
