Soda Story Goes...

Hidy Ho, fellow crafty chicks and cats!

Torrey here with my first-EVAH Bombshell Stamps tutorial!! I posted it over on the Bombshell's blog HERE and, I will also posted the instructions here. So fear not! You, too, will soon have the knowledge to recreate this jewel!

First, a little art history lesson. (it's good for you).

Metal Repoussé and Chasing is a VERY OLD art form dating as far back as King Tut's time (really). It involves shaping metal into bas-relief images. Repoussé is French and means "pushed up". It's done by hammering the metal into raised (convex) areas known as "Repoussé" and indented (concave) areas called "Chasing". It's termed "chasing" because you actually "chase" (push) areas of the metal back into their original places once you've repousséd them. It's usually done with REALLY heavy sheets of metal, BIG honkin' hammers, various shaping tools (which look a LOT like medieval torture devices), a giant bowl of gooey pitch and lots of sweat, muscle and time. If you want to learn more...read here.

Go figure.

So, I ended up using a good old aluminum soft drink can, a stylus and a paper blending stub. MacGyver's got NOTHING on me!

So, it started out like THIS:

And ended up like THIS!!

Here is the DETAILED 411. And, yeah, it's a long tutorial. I am an old-school publishing girl so I do step-shots. LOTS of step shots.

Supplies:

First off, O M G...my crafting table is CLEAN. Good thing I took a picture, it will never happen again.

1. Patterns (see below for full pattern)

2. 2-LARGE (23oz) soda cans--empty, rinsed and dried. One is for the lid, one for the base.

3. Tools:

   a. Heavy Scissors

   b. ruler

   c. paper blending stubs (may use cotton swab)

   d. styluses (may use ball-point pen or even a pencil)

4. Stamp and solvent-based ink

5. Alcohol inks and applicator

6. Texture plate (if desired to add embossing--but I didn't use it)

Not shown:

7. mouse pad

8. sanding block

9. die-cutting machine (if using texture plate)

Instructions:

NOTE: You'll be working with VERY sharp, raw metal edges so BE CAREFUL.

1.  Print out pattern on plain paper in desired size. Note: for mine, lid top is approx. 2 inches across (not counting sides/tabs).

Instructions below are for the BOX LID 

2.  Carefully “stab” one of the soda cans on its side with scissors. Cut straight line up from stab point to about ½ inch from top.

 

3.  Carefully cut around can just under top to remove top. Discard. Cut straight line down from stab point to about ½ inch from bottom.Carefully cut around can just above the bottom to remove base of can. Discard.

 

4. Trim edges of aluminum to remove any rough, jagged areas. Be careful to remove as little of the remaining sheet of aluminum as possible. This will leave you with a rectangular piece of aluminum.

 

5.  With printed side of can facing DOWN, tape pattern in place over aluminum. Place aluminum on mouse pad. Trace pattern with stylus or ballpoint pen being careful not to puncture through aluminum but hard enough to leave a nice distinct line.

 

6. Remove pattern. You'll have an outline that looks like this.

7.  Cut “box” out along outermost lines.

8. Flip metal piece over so that painted side is now UP. With the metal on a mouse pad, retrace all lines with stylus (use a ruler this time).

9. Flip cut-out piece over so that silver side is now facing up. With stylus, score a line from the top of each little corner triangle down the middle. This will create a "valley" fold that will allow you to tuck the corners in.

 10.  Using solvent-based ink, stamp desired image onto PAINTED side of aluminum piece.

 11. Using stylus, trace all lines of stamped image. Press hard enough to leave imprint but not so hard as to poke through the metal.

12. Flip aluminum piece over so that silver side is UP. Carefully trace INSIDE AND OUTSIDE each embossed line. You gotta go inside and outside each line to give it the most dimension.

13. Repeat steps 11 and 12 at least one or two more times.

14. Using paper blending stub (or cotton swab), rub recessed (chased) areas to remove stylus lines. It's sorta like erasing.

This is what the image looks like after 3 rounds of stylus work on front and back. I went ahead and did some freestyle stylus work on the sides and top to add more decoration.

15. Fold box along scored lines. Make certain the corners are going inward toward underside of box.

16. Turn box over and fold corners flush up against the sides. Fold tabs inward and down to secure corner flaps. Be careful when folding as the tabs can break (see the one on top).

17. IF DESIRED, you can apply alcohol ink to top and sides of box. Let dry. I think the box would look really neat if just left aluminum color or if "aged" with a black or patina wash.

18. Gently sand with emery board or sanding block if you want the image to stand out more.

19. FOR BOX BASE: Cut out and assemble box base, in same manner, and decorate with stylus work if desired. I didn't. I was lazy.

Here it is again!!

Thank you for taking the time to read my "lengthy" tutorial! Hope y'all enjoyed it! A big THANK YOU to my husband for photographing it all. <3



Ingredients:

Butterfly stamp - Bombshell Stamps (Butterfly Queen)
Adirondack alcohol ink- Ranger
StazOn ink
Aluminum drink can