The equipment and metals used for embossing could be obtained at specialized art and crafts shops in the U.S. and Mexico. The metals are sold by sheets or weight. Metal work is not messy, you could easily work it in limited spaces, in your apartment , house or class-room.
Working with metals is fun and you could create beautiful and sizable pieces of art work. The thickness of the metal sheets used in repousagge varies according to your needs. The thicker the sheets, the less malleable it will become. It could probably be difficult to work with metal sheets thicker than 0.4 mm. (20 gauges). Probably the most practical sheet will be, either 0.1 mm or 0.2 mm. Different types of metals could be found in arts and crafts stores, metals as:
Aluminum: This metal is extremely versatile and easy to handle. It comes in a variety of different colors; red, blue, gold or green on one side and silver on the other or silver and gold on both sides.
Copper: This metal offers lots of possibilities due to its malleability and highly attractive natural colors. Many different effects could be attained by heating the metal.
Bronze: This metal is not so suitable for embossing; a mixture of tin and copper and it is used for minute decorative effects on other metals.
Brass: This metal has the same qualities as bronze. It is a mixture of zinc, tin and copper.
Using simple tools, the creative mind could be able to find many ways to make different things using sheets of metal. Copper and aluminum are the
most common metals to work, in embossing and repoussage. These metals are not expensive as gold and silver but they possess their own beauty. Using the proper metals and tools a creative person could create endless and priceless artistic pieces.
The number of tools used for embossing will depend on how advanced your knowledge has become. There are various arts and crafts stores where the materials and tools could be found. For craftsmen who live in the Southern California area could be practical to visit Tijuana, Mexico to find their equipment. From personal experiences I have discovered that most of the arts and crafts shops in the Los Angeles region have limited material and equipment for metal embossing and repoussage. A hard rubber mat could be the perfect support to work with; rubber has resistance and Cushing necessary for embossing support. Boxwood and metal styluses modeling tools will be needed; each of them having its own particular purpose: Some of them will be used to smooth large surfaces, another to emboss large sections and some for finer details. A hammer, chisel and flat-nose pliers will be needed for punching holes and bending the metal. Chalk, grease pencil, china marker and soft marking pencil will be needed to mark on the metal.
Try it first
Before begining a project using an entire sheet of metal, you should try t out first to determine how much hand pressure you should apply on it.
Take a sheet of aluminium about 0.1 mm thick( This thicness should be just about just perfect fpr this purpose). Make several simple linear outlines using the pointed end of a No. 1 modelling pencil. Try it a few times until you feel confident with the presure of your hand. Remember to be patient and persistant; and if you have not developed the skil, today will the perfect day to begin with. Don’t try to emboss a large area too quickly; if you do so you’ll thin out the sheet beyond its resistance limit and it will become fragile, dificult to work with. If the metal sheet becomes fragile, you could also break through it with the tool.
Take a sheet of aluminium about 0.1 mm thick( This thicness should be just about just perfect fpr this purpose). Make several simple linear outlines using the pointed end of a No. 1 modelling pencil. Try it a few times until you feel confident with the presure of your hand. Remember to be patient and persistant; and if you have not developed the skil, today will the perfect day to begin with. Don’t try to emboss a large area too quickly; if you do so you’ll thin out the sheet beyond its resistance limit and it will become fragile, dificult to work with. If the metal sheet becomes fragile, you could also break through it with the tool.
Before you start with the project, it is important to get exactly the right “feel” of the metal. Make several linear outlines on the piece of the piece of the metal you intend to use in order to master the proper touch. It is wise to experiment in this way on any metal you intend to use for a project. In time it will become second nature.
Now that you are familiar with the metal, you are ready for a project: A sunburst.
Start by drawing a simple flower or simply down load it from the internet. Cut a 4 inch square from a 0.1 mm aluminum sheet. Place the square on a hard surface to avoid making impressions on the sheet and using a soft chalk or grease pensile and trace the drawing.
Place the square on a soft mat. Using the rounded edge of the No. 1 tool, move it in a circular fashion within the outline of the sun, exerting a constant and consistent pressure all the time.
Using the rounded end of the No.1 tool, make a circular movement going from the middle towards the edges of the circle which you have outlined in chalk. Keep a steady and constant hand pressure on the tool.
As soon as you have formed a hollowed-out depression, turn the sheet over and define the edges of the repusage with the sharp edge of No. 1 modeling tool.
Turn the sheet over again and continue hollowing it out deeper. Repeat this movement as many times as necessary until you obtained the desired amount of embossing, being careful on not to over do it, and thereby weakening the metal.
