How I Attach Components to Metal Bracelets
by Sue Shade.
(Nebraska USA)
I enjoy hammering out copper bracelets and attaching metal components to them. I also enjoy taking premade metal bracelets and metal components and putting them together to make my own unique pieces.
I use E6000 glue alone or with rivets to keep them attached. My bracelets are fairly rigid with minimal ability to adjust for size.
This helps my components stay in place. Below are pictures with details to explain.
Copper bracelet with medallion and copper wire ornamentation with only E6000 glue used to hold on components. My bracelets have a hammered texture that helps hold on components.
You can easily apply texture with a hammer. On the copper wire I apply E6000 to the underside of the wire and slide it into place.
This helps the bond. I then carefully use Goo Gone on a Q tip to help remove any unwanted glue so it looks neat.
Here I attached a premade floral component with E6000. I apllied a larger amount of E6000 to the flower portion and a thin layer to the thin leaf component with a tooth pick.
I use a small enough amount of E 6000 that it does not squish out around the component when I apply it. I shape the premade floral component so it lays on the bracelet curve before applying it to the bracelet.
I use clamps to hold this in place for 24 – 48 hours of drying time. The longer the better. I have worn this bracelet for 2 years and have had no difficulty with the component lifting.
The components on this bracelet are all simply glued on with E6000. When I glued on the jump rings I gave them a little turn to slide the glue and form a better bond.
This bracelet was completed in one sitting. The E6000 glue held the components in place while they dried. I did not touch this bracelet until it had dried for a week.
My daughter owns this cuff and has had no difficulty with any of the components coming off over the last year.
This is a premade cuff with a large moth metal component. Even after shaping, this component has minimal surface contact with the cuff.
I shaped this component to lay on the cuff as I wanted. I then used E6000 glue and clamps for 24 hours to glue it down. I then drilled a small hole through the front of the moth component into the bracelet cuff.
I started out too small with the hole and gradually enlarged it until the nail head rivet just tightly fit. I then trimmed the rivet until it was just 2 business cards thicker than the cuff and gently hammered it down.
This gave me a small head inside the cuff that is smooth and not uncomfortable to the wearer. I felt this component needed the rivet that did not detract from the design due to the minimal contact the component had with the cuff.
Interestingly hammering the rivet into place did not break the E6000 glue bond between the bracelet and the moth component.
