Area 51 Pin Tutorial

I made this pin when the UFO and alien stamp first came out, but they are no longer in production. But there are so many other fun options for customizing this blank with features for other states! Apples or pine trees for Washington, mountains for Montana, ...?

Created by: Polly Nobbs-LaRue

Designer Tips

Brass is harder than some other commonly-stamped metals, and the Simple Strike Jig is a great help for making good solid impressions using ImpressArt's 6mm stamps. You may need an extra scrap or 2 of this blank's thickness (24ga) to help level the jig's base over the spot you want to stamp.
If you haven't stamped before, see Metal Stamping 101.
Use design stamps, hearts, dots and dashes, etc. in desired locations.
Use a center punch and small circle stamp to stamp a ""landing spot"".

Use a ball pein hammer to texture all edges of the blank. Check with your finger to make sure no sharp spots are left. Lightly texture the entire blank to help mask scratches (both current and future).
Add Stamp Enamel to stamped portion (follow instructions on container). Wait a few minutes to make sure all traces of Stamp Enamel are dry, then if desired, lightly sand entire blank with microfine sanding sponge. Use circular motion when sanding.
If the blank became curved while texturing, use a nylon or rawhide hammer to flatten blank.
Glue or soft solder a tie tack onto back. Tie tacks are great as scatter pins -- you can wear them anywhere: on a jacket, collar, etc. Be sure to center it nicely (horizontally) AND put the pin slightly higher than the middle (vertically) so the pin doesn't turn/tilt excessively when worn.
If gluing, see Gluing Technique sheet (PDF)
Yikes! I can't find our soft soldering instructions (except this, which is for soldering glass pendants). Soft soldering an item like this is even easier than soldering glass pendants, and more secure than gluing. Soft soldering supplies listed below (and linked above).