Check out what I made!

[DPflaumer]

This all started with the increasing popularity of bronze watches. I love bronze and the way it ages, but I could not in any way talk myself into buying a bronze watch when I know I only want to have 2-4 watches at any one time.

So I decided to search for an alternative that would give me that same patina rush. A simple cuff bracelet seemed logical as it would be a small accent piece. I decided to begin my search at the mecca of online arts and crafts, Etsy.

No luck. The closest thing I could find to a simple cuff in the size I wanted (1/4' wide, 6" long) was A: $55+ shipping and B: coated in some high grade resin to prevent "tarnishing". Damn. I emailed an individual with some other options posted and they estimated total cost between $50-$100. That wasn't going to happen.

Finally my search led me to an individual selling 1/4"*6" bronze "Bracelet Blanks" for $5 shipped per 3-pack. I was a little skeptical but figured that I'm pretty crafty and worst case scenario I was only out $5.

When I got the blanks I immediately noticed two things. First, the edges were razor sharp from where they had been cut from the original bronze sheet. Second, they were coated in some sort of protective finish that made them look an awful lot like copper.

Well, 5 minutes with some sand paper cleaned up the edges and another 10 minutes removed the protective coating. I used 120 grit paper to give mine a brushed look and made my wife a matching hand hammered band. I used an extension for a profession grade air gun (my dad is a transmission mechanic) to bend the bands around and used a cheap ball peen hammer to create the hammered finish.

What do you guys think? I finished my wife's this morning so it is brand new. Finished mine yesterday and wore it in the pool for a few hours.

[TroyNVie]

Nice job, Drew - I really like them both!

[Smaug]

I don't know how I feel about bronze yet. I don't really believe in men wearing bracelets. They're for mobsters and medical alerts, and that's about it, in my opinion. Some guys are realy into the paracord bracelets these days, but I don't get that either.

It certainly shows ingenuity, and I like that.

How does your wife like it.

[Aerofish]

Drew I like it! The hammered one is exceptional! Awarded the "atta boy" prop :)

[nmadd]

Nicely done Drew! I like the smooth one myself.

[DPflaumer]

Thanks guys! I'm really on the fence about bracelets for guys myself. But I figured if my grandfather has worn one his entire life, I probably could too. I'm pretty sure this is come cheap bronze though. Good thing it was very cheap and I bought it for kicks mostly.

The wife is liking hers. Its been a rough day here. The power was out for 7 hours after a crazy storm.

[zippofan]

Very cool, though I'm more of the paracord type myself, very handy to have when out hiking, just in case.