Hand Stamped Washer Keychains

Before I get started I need to say something to my Dad.

Dad,
I think you ought to just skip past this post.  Thanks.
Your loving daughter,
Jackie

Ok, now that the coast is clear I can share about my most recent craft project.

Metal washers seem to be pretty popular for crafting right now.  I made some decorative washer necklaces this summer, but had never tried stamping them-until now.

I found a tutorial for stamping washers at Helping Little Hands as well as the idea for the keychains.  I thought it would be something fun to try, so I asked my husband to purchase a steel stamping set at Harbor Freight on his way home from work one day.  Being the loving husband that he is, he purchased the set for me.  The poor guy never knows what DIY project I will try next.  :-)

The materials I used for this project included the stamping set, a black permanent marker, a heavy duty hammer, rubbing alcohol, an old rag, and 2 sizes of washers.  The small washers are called 3/8 inch washers and have a diameter of 1 inch.  The larger washers are called 1/2 inch washers and have a diameter of 1 3/8 inches.  I used a key ring from a set of assorted key ring findings I had purchased somewhere years ago.  The tutorial showed using a jump ring, but I opted just to put the washers directly on the keychain. 

I did make sure to put the washers on top my rotary cutting mat on my concrete floor so I wouldn’t damage my table.  I practiced on a couple of washers so that I could figure out how hard to hit the letter stamps with the hammer and where to place them.

I hit the letters about 10 times with my hammer being careful not to move the stamp.  When I was finished stamping I used the marker to go over each letter.  Then I used a little rubbing alcohol on a rag and rubbed the surface with it.  This got rid of any excess marker.

I don’t think I could make a living at this, but it was fun.  I definitely think I want to try making more stamped washers in the future. 

I am linking this post to:
Handmade Christmas at Proverbs 31 Living
Strut Your Stuff Thursday at Somewhat Simple
Show and Tell at Blue Cricket Designs 
Favorite Things Friday at A Few of My Favorite Things