Liquid Gun Blue and stamped copper with patina
I used my brand new Knew saw to cut the birdhouse shape from 24g copper sheet, including the interior hole which the bird peeks out of. Using metal stamps and hammers is fun – there’s such a satisfying Thwack when you get it right. They added detail and grain, and then I used gun-bluing to patina the copper. Fine grade sandpaper took the patina off the high spots and left the stamped detail darkened.
I filed and sanded all the edges, then sculpted the heart on the back using a needle tool to write “Home”. A little extra clay forced through the hole of the pendant allows the heart to act almost as a rivet once the heart was baked and gave me a secure base to sculpt the tiny bluebird.
After the final baking, I antiqued the heart with blue paint, the bird with light brown and added a touch of glaze to make his eyes and beak shine.
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