Make a Dreidel Pendant

Repurposed Dreidel Pendant by GeltDesigns

Yesterday, we made earrings from dreidels. Today, we made a pendant out of a larger,  green-painted, wood dreidel that we wore on a simple brass neck-ring.

Materials
14-gauge brass wire
Dreidel

Tools
Automatic center punch
Flex shaft and size 46 drill bit
Mandrel or Wrap n' Tap Pliers
Chain nose  pliers
Wire rounder or needle file
Wire side cutters or flush cutters
Small ball pein hammer, plastic or rawhide mallet

Step 1
Select the dreidel you plan to use. We used a medium sized wood dreidel painted green.

Step 2
Mark the dreidel with an automatic center punch and then drill a hole in the dreidel. We used a flex shaft and size 46 drill bit to drill the hole. The drill bit is larger than the drill bit we used to make the dreidel earrings because the stem of the dreidel is larger and can accommodate a hole large enough to slip 14-gauge brass wire through.

Step 3
Make the finding. Use a mandrel  Wrap n' Tap pliers to make a large ring from the 14-gauge wire. Cut the wire using wire cutters. File the ends of the rings smooth using a wire rounder or a flex shaft with a cup bur. Adjust the ring so the ends are flush. Hit the ring with a rawhide or plastic mallet to harden the metal.

Step 4
Open the ring and slip the dreidel onto the wire of the finding. Close the ring with your chain nose pliers. Turn the ring until the wood on the dreidel covers the closure of the ring you made.

Step 5
Feed the dreidel pendant onto a chain. We used a brass  neck-ring we hand made in our studio, but you can use any chain of your choice.

Related Tutorials
Make Dreidel Earrings
Make Your Own Dreidel
Chanukah Craft Projects for Kids 
How to Make a Hanukkah Menorah
GeltDesigns Tutorials by Topics  

Further Reading
500 Judaica: Innovative Contemporary Ritual Art (500 Series)

Day 15. Week 3. Jewelry from Found Objects.  $ spent: 0
Found materials: Wooden Dreidel
New Jewelry a Day.

Make Dreidel Earrings

Repurposed Dreidel Earrings by GeltDesigns

It is not secret that we love beads and beading. Webster defines a bead as "a small piece of material pierced for threading on a string or wire." So almost anything can made into a bead using a drill. Today, we are repurposing dreidels, making the dreidels into beads and then using the dreidels as the focal point for hoop earrings.


These earrings are so easy to make it is almost a crime, but our dreidel earrings were a definite hit last night at our neighborhood Chanukah party. Shhh. Don't tell they can be made in only a few moments.

Tools
Automatic center punch
Flex shaft and size 60 drill bit
Wire Wrapping Tools
Nylon jaw plier
Wire rounder
 Round nose pliers
Mandrel or three step pliers
Flush cutter or a side cutter
Rawhide or plastic mallet 

Step 1
Select two matching dreidels. We used two wooden dreidels that are very lightweight.

Step 2

Mark with Center Punch

Drill

Drill a hole in the stem of each dreidel. Select a drill bit that will drill a very small hole in the center of the stem of the dreidel. We used a size 60 drill bit. Mark the place where you want to make the hole with an automatic center punch so the drill bit does not slip when you drill the hole. Put the drill bit into your drill (we used our flex shaft, but you can use any drill, including a drill press or a Dremel) and drill a hole where you marked the dreidels.

Step 3
Make the ear wires. Straighten 20-gauge brass wire using nylon jaw pliers. Sand the end of the wire smooth using a wire rounder. Create a small loop in the end of the wire using round nose pliers. Wrap the wire around a mandrel (we used our favorite block) or three step pliers.

Cut the wire from the spool using a flush cutter or a side cutter.  Hit the formed loop with a rawhide or plastic mallet to harden the wire.

Slide onto the finding

Step 4
Slide the ear wire through the hole you drilled in the dreidel stem.

Step 5

Bend the wire

Bend the ear wire so that it will fit into the loop of the ear wire. Sand the end of the wire smooth using a wire rounder.


Related Tutorials
Make Your Own Dreidel
Chanukah Craft Projects for Kids 
GeltDesigns Tutorials by Topics  

Further Reading
500 Judaica: Innovative Contemporary Ritual Art (500 Series) 

Happy Chanukah!

Day 14. Week 2. Jewelry from Found Objects.  $ spent: 0
Found materials: Wooden Dreidels
New Jewelry a Day.