Whale’s Tail Pendant Pattern

The Finished Whale’s Tail (pattern below).

silver-whale's-tail-pendant  Front view.

whale's-tail-pendant-back-view  Back side.

Directions

  • Cut out pattern.
  • Sand metal lightly with 400 grit.
  • Glue pattern to metal.  I use a glue stick.
  • Saw out metal.
  • Finish edges with files and sandpaper.
  • Round any sharp corners if necessary.  Here’s a little video on rounding edges on metal.
  • Use a dapping punch, either in pitch or on a stack of magazines, or a sandbag, and dome both fins.
  • Anneal.
  • Using round nose pliers (put tape on them or dip them in plastic dip to protect the metal), round up the tips of the fins.  I rounded mine away from the back so that the points wouldn’t scratch the wearer’s skin.  Here’s a video on Rounding Edges on Metal.
  • Curl bail towards the back, either using round nose pliers or the stem of a dapping tool.
  • You may need to punch down the area between the fins.  Lay the dap, length-wise, between the fins (on the sandbag or in the pitch), with the rounded sides facing up. Hammer a thin dapping punch, laid lengthwise,  into the space between the fins to create a thin depression.
  • Final finish.  Remove any scratches.  Polish.

The Pattern

Here’s a short video (website only) on altering a patterns size – if none of the patterns, below, are the size you’d like.

Whales-Tail-Pattern-web

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