Okay, so I got this idea stuck in my head a while back – a dumbbell pendant. Sounds a bit odd, maybe, but I wanted something solid, you know? Something that felt like, well, effort. Plus, it’s a bit different.
Getting the Ball Rolling
First thing, I needed gold. Had some old bits and pieces lying around, stuff I didn’t wear anymore. Seemed like a good way to give it new life. Gathered it all up. It wasn’t a huge amount, but enough for a decent little pendant.
Next, I sketched out a rough shape. Nothing fancy. Just a simple dumbbell, like the old-school ones. Two weights on the ends, a bar in the middle. Didn’t need blueprints or anything, just a guide for my eyes later on.
Melting and Shaping Time
Alright, this is where things get interesting. I got my little crucible ready. Put the gold scraps inside. Fired up the torch. You gotta be careful here, obviously. Melting gold takes some serious heat. Watched it turn from solid bits into this glowing, liquid pool. Pretty cool to see, actually.
While that was heating, I prepped a small mold. Went with a basic cuttlefish bone casting method this time. It’s old school, yeah, but it works for simple shapes like this and gives a nice texture sometimes. Carved out the dumbbell shape into the bone, nice and careful. Made sure there was a channel for the gold to flow in.
Then, the pour. Always hold your breath a little bit here. Poured the molten gold straight from the crucible into the cuttlefish mold. Nice and steady. Saw it fill up the shape I carved. You hope you got it right, no air bubbles, filled completely.
The Cleanup Crew (Me)
Let it cool down properly. Can’t rush this bit. Once it was solid and cool enough to handle, I broke open the cuttlefish bone. There it was – a rough, kinda sooty-looking gold dumbbell shape. Always looks a bit disappointing at first, straight out of the mold.
Now comes the elbow grease. Lots of filing to get rid of the rough edges and the extra bit from the pouring channel. Then sanding. Started coarse, worked my way down to finer grits. Takes ages. Seriously, finishing takes way longer than you think. You sit there, filing, sanding, smoothing. Little by little, the shape starts to look cleaner, sharper.
After sanding till my fingers were numb, I moved onto polishing. Used some compound, got the buffing wheel going. This is where the shine comes back. Slowly, that dull surface turns into bright, shiny gold. It’s satisfying, seeing it transform.
Final Touches
Once the dumbbell itself was looking sharp and shiny, I needed a way to hang it. Soldered a small gold jump ring onto the middle of the bar. Checked it was secure. That’s it, really.
So, yeah. Ended up with this solid little gold dumbbell pendant. It’s got a nice weight to it. Not perfect, maybe a tiny imperfection here or there if you look super close, but it feels good. Made it myself, from start to finish. That’s the main thing. Good little project.
