Alright, so the other day I was messing around with some ideas to make a cool accessory, and I ended up making a fish brooch pin. I’m not really a jewelry person, but I thought this could be a fun little project to share.
I started by looking up some stuff about brooches and pins. You know, just to see what’s out there. Turns out, you can stick these things on pretty much anything – hats, jackets, even your shirt collar. Some people put them on their wrists, some on the neck of dresses. One dude even mentioned putting it on a denim jacket collar or pocket. And some are like really shiny and fancy, made with rhodium plating and clear paste rhinestones and some are just simple.
After getting a feel for what I wanted, I decided to go with a fish design. I don’t know why, it just felt right. So I began sketching out a basic fish shape. Nothing too complicated, just something that looked like a fish.
Next, I grabbed some materials. I used a piece of scrap metal I had lying around. This is important, make sure the clasp is secure. First, I cut the metal into the shape of my fish. This took a bit of time, because I was using a hand saw, but I eventually got it done. Then I smoothed out the edges with a file so it wouldn’t snag on anything.
Once the basic shape was ready, I needed to make it look a bit more interesting. I found some green rhinestones for the eyes – just like those fancy flying fish fur clips I saw online. I carefully glued them in place. I also added some texture to the body by hammering in some small indents. I tried to give it a bit of a scaly look, though it ended up looking more like a bumpy fish, which was still pretty cool, I guess.
The last step was attaching the pin part. I used a small pin back that I salvaged from an old button. I soldered it onto the back of the fish, making sure it was nice and secure. I tested it out on an old jacket to make sure it wouldn’t fall off. The pin should go through the fabric without causing visible damage. That’s what one of the web articles said.
Here’s a quick rundown of the steps:
- Sketch the fish design.
- Cut the metal into the fish shape.
- Smooth the edges.
- Glue on the rhinestone eyes.
- Add texture to the body (optional).
- Solder the pin back onto the fish.
And that’s it! It’s not perfect, but I’m pretty happy with how it turned out. Now I have a unique fish brooch pin that I can wear on my hat, jacket, or wherever. It’s a fun little conversation starter, and I like that I made it myself.
