This vintage glass jar with a metal handle is a quite simple blacksmithing project that does not take much time to make. You will only need a nice little glass jar, a couple of metal rods, and a few old coins. You could use it as a tea light candle holder, for storing nuts, candies, and other small items, or just as home decor.
How to decorate a jar with metal
Materials you will need:
- Glass jar (height 10.0 cm, diameter 8.0 cm)
- 1 mm steel sheet 10.0 x 10.0 cm
- 5.0 mm black mild steel round bar (1.0 m)
- 5 old coins
- 1.0 mm wire
Tools you will need:
- Ball peen hammer
- Club hammer
- Long nose plier and flat plier
- Sheet metal cutting scissors
- Gas torch gun
- MIG welder
- Mini drill machine
- 2 metal cylinders to form the bottom piece (the same diameter as the jar) and the top (slightly smaller)
As the first step, I cut out a 10.0 cm diameter circle for the bottom piece. I put it on an iron cylinder and formed the edges with a club hammer. Then I took a 5.0 mm metal rod, heated it with a gas torch gun, and forged the handle. To attach the handle to the jar, I made another top part from the same metal rod using a smaller metal cylinder. Then I connected both parts.
In the next step, I decorated the middle part of the jar. Using the same rod I made a spiral shape around the jar. It helped me connect the bottom part with the top and gave me more surface to attach some blossoms as decoration.
Finally, I made three blossoms for the middle part and a tiny one for the handle. For that, I used some old coins. It is a great metal alloy and adds a slightly different color. So I forged the coins and shaped petals. Then I drilled a 1.0 mm hole in the middle of each blossom and attached them to the spiral using a 1.0 mm wire. Done! 🙂
