Clean the door blanks with fine-grit sandpaper and a polishing cloth, or in a tumbler for 2-3 hours.
Find a pleasing portion of the Christmas tin, that fits in the window of the door blank. Draw around outside of door blank with a fine-point permanent marker. Cut tin with shears.
Stamp a word or phrase on the front door panel, and add texture as desired with the rounded end of a ballpeen hammer. Use the ballpeen hammer to texture the back too.
To make your pattern stand out, antique the brass pieces with Win-Ox™. Dry thoroughly and polish as desired. Don't wait until the end to antique your design, as Win-Ox is likely to react badly with the "tin".
Sandwich the tin between the 2 pieces of the door blank, align edges carefully, and hold bottom half in place with a ring clamp. Wedge clamp firmly to hold tight.
Continued Below...
In the top middle, punch a 1/16" hole through all 3 pieces. Slide a star onto the rivet, then through the 3 pieces, and secure with the riveting system.
Carefully decide where bar pin will work best, so a) its rivets won't go through the window, b) the ends of the bar pin won't show, c) so the pin catch opens downward, and d) so the pin won't droop when worn (i.e., put the pin as high as You can fit it nicely). Mark a dot for one side, and cut hole.
Align all pieces, and rivet one side of pin back. Double check placement of other hole of pin back, and cut and rivet the other hole for pin back. Rivet the bottom corners.
File and/or sand any rough edges if necessary.
Need a little help with the metal stamped portion, or the riveting? See these Free Printable Jewelry-Making Technique Sheets:
1 pkg of 50 [use 1] #38-304 Bar Pin, 1.25" (Nickel Silver)
1 pkg of 10 sets [use 1 set] #44-721-06 Blank, Wide Rounded Door with Round Window (Raw Brass) - this shape is no longer available, but we have a variety of other styles available - 2 of my favorites are linked, and the "related products" tab in each product has links to more.
1 ea #86-915 Renaissance® Micro-Crystalline Wax Polish
1 pkg of 100 [use 5] #69-920-01-2 Rivet, 1/16", Sample Pack (Brass) [1/8" length works for most tins; 3/32" length if not using the rivet accents]
1 pkg of 12 [use 3] #69-931-12-2 Rivet Accent, Star (Brass)
1 pkg of 12 [use 2] #69-931-12-8 Rivet Accent, Star (Copper)
