Etching

Etching was the first process that I tackled in my new metal adventures.  It doesn't require much equipment and the results are pretty effective.  I do an etching project with my highschoolers, but also had success teaching kids as young as seven at a summer camp. 

Here is how I do it:

I start by cutting a piece of sheet metal into the size and shape I want, then filing and sanding the edges smooth.  You could also skip this part and purchase "blanks."  I did this for the campers in the interest of time and also because some of them were to young to be wielding saws.  There are lots of supply sellers on etsy, I bought the campers some heart shapes and dog tag blanks from etsy seller gottagettadeal. 

For etching, you will want a fairly thick metal.  Most of my cuffs are 20 gauge, but I occasionally use 18 if the band is narrow.  The lower the gauge number, the thicker the metal.  I want my cuffs to be sturdy enough to hold their shape.

Now I add my design.  A permanent sharpie marker works well for this, but sometimes I use an acrylic paint pen.  I freehand draw my designs so none of the pieces are exactly the same.  You could also use a stamp.

Next, the pieces are placed in an acid bath.  I use ferric chloride, which is a salt.  The salt eats away at the exposed metal, but can't touch the parts protected by the acrylic paint.  This creates a relief pattern on the face of your metal.  I like to accentuate the relief by coloring the metal with a patina.
My favorite is a turquoise patina created by painting the metal with salt water and leaving it in an enclosed container with a small open container of ammonia.  The ammonia fumes react with the salt water and you get this:

All you have to do is lightly sand to clean and polish the high points, bend into shape and voila!