We Love Stamping on Aluminum!

We get a lot of questions each week about Aluminum. Can you tumble it? Does it scratch easily? Does it bend because aluminum is so soft? Does it stamp all the way through? We have tested it all and can confidently say that we LOVE working with aluminum!

Yes, you can tumble Aluminum. In fact, we threw 15 different shapes in the tumbler last week with a couple drops of Shine Brite and forgot about them for more than two hours. When we took them out, the edges were smoothed out and they were brilliantly shiny!

Our Aluminum Blanks do not bend easily. They are 18 gauge because we didn't want them to be flimsy. They are super soft for stamping and the impressions darken perfectly with a Sharpie. For any of you who have stamped on Nickel Silver and find it a little tough, aluminum is easy to stamp and you will be able to get even impressions. And don't worry about stamping all the way through the metal since it is 18 gauge.
    
Aluminum can scratch, just as Sterling Silver does if your pendant is rubbing up against another blank, but you can apply a coat of Renaissance Wax or a couple coats of Jewelry Shield to eliminate that problem. You can also give your aluminum a beautiful matte finish by buffing it with Steel Wool. Then you won't have a scratch or fingerprint in sight!

When it comes down to it, aluminum is a great base metal alternative to sterling silver. Typically folks have no allergic reaction to this metal and you will not have the tarnishing problem that you may with Nickel Silver. It is comfortably lightweight and has a thick, expensive look to it.

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