I saw some painted pennies over on Pinterest and thought they were super cool looking, so I had to take a shot at it. They actually came out very nice–the photos don’t look nearly as well as in person for some reason. Anyway, after painting them I had to figure out how to mount into pendants and earrings.
The pendants were made from 1/16" black acrylic cut so the penny is press-fit in the center. Then I cut some 10 mil black polyester with a hole slightly smaller, to laminate to the front and back with Epoxy 330. The middle layer with the coin consisted of two parts separated by a gap to allow a chain or leather to pass through.
The earrings were made similarly from 1/16" black acrylic. The decorative ring holds the penny in a press-fit manner, then a 20 mil polyester matching piece with slightly smaller hole (to hold the coin in place) was laminated to the front. This held the coin in on the front side. I then domed the coin with epoxy resin, and after curing I attached another piece of 20 mil polyester on the back (with UV resin) to hang the pieces from.
Those look like the work of “Jobe Coins” . A guy that sells on Ebay. I watch his auctions and bid occasionally. I haven’t won one yet but someday I’m going to see one that I can’t live without and go to the floor boards bidding. I wanted a bicentennial quarter he did a few months back.
I think they turned out great! The dark blue really makes the design pop, especially the wording. I know you said the pics don’t look as good as in person, so is the printing more clear on the wheaties?
I used Ranger Vintaj patina, which is specifically designed for metal. I painted the entire surface, let it dry, heat-set with heat tool, then carefully sanded the surface with a combination of fine sanding blocks and rotary tools.
Yes, the pennies have weird light reflection that makes the lettering look darker in some areas. I think it’s because of the way I polished—too many angles were left in the surface. I should have gone over all the exposed metal with a fine polisher to take those reflections off. Next time.
what a cool idea! I have a lot of coins from different countries I collected while traveling. This would be a wonderful way to display them all, maybe as a coin necklace or belt. No drilling, and a perfect fit for the different sizes.
