How to Make a Hand Stamped Washer Key Chain

Learn how to make a hand stamped washer key chain. With Father’s Day right around the corner, I thought this would be a great DIY project that even the kids can help make. Hello, Kenarry: Ideas for the Home friends! I’m Pam from The Birch Cottage and I’m back again this month to share yet another DIY project with you.

Before I share with you how to make a hand stamped washer key chain for Father’s Day. I want to share with you where this inspiration came from. My family celebrated a handmade Christmas this past year. We have been slowly moving away from an expensive commercial Christmas to one with more meaning for the past few years. You see, we want our children (all of whom are over 21 now) to have fond memories of Christmas and our time together as a family. We feel that it’s our job as parents to create opportunities for us to make wonderful memories that our children will cherish for years to come. (We hope!)

So, as we thought about what to make each of our seven children and their wives, boyfriends, girlfriends and grandchildren, I came across this necklace tutorial from 36^th Avenue and this one from Creations by Kara. They used washers to create custom jewelry. So, I borrowed these ideas and we made Stamped Washer Necklaces for our daughters. The design possibilities are endless. I also liked the idea of the stamped washer because you could customize the message on the washers for the gift recipient. Perfect!

How to Make a Hand Stamped Washer Key Chain

As I thought about what to share with you this month, those stamped necklaces came to mind and I wondered what I could create with them that would make a nice Father’s Day gift. Thus, the Stamped Washer Key Chain idea was born.

Stamped Washer Key Chain Supplies:

As with all projects, there are a few supplies you’ll need to get started making this stamped washer key chain.

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• 1/8” Letter & Number Steel Stamp Die Punch Set
• Small Hammer or Jeweler’s Mallet
• Solid Metal Bench Block or Vice
• ½” Flat Washers
• ¼” Flat Washers  (or washers of your choice of size)
• Charms
• Keyring Lobsters
• Black Paint Pen or Black Shoe Polish

I purchased this same die set on Amazon. Since we already had the small hammer and bench block, I didn’t have to purchase those. You really do need a hard, flat metal surface for the die stamp to work effectively. I also purchased my washers from Home Depot and the charms from Michaels. You can use whatever size washers and charms you like.

Now for the fun…

Stamped Washer Key Chain Instructions

Before you begin making your stamped washer key chain, you’ll want to decide exactly what you’re going to stamp on the washers. For the necklaces that I made for Christmas, I stamped “2018” on the ¼” washer and different words on the ½” washers, like “Believe” and “Imagine”. Since this is a Father’s Day gift idea, I’ve stamped “2018” on the ¼” washer and “Best Dad” on the ½” washer. You could stamp any message you want or use your child’s name or father’s name or whatever comes to mind.

Video Tutorial

First, I put together this video tutorial to show you how quick and easy it is to create this stamped washer key chain:

Step-by-Step Tutorial

The steps are pretty easy, but here’s a written tutorial.

1. Lay the washer on the flat metal block surface.
2. Line the die up with exactly where you want to stamp the first letter and give it a good whack with your hammer. I found that I had to tap the die a couple of times, while trying not to let it move. You’ll want to have extra washers in case you mess one up.
3. Continue stamping out the letters on your washers.
4. Apply a coat of black paint either with your paint pen or shoe polish; wipe off excess paint/polish.
5. Simply slide each washer onto the keyring.
6. Slide the charm onto the keyring.

Now, that was really easy, right? You could easily convert this stamped washer idea into a necklace for dad as well. I would recommend using leather or jute for the chain and follow the tutorial for assembling the necklace from Creations by Kara that I mentioned earlier.

More Father’s Day DIY Ideas

I’m sure I don’t have to tell you, but Kenarry: Ideas for the Home is a great resource for Father’s Day DIY ideas. Some of my favorites are the DIY Wood Clip Frames (pictured above) that Lori from Greco Design Company shared and these DIY Baseball Bookends (pictured below) that a reader named Virginia from Sweet Pea shared.

I’ve tried to be more intentional about sharing ideas for all the fantastic men in our lives on The Birch Cottage blog. So, if you liked this DIY Father’s Day craft project, you might also like these ideas from The Birch Cottage:

Man Hand Scrub

Fish Note Cards

7 Handmade Gift Ideas for Father’s Day

So, there you have not just one easy DIY handmade Father’s Day gift idea, but eight additional ideas and a set of free printable cards! I hope they inspire you to give more handmade gifts. I actually made several of these Hand Stamped Washer Key Chains this year. One for my husband and one for my son and one for my son-in-law.

And, as I mentioned, I made several of the hand stamped washer necklaces as Christmas gifts. Our daughters absolutely loved them! So, I’m expecting these hand stamped washer key chains to be a big hit, too!

Here’s wishing all the Dad’s a Very Happy Father’s Day.

Til next time…

———-

Pam is the creative behind The Birch Cottage, a lifestyle blog with an emphasis on family-friendly DIY projects, recipes, tutorials and family. An accounting clerk by day and a self-proclaimed Pinterest addict by night, you are sure to find creative ideas and meal inspirations at The Birch Cottage.

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Filed Under: Craft Ideas, Gift Ideas Tagged With: Creative Team, Father's Day, Gift Ideas, Mother's Day, Teacher Appreciation