How to use your cup and ball tool, or is it a ball and cup tool? Some say it is the latter because one would use the ball side of the tool first; however, cup and ball seem to have a more effortless flow when speaking. It still does the same perfect dots in metal embossing, no matter what you call the tool.

It is essential to keep your ball and cup metal embossing tool at a 90-degree angle with your metal or pewter when doing the circular movement. Place your metal front side down onto a soft surface. Press the ball in a circular motion on the back of your metal or pewter, creating a round “bump” on the front of the metal or pewter. Be cautious not to go too deep and break through your metal or pewter. Turn the metal over onto a hard surface; you will now work on the front of the metal or pewter. Press the cup end over the ”bump” to refine the edges around the “bump,” again, paying attention to keeping your cup and ball tool at a 90-degree angle. You will have a neatly refined dot or half-sphere.

Use your MercArt ball and cup tool to frame a design with dots or a dotted border. You can create “rivets” using different sizes; emboss and refine the sphere or “bump,” then use a smaller ball tool and press down onto the “bump” to create a rivet. Creating rivets is only one of many ways to use the ball and cup tools as decorative accents in metal embossing.