Wire Wrapping instead of jumprings...funny tools

Check out my picture trail (wire album) for my firsts. I'm still learning too.

-- Margie

auctions:

I can see from your wireworked arrowheads that I'm going to have to keep my honey away from your site or he'll be taking over my supplies! VERY cool stuff on your pic site! April :)

I Corinthians 13:13

OOPS...forgot to mention that the clover is a component! I've wirewrapped the danglies to it. But I'm sure I could MAKE the clover with a screw and a thumbtack LOL....just call me MacGyver ;) April :)

I Corinthians 13:13

Thanks April! Wrapping arrowheads is fun. Just tell your honey he has to get his own wire. ;=)

-- Margie

auctions:

Nice job! I can't wait to see what you do with the RIGHT tools! :)

Actually using a screw wasn't a weird idea, but a nail would have worked better. In jewelry school we made our own jump rings by winding the wire around a thick round piece of brass. Think ultra heavy gauge wire that is very stiff. I have also used anything handy for size variation, including pencils. The professional way to cut them is with a jeweler's saw on a slant so they close nicer, but I get lazy and sometimes use wire cutters.

For wire wrapping I often use my fingers, then tighten up with appropriate pliers ( I got all kinds).

Rebecca

so the clover finding, that thing opens up right??? cause i cant figure how else you could have gotten those thingies on there!!!

GORGEOUS, by the way ;)

alia

Do you mean my auctions? I'm afraid I can't take credit for that type of artistry, Sooz. I bought the lot from Rainbow, bead artist extraordinaire in my opinion and I would know because I drool over her bags all the time.

Do you really think I'm underpricing? I don't know, maybe I need to find a better market for them.

-- Margie

auctions:

I ran the auction ads past her sister first and she gave it a go. I even offered to include the URL to their website. She didn't think that would be such a good business move on my part. Anyone who inquires is told who told made the bags. I've even included the original business cards with the bag if there was one and most do have them.

-- Margie

auctions:

Forgot to add that "Earthly Treasures" is their business name, so yes I am giving credit where credit is due.

-- Margie

auctions:

Nope, I don't use plastic or Teflon pliers. In school we learned to put masking tape on the pliers ( and be gentle) if we didn't want nicks. We also used metal pliers that are meant for jewelers that have a smooth finish... not the ones with ridges inside them from the hardware store. For our vice grips we actually modified them by grinding the ridges down flat and then polishing them until they were smooth and shiny.

If you do get dents, use professional jewelers tools to smooth them out. I used a flex shaft with cratex for grinding, then went to smother grades for a finer finish, then used buffing wheels with Tripoli or rouge. If you use your fingers though and the store bought wire is already shiny, no need for fancy finishing techniques, though I do like to use a small needle file to get off any sharp edges from cutting the wire.

If you are hammering metal and don't want nicks, it helps to use a no mar mallet, such as rubber or rawhide. I prefer the rawhide myself.

If you take any introductory silversmithing type jewelry class you'll learn all you need to know about polishing metal. Yes there are good books, but making jewelry and working with all the tools can be dangerous. The books often don't have enough safety procedures. Some things are best learned in a college level or trade school class under trained adult supervision. Don't ask how I learned the hard way... but I have some nasty scars to prove it. You need to be taught by a pro who strictly emphasizes safety first!

Rebecca

Ohhhhhh - masking tape! There's a good idea! I keep torturing whatever shirt I happen to be wearing at the time! I wish I could go to school, but that's not happening at this moment in time, so I'm "making do" (sounds kinda funky - it was my Grandma's expression, don't blame me!) I sold my dremel in another ifetime, but I have this electric manicure set that was such a good deal at the time... It goes really fast, you wouldn't want to use it on gentle finger flesh (really!), so I'm thinking, why not? I'm learning as I go and maybe I'll stumble across some really cool method? I'm going to go look up Cratex and Tripoli... Thank you so much for the input..

vj found this in rec.crafts.beads, from "Lisa" :

]My favorite way of making jump rings is winding around a wooden dowel, then ]using my dremel cut off tool, then using the sanding belt that comes with it ]to remove any burrs. ] ]They close beautifully, and never scratch or catch. My sister is a buyer ]for a chain of jewelry stores here, and when the bench jewelers do custom ]work, this is what they use to do it quickly...they're the ones who taught ]me the quick and easy way.

thank you!

----------- @vicki [SnuggleWench] (Books)

's not what you take, when you leave this world behind you;it's what you leave behind you when you go. -- Randy Travis