Daily Wire Tip March 6: Tips for Working with 18G Wire

Daily Wire Jewelry Making Tip
March 06, 2010

Question:

I found some cuff bracelets made with very large gauge (18) wire & am trying my hand at it. Any tips you can give me on working with it? Some design ideas would be great, too. I plan to mount a large focal stone in the center & am not really sure how to do it right.

Answer:

If the 18g wire you plan to work with is round, be prepared for some denting of the wire with your pliers, as with a round surface there is no way to firmly hold large, round wire with a flat surface (like the inside of pliers) and not dent it. If the wire is square and half-hard, you should have very few problems with dents as long as your frame is made ‘on the square’.

Regarding adding cabs to the design, personally I would set my stone separately and then attach it to the frame (similar to the bracelet design on my book cover) or set the cab first, making the frame in 2 pieces, side-to-side, and where it joins on each side (like where you would normally put a bail) make sure the wires are long enough to be incorporated into the entire bracelet bundle. If done in this manner, the bracelet frame will usually have to be shaped to be able to incorporate the stone, by bending the wires out and around while planning the main bundle, so the stone has room to be placed between them before taping and then wrapping the entire bracelet.

Of course, I suggest that you make the actual pattern you are looking at first, so you are familiar with how the designer/author suggests making their design, before you plan to alter it.

Answer contributed by Dale “Cougar” Armstrong

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2 Comments

1. 

   Mary

   March 8, 2010 at 1:20 pm

   Wow, another loaded question. Hmm, seems to me you definately need to perhaps order Dale’s book and have all the answers to your questions at your finger tips. Design ideas, sizing of wires, instructions, etc. Well worth the price as an investment in your wire jewelry endeavors.
2. 

   Melody Schmidt

   November 9, 2011 at 10:20 pm

   I would definitely get Dales book if I were you. It’s a fantastic book. Lots of information.