Daily Wire Jewelry Making Tip for
May 12, 2011

Question:

Dale, I have some square wire in coils that I want to use for making wire bundles. It takes forever to straighten out. Any suggestions?

-Cecilia in Rochester, Washington

Answer:

Hi Cecilia, in my classes I have noticed that the main challenge folks have when straightening wire by hand, is that they put too much power into it! It really does not take a lot of strength to straighten wire. Please watch this short video, Straightening Your Jewelry Wire. Go ahead and watch it, then come back!

Now, let me verbally explain what you just watched. When you place your thumb on top of the curve and your index finger is placed under the curve and slightly to the outside of your thumb, when the wire is drawn through your fingers, the index finger slightly pushes the wire over the side of your thumb, thus “countering the curve” in the wire and straightening it. If you use a lot of pressure, and handle the wire roughly (especially with sterling silver), the wire will end up with lots of little “waves” in it. That particular piece should probably be used as a twisted wire, so it will straighten it easily.

Just be gentle and use bare fingers (meaning no polishing cloth) so you can actually feel the wire as you counter the curve. Practice makes perfect! Before long you will be able to easily straighten you wire without hurting with it or your fingers – then you may use a polishing cloth to clean as you straighten. I also use just a piece of t-shirt as a wire cleaner. Good luck!

Answer contributed by Dale “Cougar” Armstrong

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Daily Wire Jewelry Making Tip for
May 6, 2011

Question:

Could you tell me how to use an automatic wire twister? Can you twist round wire?

-Kathy in New York, New York

Answer:

Great question, Kathy, we put together this little video to demonstrate how to use it! This is a special tool we have made just for us, and it really makes twisting wire simple and straightforward.

 
Rose Demonstrating the Automatic Wire Twister

 

You can twist wire easily and reliably with an Automatic Wire Twister!

Here are some things to remember about twisting wire:

• Twisting square wire will give you a nice diamond-cut effect.
• Twisting round wire won’t change it – it stays round! Twisting 2 round wires together looks great, though.
• You can mix it up! Try twisting some round and square wire together for an intricate look!
• If you’re twisting several wires to be used in the same project, it’s easy to give them all the same amount of twist. Just count the seconds that you twist, and they’ll be identical.
• Don’t worry about twisting the entire length: you can only twist between your pliers and the twister. Just cut off the wire that was in the twister and the pliers for a totally twisted length!

There are also several other tools you can use to twist wire; see Getting Twisted for Dale’s review of several methods and tools!

Answer contributed by the WS Staff

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Daily Wire Jewelry Making Tip for
May 5, 2011

Question:

What is a wooden draw plate for, and how do I use it?

-Slava in Tucson, Arizona

Answer:

Slava, you’re not alone – we’ve received several questions about draw plates! A wooden draw plate is mainly used to reduce an item made from wire, such as a Viking Knit Chain, rather than the actual wire itself. Like a metal draw plate, this tool reduces the diameter and increases the length, but of the entire woven “tube”, rather than an individual strand of wire. The wood material allows the wire to slide easily without scratching or damaging the wire, even color-coated wire.

For our friends who also enjoy fiber arts, this process of elongating and smoothing a knit or woven chain is reminiscient of a knitter blocking a hot-off-the-needles wool shawl before wearing it – it makes a huge difference!

To help answer your question, we asked Albina Manning to talk a little bit about wooden draw plates. Take a look:

 
Albina and Two Questions about Wooden Draw Plates

You can learn how to make the Viking Knit Chain in Albina’s Advanced Coiling and Weaving DVD, available on Wire-Sculpture.com.

This 20″ Viking Knit Chain started as a much wider, 8 1/2″ column of woven wire!

Also, we had several great tips on using coated wire with draw plates: click Colored Wire and Draw Plates and scroll to the bottom to read some amazing tips from our readers!

You can find both kinds of wooden draw plates here. By the way, the vise Albina refers to for holding the square-shaped draw plate is not a pin vise, of course, but rather a tool like a mechanic’s vise that can be a third hand for you. You can find these kinds of vises in home improvement and hardware stores.

For information about using metal draw plates, click here: Metal Draw Plate Tips

Answer contributed by Albina Manning and the WS Staff

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Daily Wire Jewelry Making Tip for
May 4, 2011

Question:

Hi Dale, I’m curious about draw plates and how to use them. I purchased two draw plates somewhere about a year apart and both times the holes were huge compared to the stamped size they were supposed to be. I would like to know things like, can you pull gold filled wire through a draw plate or would it take off the gold? How long a piece of wire does a person start with? Do you have to heat the wire on every pull? I can’t find these or any other in-depth answers about draw plates anywhere and believe me I’ve spent hours online trying. I need almost all the steps involved in using a draw plate.

-Dean in Blaine, Minnesota

Answer:

Dean, the marked size of a draw plate hole is the outer dimension. When you are pulling a single strand of wire through a draw plate to make the wire smaller in diameter or a different shape, it is important to first make one end as small as possible (cut and file the wire end to a fine, thin point) so it will fit through the smaller-sized holes.

Square Draw Plate

Pulling by hand can be a challenge as the wire gets smaller. Folks who draw wire all the time will often invest in or build a Draw Bench (click for a picture). The most comprehensive information I found about drawing individual wire strands is this Ganoksin article, Wire Drawing Hints.

With regard to drawing gold-filled wire: because the gold layer is heated/fused to the brass core, the gold will stretch with the wire, and there should be no problem until you pull the wire several times through progressively smaller holes.

Using a wooden draw plate to reduce items such as Viking Knit Chain is similar to using a metal draw plate. Click to watch Albina Manning discuss wooden draw plates: How to Use a Wooden Draw Plate.

Answer contributed by Dale “Cougar” Armstrong

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Daily Wire Jewelry Making Tip for
May 2, 2011

Question:

I have some copper wire and brass wire that I think has become tarnished. It looks like dark spots along the length of the wire. Can this be removed? I’ve tried a polishing cloth with no change. What do you suggest?

-Kathy in Kilgore, Texas

Answer:

Hi Kathy, yes sometimes condensation wreaks havoc on wire of any metal. If it were me, there are two methods I would try on copper or brass.

One option would be to use a very fine-grade steel wool and run the wire through it several times to remove those spots, then run it through a polishing cloth. Yes, the steel wool can make the wire look scratched if you use a coarse grade, but a fine grade will give the wire a nice “brushed” appearance.

An alternative approach would be using rubbing alcohol. A reader, Rose in Georgia, had a similar challenge back in November, and I recommended dampening a piece of tee shirt with rubbing alcohol, then running the wire through the tee shirt, then a polishing cloth. Both are good methods to remove condensation marks – here’s a link to her original question: Water Spots on Wire. Good luck!

Answer contributed by Dale “Cougar” Armstrong

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