One of our newest products is Steel Pattern Wire, great for making wire bangles, collars, and cabochon frames. You might find it a bit tricky to cut, because it’s tougher than Xurons and even Tin Snips – so we thought we’d take a minute and show you how we cut it in our warehouse!

Cutting Steel Pattern Wire

We’ve also heard from a customer whose Lineman pliers do the job; he said it just takes a firm grip. Some of our customers have found that using a bench grinder allows them to smooth the cut edges of the pattern wire, so it’s very dull and safe on skin. Of course, this depends on how you use the pattern wire: several wraps around a wire bundle containing pattern wire as well as square wires will help insulate the ends. Good luck – and we’d love to see your pictures of steel pattern wire jewelry on our Facebook page!

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Daily Wire Jewelry Making Tip

Question:

I recently purchased a parcel of faceted gemstones hoping they would be large enough to wire wrap. Unfortunately, they are all about 1 carat and below in size. What jewelry making method could I use to incorporate these gemstones that doesn’t involve soldering?

-Betty in Cocoa, Florida

Answer:

Hi Betty, I had to grin when I read your question because you say that the stones are 1 carat or smaller, which really doesn’t tell me what size they are, just how heavy they are. Carat weight varies greatly depending on the gem material. For example, corundum (sapphire & ruby) is a very heavy/dense material (density approx. 4 gm/c³), so a one carat sapphire would be a lot smaller than say a 1 carat citrine (density approx. 2.65 gm/c³) or any other quartz such as rose, lemon, smoky, amethyst, etc. The carat is a unit of weight, not size: a carat is defined as 0.2 of a gram, so there are 5 carats to a gram.

I am not going to scold you for purchasing what seemed to be a wonderful deal, however when buying stones for wire jewelry designs, it is best not to purchase “parcels.” We had a nice discussion on this subject a while ago, that I invite you to read: Buying by Carat Weight.

Now, that being said, let me tell you how you might be able to incorporate some of these tiny treasures into your wire jewelry designs. The best way would be to set each stone into a snapset and then use the set stone in your design. To make sure you order the correct size snapset for each stone, it would be best to use a caliper. We talked about this here: How to Measure Gemstones for Settings.

Setting a stone into a snapset is kind of fun, as shown in the short video tip below. Personally, I love using tiny snapset gemstones to accent a cabochon pendant. Now, go have some fun with your little sparklies!

How to Use Snapsets 

 

Answer contributed by Dale “Cougar” Armstrong

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Daily Wire Jewelry Making Tip for
May 17, 2011

Question:

I want to start making handmade earring wires and S-clasps in gold filled or bronze wire, probably 18 or 20-gauge. Should I be using half-hard or dead soft wire?

-Debra in Knoxville, Tennessee

Answer:

Well Debra, if you are making ear wires I definitely recommend using half hard wire as it has more ‘spring’ and ear wires can take a beating, or full hard if you can find it. Ear wires need to will hold up to the constant abuse they will take from putting them on and off. I usually recommend either 21 or 22-gauge round wire for ear wires; I wouldn’t use anything larger than 20-gauge for ear wires!

If you are using an 18-gauge for clasps, S hooks, etc, then I would use a soft wire, because 18-gauge will work-harden very quickly with tiny bends. If it does not harden to your liking when making an S hook, just harden it a bit with a chasing hammer and bench block.

For a very pretty clasp design, I’d like to invite everyone to view this Swan Clasp tutorial from our talented Faculty member, Albina Manning.

Albina Manning’s Swan Clasp

You’ll need:

• about 3″ 18- or 20-gauge round dead soft wire
• Flat nose pliers
• Round nose pliers
• Chain nose pliers
• Wire cutters
• Optional: 3-step pliers, hammer and bench block

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
April 24, 2011

Question:

I like the hooks and other plain clasp designs, but I am looking for something a bit more ornate. Any ideas?

-Julie in Salem, Oregon

Answer:

Julie, that’s a great question – here’s a video tip from Albina Manning, the instructor of the Coiling and Weaving DVD Series, to give you an answer.

Albina Manning Teaches a Fancy Split Ring

You will need:

• 2 1/2″ of 18-gauge round dead soft wire
• Wire cutters
• Bench block
• Chasing hammer
• 3-step Round Pliers
• Round Nose Pliers

Answer contributed by Dale “Cougar” Armstrong

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