Daily Wire Jewelry Making Tip for
October 6, 2011

Question:

When making jump rings, which is best to use, hard or half hard wire?

-Devree in Virginia Beach, Virginia

Answer:

Hello Devree, depending on how many you need, making your own jump rings can either be very satisfying or very frustrating. Basically, if you use a heavy gauge wire like 16 or 18, you would want to use soft or half hard wire. For smaller gauges, you might want to try full hard, but because the wire hardens so quickly (except for copper) when it is bent, that half hard is more than adequate.

If you are going to be putting your jump rings into a tumbler to harden and clean them, either before or after the work is completed, then it really doesn’t make any difference as half hard and full hard will both become harder. When I need just a few jump rings for a piece, I usually use half hard.

Related: All Tips of the Day mentioning Jump Rings

Answer contributed by Dale "Cougar" Armstrong

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Daily Wire Jewelry Making Tip for
September 20, 2011

Question:

Which wire temper should be used for making rings (in general), dead soft or half hard?

-Barbie in Girard, Ohio

Answer:

Hi Barbie, this is a tricky question! Most traditional wire rings are made using half hard wire, but as you will read below, soft is perfect for some designs.

The classic Pharaoh’s cabochon ring is generally made using half hard wire, however when using a fragile stone like an opal or malachite it is smart to mix the tempers, using soft wire where the wire crosses the top of the stone.

The traditional Prong Ring is best made using half hard wire because the wires the prongs are made of must be able to keep their “spring” to hold the stone in its setting. (No, in my opinion soft wire cannot be substituted for the creator’s “ease,” because it will not hold up!)

My personal designs, both the Anything Cocktail and Filigree Pearl rings are best made using half hard wire, again for construction stability in the artist-created filigree as well as for locking in the snapsets.

When working on ring designs such as the Crystal Wave ring, soft wire is necessary because the design process depends on the shape being “stretched” as the ring is created (which also hardens the project while it is being made).

Simple single or multiple bead rings created for children or as adult pinkie or toe rings can easily be made in soft wire, as well as button ring designs.

In my personal opinion, I guess the easiest way to determine which temper of wire should be chosen for a ring design is to think about the “reason” for the ring. Will the ring be worn on a regular basis? Is the design large and/or ornate? Is it to be worn by a man or a woman? I am sure that there are many wire artists who have their own preferences, however I have been making and selling wire rings for about 18 years and the above is based on my experience and many happy customers. Properly made and sized wire rings are very popular. Have fun with them, but make sure when you sell one that it is a “stable” product.

Answer contributed by Dale "Cougar" Armstrong

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Daily Wire Jewelry Making Tip for
June 9, 2011

Question:

Hi Dale, I just made a wire bangle bracelet out of square half hard wire. How do I harden it to retain its shape? I’m new at this and don’t have a clue! Thanks.

-Lisa in Beaverton, Oregon

Answer:

Congratulations Lisa! You have just made an heirloom piece of jewelry.

It has been my experience that when a bangle bracelet is created from square half hard wire, there is no need to find additional ways to harden it. As you wrapped the wire bundle, the wrap wires hardened, which will keep the main construction firmly together. After finishing the bundle, while you shaped the bracelet around either a found item or a mandrel, the base wires were hardening. Bouncing the clasp ends toward one another helps to further harden the formed shape. Most wire artists make their bracelets in the same oval shape as a human arm. In this manner, when the finished piece is worn, it shouldn’t spin around easily, which could cause the bracelet to lose its shape.

Of course there are some folks who like to play it safe by putting their finished jewelry into a tumbler with a bit of burnishing compound or Dawn dish detergent and mixed steel shot to get a final shine and further harden their finished creation. The choice is yours!

Answer contributed by Dale "Cougar" Armstrong

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Daily Wire Jewelry Making Tip for
April 21, 2011

Question:

I want to buy some half hard practice wire in a store, but can’t find where on the spools that says it is half hard or not. Is there a different word or number that is used for whether it is half hard or not?

-Betty in Binghamton, New York

Answer:

Betty, most craft wire purchased in stores does not state the temper or hardness, and about all of the wire in stores is dead soft. When you purchase jewelry making wire from a supplier, the temper might be labeled with a number. As shown in the table below, Half Hard is designated by the #2.

The most-used wire tempers in wire jewelry are dead soft, half hard, and spring hard.

Answer contributed by Dale "Cougar" Armstrong

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Daily Wire Jewelry Making Tip
June 04, 2010

Question:

I am trying to make the bracelet that is the first project on your Beginner’s DVD.  I am having great difficulty keeping all the wires together.  I keep straightening the wires, and yet the wires do not lay flat.  What am I doing wrong?  I am using 21-gauge half round half hard sterling silver wire and gold plated wire.

Answer:

The first thing I saw in your question was that you are using half-round wire for the bindings. Please try this design using the wire shape called for: half-hard square. If your base wires are not as straight as they can possibly be, then while making the bracelet bundle, at least make them all go in the same direction. In this way when you draw them up through your hands while taping, they should lay together nicely, as you are forming a ‘plank’. When using the power of square half-hard wire to wrap, even if your bundle is slightly curved, the wraps should be strong enough to bind the plank-shaped bundle. (If you insist on using a small half-round, half-hard, be prepared to add a LOT more wraps than the design calls for, as this gauge is not strong enough to do the job you expect it to.)

On any pattern, if you are beginning, please follow the author’s specifications regarding wire gauges/tempers/shapes, as we do this for a reason – they work! When you have become proficient with a technique, then you can try to alter the design/wire tempers, shapes & gauges to make variations of that design.

Answer contributed by Dale “Cougar” Armstrong

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