Fall is when the leaves come down and the kids return to school and our lives shift from leisure trips and backyard get-togethers to more indoor activities.  This is also the time of year when we take more interest in enhancing our careers and our hobbies.  On the topic of wire jewelry a new season is afoot and inspiration for creating new jewelry pieces has arrived.  How will you take advantage of the season?

We thought that we’d share some of our ideas with you here at Wire-Sculpture.com where we offer all of the jewelry making supplies, information and support that you need for your jewelry-making business or hobby.

We love the changing seasons because of the influence color has on it; moving in the fall to auburn shades, brown and gold and even black accents get pulled in surrounding Halloween.  Leaf shapes and harvest themes full of gourds and pumpkins and baskets of fruit, can each be a great influence for inspiring new pieces.  And it’s not too early to start planning holiday pieces either.

Texture is another element in wire jewelry design and fall brings to us a wide array of effect to capture in the art form.  For example, while we often think of fall as a time that presents a more course, aged appearance, influenced by falling leaves, it is actually preceded by the ripening of fruits and vegetables with their plumpness and burgeoning nature inviting wire jewelry makers to infuse abundance concepts into their pieces.

To apply the colors, textures and general nature of fall in your wire jewelry creations, take a walk in the woods, ride a bike down a lane, watch the geese fly south and take notes about the reflections you gather while doing these things.  Then consider the materials that express these reflections – what type of wire or gems or beads will you select  that will bring to life the essence of these fall influences?   What size and shape will contribute to the overall piece considering it being the fullest, roundest season?  For ideas on how to translate the fall season into wire jewelry, be sure to peruse www.wire-sculpture.com for more information.

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Making wire jewelry can be a fun hobby for many people and for yet others, an actual business venture that includes financial gain on top of enjoyment. It can however be a challenge to make the leap from hobbyist to jewelry maven (or jewelry man). This article will introduce you to the various tools and materials you will need to get your jewelry making vocation a jump start!

First of all when launching into the jewelry business you will need to have a “space” that makes you feel like a business, setting up a workshop / area where you can organize your materials, tools, supplies, and finished products.  Storage will be very important so that you can keep track of inventory and find things quickly.  Don’t forget to consider your workshop choices since lighting, a quiet place, a comfortable chair and a secure location will be important to you.

You will also need to get a business license, a business banking account and start identifying wholesale bead and wire outlets that reduce your cost of goods sold.  You’ll need to account for your income and expenses and package your business and products in marketing materials and that includes having a website built, printing business cards, and learning how to interact online in social networking destinations. You’ll actually need to set up a store complete with photos and a shopping cart if you want to do business on the Internet in addition to other outlets you may have in mind.

When you are serious about making jewelry in a business where you hope to earn an income you will need a full range of tools and supplies including, a wide assortment of pliers and cutters.  Each of course has its own purpose and you don’t want to do short cuts by trying to flatten or straighten wire with round nose pliers when you should be using flat nose ones.  Again, don’t short cut the important stuff.  Buy the range and store them where you can find them easily.

You will also want, in stock, a variety of different sizes (gauges) of wire in various shapes and materials that provide different degrees of hardness and of course different metals.  Having this material in stock will allow you to respond to creative ideas or replicate successfully-created and selling pieces quickly.

You will want to stock your workshop with beads, stones, and other jewelry objects for the creation of your wire jewelry.  And of course you will also want to have a wide range of supportive jewelry-making items such as head and eye pins, clasps, and jump rings.

Go online and identify jewelry-making destinations to observe what they are doing.  Learn from those that are successful.  It doesn’t mean copy them; it means to adopt a proven way of doing things, just do it better!  Find yourself a name that represents your style and mission in jewelry-making.

After your shop is stocked and you’ve practiced your trade, you will still want to continue to learn and find new ways to inspire great jewelry pieces.  Look for video educational products from experts to help you continue to grow as an artist.  Take classes from a particular instructor that you admire.  The learning never stops no matter how confident you feel in the skills you have as an artist.  You will look back in a year and be amazed how much you have grown and this will continue year after year in the art of jewelry-making.

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Just what the doctor ordered!
This article will go into depth about the 5 steps of soldering.

Step  1:  Fitting

Soldering is much more challenging when the two or more pieces of metals to be connected together do not make a fitted “join”; fitted join meaning the smooth, built-in or even point of connection with the other.  The edges that will be soldered together must have a fitted match to ensure a secure and lasting bond.  In order to do this, filing may be necessary.  Make sure that the surfaces are free of dents, warping, and kinks.  If joining two flat edges together (butt join), it is recommended to bevel the surfaces so that the metal or wire is overlapping the other.  This will allow for a strong joint.

Step 2. Cleaning

It is important that your metals are clean, and free of dirt, grease, and oil.  This is because solder will not flow on an unclean surface.   Unclean surfaces include those with fingerprints!  Cleaning can be accomplished by pickling or sanding.  Pickling, a chemical process, is very effective.  In order to clean the metals using this method the following items are needed:  pickle, pickle pot, tongs, and tweezers.  Pickle is an acidic solution and can come in a liquid or powder form.  As for the pickle pot, an old coffee pot on top of a hot plate or small crock pot will suffice.  Once you designate your equipment as a pickle pot, it should never be used for cooking or brewing again.  After pickling, the metals need to be washed thoroughly in water with a little baking soda (a copper tong should be used to take the metals in and out of the pot–copper will not contaminate the pickling solution). Dry well.

A wet pumice stone and bristle brush or a clean piece of emery paper will also work for cleaning.  Use a clean pair of tweezers to manage the metals with after they have been cleaned.

Step 3. Fluxing

All areas to be soldered need to be covered with flux (unless using paste solder).  Each piece of solder should also be fluxed.  Soldering flux helps dissolve and prevent oxidation of the base metal.  It also acts as a wetting agent allowing easier spreading of the solder around the join.   There are many soldering fluxes on the market available for use.

Step 4. Solder Placement

Prepare a few snippets of solder; these are called pallions. With a pair of tweezers or a flux-moistened brush tip, place the solder paillon on the join.  Do not use more paillons than necessary for the join, as it is difficult to melt and remove as well as causing blemishes.  If excess solder does flow off the join, it can be removed by filing.

Step 5. Heating

Using a torch, carefully and quickly preheat the entire metal area evenly to provide solder flow.  If the solder is heated without heating the entire piece first, it melts and forms a ball that cannot enter the join.  Equally heat the two or more pieces that are to be connected together.  Once the piece begins to glow, the solder will flow and will fill the seam.  Working in soft light will increase your capability to see the metal glow.  Melted solder is attracted by heat and will always flow toward the hottest spot.  By moving the torch, you can target the solder to flow in the manner you desire.

After the solder has melted to your satisfaction, cool, and place the piece in a warm pickle bath to remove oxidation.  It can also be boiled to increase the cleaning time.

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