Daily Wire Jewelry Making Tip for
August 15, 2011

Question:

Hi, I’m new to wire working and I purchased the Jump Start series. I also purchased the G10-22 sliding pin vise. I watched your video on using a pin vise, and when I try to do it the wire twists very tightly on the ends and not so much it the middle. I also tried it with my husband’s drill and it did the same thing. What am I doing wrong? Thanks.

-Shirley in Lafayette, Louisiana

Answer:

Hi Shirley, and welcome to our "twisted" world! I am always happy to help folks of any skill level in any way I can. Twisting wire is not very difficult and you are doing it correctly; however, different wires do twist differently. Most precious metals like sterling, Argentium® and gold-filled, as well as some of the base metals, all twist pretty consistently, and there is no "trick" to doing it. If you take a few minutes to read either the article on our blog Getting Twisted or the directions that come with our automatic wire twister, you will find many ideas for twisting wire combinations as well as the answers to questions you may not have thought of yet.

No, wire does not always twist consistently. It is the nature of the product. While you twist a piece of square wire slowly, watch it: the wire twists at each end first, and then in the middle. Occasionally, with lots of practice, you can twist evenly using a drill or automatic twister, but it is a rare event. If you desire a consistent twist, you have to plan for it by adding a half-inch or so to the overall length of wire you are working with and cut the tightly twisted ends off. But remember this is handcrafted jewelry! It is not supposed to "look" like it is manufactured.

I am glad that you enjoy the Jump Start series and I hope it gives you enough information to convince you to go forward with your new wire jewelry hobby!

Answer contributed by Dale "Cougar" Armstrong

Have a Question? Click Here to Submit Your Question

Click to Receive Daily Tips by Email

Daily Wire Jewelry Making Tip for
January 16, 2011

Question:

I have purchased your Beginner Series and am having a great time with the projects. My question is this: In your videos your twisted wire looks perfect from end to end. In other words, it’s not twisted more on the ends than it is in the middle. I use a drill and hold my wire with my pliers just as you show, but the wire twists much more on each end than in the middle. So by the time I get my wire the way I want it in the middle, it is way too tight on both ends. The orbit earrings using a 14" piece of wire is a good example of this. How do I get my wire to look as even as yours?

-Rebecca in Ft. Myers, Florida

Answer:

Oh yes Rebecca, twisting wire. It really is as easy as it looks, but due to the "nature of the beast"; my wire does not always twist consistently either! If you can, twist some wire veerry slooowly and watch it. You will see that the wire twists at both ends, each toward the center, meeting in the middle. This means that the middle does not twist as tightly as each end.

The only way to twist consistently is to plan for about 1/4-inch on each end to twist more tightly and then cut the ends off. For example, with the Orbit Earrings, cut your wire 15-1/4 inches long, and then cut in half. This will give you two 7-5/8 inch pieces. Your pliers and drill will each hold 1/8-inch, leaving the additional 1/4-inch on each end that can be cut off.

For lots more information about twisting wire, please see my article: Getting Twisted, and congratulations on your success, Rebecca!

Answer contributed by Dale “Cougar” Armstrong

Have a Question? Click Here to Submit Your Question

Click to Receive Daily Tips by Email

Daily Wire Jewelry Making Tip for
October 28, 2010

Question:

I am enjoying and learning a lot from your daily wire tips. I watched the tutorial video How to Make a Double Wrapped Hook. The demonstrator was using square 21-gauge half hard wire, which she said she had already twisted. I’m wondering if twisting wire is difficult to do and if it makes the wire harder to work with.

-Jane in Lake City, Florida

Answer:

Thanks! I will pass your comment along to Sherrie. There are several ways to twist wire, which can all be explained (with photographs) in the article Getting Twisted. The article also answers a load of questions you may have when you begin twisting. (And yes, twisting wire does harden it).

Sherrie also did a video tutorial showing Extremely Easy Ways to Twist Jewelry Wire. All of the WS Faculty members and I love to add twisted wire to our designs. I hope you do too!

Answer contributed by Dale “Cougar” Armstrong

Have a question? Submit your question here

Sign up to receive Daily Tips by email

Daily Wire Jewelry Making Tip
July 26, 2010

Question:

A few patterns I have call for 14-gauge “twisted wire,” with no further explanation. Does it mean a 14-gauge square or half round wire, twisted?

I also have one that requires 14-gauge round twisted wire. Does that mean 2 round wires twisted together, since round wire can’t be twisted alone?

And lastly, if the pattern calls for 13 in. of twisted wire, how long would that be before twisting?

-Jeanne in Waukesha, Wisconsin

Answer:

Without knowing exactly what the projects are, it is difficult for me to determine what another designer means by the terms you quote. Often, if you can look at a photo of the finished project, you can figure out what they are referring to. If you cannot determine the details in this manner, I would email the author personally and ask them, as unfortunately sometimes editors cut out what they feel are unnecessary details to save space in a publication.

I will try to clarify some of these for you though, just from personal experience.

I would say that “14-gauge twisted wire” refers to a square wire that has been twisted. I do not think that twisted half round wire would be a regular item, nor have I ever worked with a 14-gauge half round wire in that manner. For the “14g twisted round wire,” I would agree with you that it means 2 round wires twisted together.

Your last question, about how long to cut a square wire before twisting to end up with 13 inches, really depends on how tightly you twist it. I would begin with a 14.5 inch long piece if twisting rather tightly. When the wire is twisted to your desire, measure it and record the results in your designer notebook so you will have a reference for the next time.

Answer contributed by Dale “Cougar” Armstrong

Have a question? Submit your question here

Sign up to receive Daily Tips by email

Daily Wire Jewelry Making Tip
June 15, 2010

Question:

I want to use my Dremel rotary tool to twist wire. There is a chuck available that takes items with a circumference of 1/32 inch to 1/8 inch. How can I tell the circumference of a wire to know if it will fit in the chuck?

-Rebecca in Chelsea, Michigan

Answer:

Well, if you need to find the circumference, we’ll need to do a little math. Don’t worry, it’ll be easy! First, visit our Wire Charts page, and scroll down to find the Wire Gauge Conversion Table, which converts wire gauge sizes to inches and millimeters.

That chart will tell you the diameter of your wire; for example, a 20-gauge wire is 0.0253 inches in diameter. If you only need the diameter, you can stop here. If you need to find the circumference of the wire, take the diameter and multiply it by pi (3.14). Therefore, the circumference of a 20-gauge wire is about 0.0794.

You said that your chuck will take items 1/32 inch to 1/8 inch in circumference; that would be 0.03125 to 0.125 inches in decimal form. Because the circumference we found is between those two numbers, you should be fine to twist 20-gauge wire with this chuck. You can find other gauges that will work by using the same formula: Circumference = diameter x 3.14.

I will warn you though, that even using a variable-speed Dremel on the slowest setting can be way too fast to twist most smaller gauged wire, causing it to break. I’d recommend one of our Automatic Wire Twisters instead. Good Luck!

P.S.: To speed up your circumference calculations, I found a calculator here. Simply put in your diameter in the diameter box (the middle one) and click “Solve Others.” This will provide you with the circumference as well as the area.

Answer contributed by Dale “Cougar” Armstrong

Have a question? Submit your question here

Sign up to receive Daily Tips by email