Featured Tool of the Week: Third Hand with Tweezer HOL-165.00

Monday, October 31st, 2011 at 12:30 am

Tool of the Week for
October 31, 2011

This week’s tool: Third Hand with Tweezer, Item # HOL-165.00

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This week’s featured tool from JewelryTools.com is the HOL-165.00 Single Third Hand with Tweezer. This tool is great for soldering, because you can use the tool to hold one part of your soldering project while holding the other piece and the soldering tool in your hands. But I think that wire artists can adopt this tool for traditional wire jewelry, too! You can find this product on JewelryTools by searching for HOL-165.00, or simply click on its picture at right.

I’ve found this tool’s helpful when making coiling projects like Albina’s Golden Medallion Pendant. When I coil, I tend to grip the frame so firmly that it warps! (Oops.) With the third hand, it can hold the project for me, while I guide the wire with both hands, preventing kinks and work-hardened loops. Some models of Third Hands have alligator teeth, which can be tough on colored craft wire, so I just put some felt in the jaws and it’s good. (The featured tool at right has a smooth tweezer hand.) If you don’t have the space for a vise, or you often take your jewelry to friends’ houses to work on together, this is a great portable tool that will fit in your bag and sit happily on whatever surface you have.

Many styles of Third Hands come with a magnifying glass, like the ones on Wire-Sculpture! Great for hobbyists and small projects.

Click below to see HOL-165.00 on JewelryTools.com:

Wire-Sculpture also has several Helping Hands (click below):

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Daily Wire Tip May 31: Methods for Holding Wire Bundles Together

Tuesday, May 31st, 2011 at 12:10 am

Comments (12)

Daily Wire Jewelry Making Tip for
May 31, 2011

Question:

What are some ways you hold together bundles of wire when you are working on them?

-Kirsten in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Answer:

Hi Kirsten, there are a variety of techniques that can be used to help hold your wire bundles together. Personally, I prefer to use a tape that does not leave a lot of sticky residue after it has been removed. White quilter’s tape is my favorite because it can be purchased in a quarter inch width. There is one negative issue that can occur with white quilter’s tape: if the tape is old or has been stored in high heat it will become extremely sticky and need to be thrown away. For this reason when I am purchasing it, I take the tape to the check-out register and open it in front of the salesperson. If it has gone bad, I do not purchase it. Please be aware that quilter’s tape also comes in a green color that I do not recommend, because it has a lot more adhesive on it.

In my classrooms, I see a wide variety of tapes. For example, I had a student who once brought me some acid-free tape that is designed for use in scrapbooks, and another student had a small roll of pinstripe tape (used when customizing motor vehicles) both tapes performed very well. However, those who have tried using a paper masking tape were disappointed, because it sticks so tightly to itself that it is difficult to remove from a wire bundle.

Blue Painters Tape

Large, wide bundles of heavy-gauge wire stay together nicely by using painter’s tape. The Blue style has less adhesive than the Lavender, so in areas with high humidity I recommend the latter. Painter’s tape comes in several widths. One of my students prefers the wider version, and uses a sharp, thin blade (like an X-acto knife) to cut strips down the width of the tape while it is on its roll, so she can easily tear off the perfect size as she needs it.

Helping Hand (left) and Clamp (right)

A Helping Hand (weighted metal stand with an alligator clip attached) can be a useful accessory when you need to hold something small together and up, off your workspace. However, it can also be difficult to control, because you have to work with and around the unit, where it stands. In the past, other pattern authors have suggested using coated telephone wire to temporarily wrap wire jewelry bundles together, but to me this seems redundant and a waste of precious time. I have had a few students who like to use little Clamps with rubber heads to hold their wire bundles together. They do so with success; however, to me, the additional weight of having things hanging from my bundles is very cumbersome, and can bend the bundle.

When I have forgotten my tape, I have used many different substitutes! For example, grip or electrical tape (not recommended unless in a pinch, because plastic tapes stretch) and once, in an area with extremely high humidity, my class and I used strips cut off fabric-style band-aids! Whatever works for some may not work well for others, Kirsten. Experiment to find the product and procedure that works best for you!

I’d like to ask my fellow wire artists, do you have a suggestion for Kirsten? Thanks so much for sharing!

Answer contributed by Dale “Cougar” Armstrong

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Daily Wire Tip May 1: Pin Vise

Saturday, May 1st, 2010 at 1:01 am

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Daily Wire Jewelry Making Tip
May 01, 2010

Question:

I bought the pin vise that is featured in wire-sculpture.com.
Is this the same one that Cougar uses on her DVD’s from Jewelry Television? It does not look like it. The one she uses has a blue handle.

Answer:

A ‘sliding’ or ‘thumb operated’ pin vise can have one of two different heads. One model has a head that is cone shaped, and while the other version is round with a flat top. Both models have four jaws that meet at the top, which is where the wire is inserted. To tighten the vise around the wire, the sliding metal washer (for lack of a better word) is slid tightly toward the top, causing the four jaws to pinch together around the wire. The vise you are referring to as mine, is the same as the ones found on Wire-Sculpture, here: Sliding Pin Vise

Because I like to bring my own tools home after an event, I put blue painter’s tape around the handle to help identify it.

Answer contributed by Dale “Cougar” Armstrong

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