Daily Wire Jewelry Making Tip for
June 28, 2011

Question:

Hi Dale, I am looking at purchasing your beginners video #1 (the wire bracelet), and I would like to order everything at once to get started with the project. Where do I find the list of materials for that video? I know this info may be somewhere else that I have not found. Thanks for your help.

-Cathy in Alexandria Bay, New York

Answer:

Hi Cathy, yes there is a lot of information on the Wire-Sculpture website! To view any of the supply lists for our DVDs, go to the front page of Wire-Sculpture.com, and look on the left side of the page. There is a green banner called Jewelry Making Supplies. Under the green banner, look for Jewelry Supply Kits, and click on it. From the Supply Kits page, click DVD Supply Lists, and then click on the series and DVD you seek. The supplies for each product are listed at the bottom of each page. Now, the DVD supply lists do not always tell you exactly what length of each wire is needed for a specific DVD project (measurements are included in the DVD instruction sheet); rather, the lists give you the choices of metals in the gauges that are used.

All Wire Unisex Bangle (for supply kit, click here)

To make your first all wire Unisex Bangle, you will need no less that 6 inches of 18-gauge round soft wire, and 22-gauge square half hard wire. The amount of 22-gauge square depends on the size of your wrist and how wide you would like the bracelet to be. Based on an 8-inch wrist you will be safe to use 6 feet of one metal choice (like silver) and 3 feet of another metal choice (like gold filled) to make a bi-color bracelet, or you can use one metal for the entire bracelet and get 9 feet of your choice. I hope you enjoy learning the wrapping process, and enjoy proudly wearing your new bangle!

Answer contributed by Dale "Cougar" Armstrong

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Hi everyone,

Confession time.

No More Grounds

I was drinking my morning coffee yesterday, trying to find a good Tip for this morning, but I just couldn’t do it. It wasn’t the coffee’s fault; the coffee was perfect – a special treat, some beans roasted in Washington state that my friend sent as a gift. Here was my problem: I was staring at a page full of questions that I just couldn’t publish. Thinking about the Tips as a cup of coffee, I’d already enjoyed the whole mug, and all I had left were the grounds.

I know I’ve been sending you a Daily Tip every day for a while now. And even though they were really interesting and helpful for a while, lately you’ve probably just been skimming them and then deleting them.

Here’s why: for the last few years, people were asking us questions right and left! We were flooded by curious minds asking questions about wire working techniques, sales ideas, and even asking lapidary and rockhounding questions. But in the last few months, that flood of questions has nearly petered out – only a few questions trickle in a week, if that – and many times, they’re not even related to wire jewelry. I know I need to change something – I need to make the Tip of the Day better.

Here’s Where You Come In

I’m asking for your help. Think about it: What do you want to see in the Tip of the Day? Or better yet, what questions do you have for Dale Armstrong or other members of the Wire-Sculpture team?

Many people have written in to me, telling me they read the Tip of the Day with their morning coffee. I am so honored that you allow Dale and me into your inbox every morning. Please tell me how I can make our morning time together more enjoyable and interesting for you!

How to Help Us Out

There are 3 ways you can help me by sending me your suggestions and Tip of the Day questions:

1. Use the “Ask a Question” form on our website
2. Call our Customer Service number: 1-877-636-0608
3. Or New: Send an email to tips@wire-sculpture.com

If you have a couple (or more) questions you’d like to ask Dale, me, or one of our staff members, please send them in! If you don’t have any questions now, just let me know what topics you like reading about. For example, personally, I really enjoy reading information about the different gemstones and minerals, because I don’t have that background like Dale does – I really do learn something new every time I ask her about rocks! (We had a great time together in Tucson, as she introduced me to dozens of stones I’d never seen – amazing!) But that’s me – what do you love reading about? Let me know at tips@wire-sculpture.com.

I’ll Only Send You Tips if You Want Them

And one more thing – If you ever decide you would like to stop receiving emails from me, it’s very easy. Look at the bottom of every email from me: there will always be the words “Change Your Email Preferences” and a link called “Click here to unsubscribe from all emails.” When you click that link, we will ask you to confirm, and then remove your email from our email list. If you would just like to stop receiving one email series, though – for example, the Daily Deals, and you’d like to continue receiving Tips, please call us at 1-877-636-0608 or reply to this email with what you’d like, and we will take care of it for you!

Email Me

Thank you for taking the time to read this email. Again, please send me an email at tips@wire-sculpture.com with your suggestions on how to make the Tip of the Day better for you – as well as any questions about making or selling wire worked jewelry. We’re here for you!

Best Wishes,
Rose Marion
Wire-Sculpture.com

P.S. For the caffeine-inclined: If you were wondering, the coffee that my friend sent me is by Craven’s Coffee, specifically the Eastern Washington University Eagles Blend – I highly recommend it; it has served me well for many years, as it has as countless other E.W.U. alumni. What’s your favorite coffee?

Daily Wire Jewelry Making Tip
March 09, 2010

Question:

I recently had a customer ask if I have a “Blue Ocean” or “Ocean Blue” stone.  She would like a pendant made out of this stone  I can only find “online stores with chips” in already made products. I have searched the Wire Sculpture website for this stone and could not find it.  Do you have any idea what this is and where I can find it?

Answer:

Your question immediately intrigued me, as I had never heard of either ‘Ocean Blue’ or ‘Blue Ocean’ as the name of a natural gemstone. After contacting a few of my mineralogist friends and a bit of my own research, our results are: the only natural rock material named and called ‘Ocean Blue’ is a type of granite, basically a blue-gray color with bluish black streaks, that is most often used for countertops and the like. All of us know of many jewelry supply items that are named/called ‘Ocean Blue’ or ‘Blue Ocean’ as a sales technique; the ‘Ocean Blue’ quartz you can find is glass; AAA grade blue chalcedony, larimar and some turquoise and lapis have also been called by either name as well. You might give your customer a call and ask where they saw this material and go from there.

Answer contributed by Dale “Cougar” Armstrong

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Review by Rose Marion

Jewelry Making Tool Review: 4.8V Automatic Wire Twister

One of my friends in high school played the harp, and you wouldn’t expect it (I sure didn’t when she challenged me to a thumb wrestle), but playing the harp gives you very strong fingers! Harpists have to practice plucking a myriad of strings precisely and just hard enough to get the right volume and tone. Well, me not being a harpist, I have weak little fingers, and they just don’t like twisting wire. I lost the thumb wrestling contest, but lucky for me, I found this large automatic wire twister in the office today, so I thought I’d share my thoughts on it with you!

I’m really excited to share my review of our Automatic Wire Twister, one of the many jewelry making tools we carry. We have both the small (3.6V) and large (4.8V) versions in our office. The small version spins easily at 200rpm, but the large version can reach up to 400rpm. Both wire twisters come with rechargeable batteries, and have an average recharge time of 4-6 hours. Although the small one works great, I have to say I think I like the bigger one better!

The small wire twister fits easily in my hand, is fairly light for a machine that’s equivalent to my husband’s power drill, and can even twist itself in half, allowing you to operate it two ways (see below).

However, I prefer the grip of the larger power drill for my jewelry making. It fits snugly in my hand and has good grip-holding texture. Here’s a picture of the larger drill:

This drill has a larger battery pack for longer battery life and more power (twice as much revolutionary power as the 3.6V), so the drill itself has a more traditional “power drill” silhouette. The larger battery barrel at the bottom lets me rest the drill on the desk when I stop working, and it stays put—the smaller wire twister has a nifty rotating handle, but it will roll to one side when you put it on the desk. This way, if I’m working on a delicate piece with my fingers, I know exactly where my twister is when I need it again—I don’t even have to take my eyes off my work. You can even let the twister stay put on the table if you keep your hand steady on it, and feed the wire straight into the bit.

The large 4.8V drill operates by squeezing the on/off switch with your forefinger, regardless of which hand is your dominant hand. This is easier for me than the smaller drill, which operates by pressing the switch with your thumb (or, if you’re left-handed, it might be with your forefinger). I think the drill is pretty easy to use, and I really like the way it feels in my hand!

One last feature of the large 4.8V wire twister I noticed when I picked it up to use it for the first time: like my husband’s power tool, the wire twister has a key to change the drill bit. This key is stored in a snap-in compartment in the base of the battery pack, so it’s always handy and you’ll never lose it! This is helpful if you’ve accumulated several wire twister heads and you like to switch between them, or if you have other jewelry making drill bits that you use for drilling holes in metal sheets, reaming beads, and even unscrewing screws around the house! In contrast, the smaller twister self-locks, so it doesn’t even need a key.

Both wire twisters operate in forward and reverse, so you can twist your wire whichever way you like. Both wire twisters are completely battery operated, so you don’t have to worry about tripping over cords while working on your jewelry, or wasting time searching for a free outlet. Both wire twisters also come with A/C chargers, so when you’re through with your twister, just let it charge overnight, and it’ll be ready to go in the morning.

One of my favorite things to do with a wire twister is take a piece of square wire and wrap it with a ring or bracelet. Simple as it sounds, I love the effect just one piece of twisted wire can add. I also like to make rosettes with twisted round wire and add beads to make elegant necklaces. What are some of your favorite wire twisting projects?

Well, that’s all the scoop I’ve got on our automatic power twisters. As far as our other jewelry making tools, I’ve got my eyes on a new tool kit we’re putting together to review next—I’ve heard it’s got a nice case, a whole set of good pliers, and a ruler. I love being able to measure my pieces as I go, so I love that a ruler might come with the set. As soon as we finalize the set, I’ll let you know all about it!

Summary

3.6V Small Automatic Wire Twister

Twists at 200rpm

• Rotating handle for increased control
• Thumb operates drill (left-handers may use forefinger instead)
• Chuck is self-locking

4.8V Large Automatic Wire Twister

• Twists at 400rpm
• Flat base to rest on table
• Forefinger-operated
• Key operates chuck

It’s been snowing heaps along the Atlantic coast recently, as well as in other places, and I wanted to remind you that it’s not too late to enter Wire-Sculpture.com’s 2010 Snowflake Jewelry Contest!

Warm your fingers up, shovel off your workstation, and get out your jewelry making tools . It’s time to get twisting!

This year, we were inspired by the snowflake. No two are alike, and neither are any two wire jewelry makers. Here in Utah, snowflakes aren’t uncommon—in fact, there’s snow on the ground here now. Also, we’re enjoying watching the 2010 Winter Olympics are happening right now in Vancouver, B.C.—but did you know that at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, one of the symbols was the snowflake?

To enter the contest, all you have to do is create a snowflake using wire, crystal beads, and large-holed freshwater pearls, and send us pictures of it! Make sure you name your entry, too, and include step-by-step instructions. You can find a complete set of rules at the contest page, or at the bottom of this article, but don’t let them limit you—use as many cabochons, beads, and crystals as you like.

Speaking of cabochons, I think a sparkling druzy cabochon would make a beautiful center stone in a snowflake—what do you think? I bet you can come up with some neat effects by twisting wire, working with chain maille, or bezeling to create a piece that represents snowfall and winter to you.

Make a hairpin, necklace, ring, even a Christmas ornament—anything that reminds you of a chilly winter snowflake.

We’re excited to see your entries, and we’re also excited to award prizes! The Grand Prize has a $650 value, and the winner will get to be our personal guest at one of our Wired Workshop Weekends. In addition to prizes, two other winners, the Wire-Sculpture Staff Choice winner and the Popular Vote winner, will get a personalized review of their project from Dale “Cougar” Armstrong!

Speaking of Dale, she created her own snowflake for the contest. Check it out:

So make sure that you create, photograph, and enter your snowflake by February 28, 2010 at the contest page. We here at Wire-Sculpture are excited to see your design—we’ve loved the entries we’ve seen already. Stay warm and happy wire crafting!

Note: Please be sure to follow these rules; if you do not follow them completely, we will have to disqualify your entry. To qualify your snowflake design as an official entry, these are the rules to follow:

• You must purchase a selection of large-holed freshwater pearls and/or crystal beads from Wire-Sculpture to use in your snowflake design
• Create your own original snowflake design using only traditional wire jewelry techniques.
• No solder, glue or any type of adhesive is allowed
• Name your entry
• Send us two good pictures, one of the BACK as well as the FRONT
• Include the step-by-step directions, both written and photos as well as a list of the supplies used such as wire gauges and tempers, and any embellishments, etc. Click Here for an example of how the step-by-step directions should be.