Use this wire for coiling, weaving, binding, spirals, head pins, small jump rings and wire settings for small stones. Use for coiling, weaving, wrapping around stones, knitting and crocheting, balled headpins, wire wrapping small beads and briolettes.Ģ4 gauge is very versatile wire that is not recommended for creating open link chains. Still quite fine but is relatively strong. Not suitable as structure wires or used for open loop links. Work with this wire slowly as it can easily become kinked or break. The wire can also be used to weave and sew the base wires together, adding stability, strength, cohesiveness and texture to the wire jewellery design. Use the wires for coiling, weaving, knitting and wire wrapping very small light beads. Memory wire cannot be used for any projects that require wire wrapping.Ģ8-30 gauge wires are the finest, giving them a thread like appearance. It is also ideal for making beaded wine charms, rings, multi-strand bracelets and chokers. It is great for bangles or other loops because it returns to the loop it was made into in the factory. Memory wire is made from carbon steel or stainless steel. It can be used to wire wrap beads, create jewellery components and much more. Silver plated wire has a copper core which is then plated with final silver. If you want to oxidize your pieces, choose “bare copper” instead of “natural copper.” Use this wire for weaving only if you want to add a vibrant colour to the weaving sections. When purchasing copper wire, you want to make sure it is raw and uncoated without any anti-tarnish coating, or it won’t oxide.Ĭraft wire tends to break frequently. Copper can be annealed just like fine silver and sterling silver, and it oxidizes really quickly. You can torch copper and create balls on the tips of the wire, but the balls are pitted. Copper wire can be soldered with sterling silver solder or ready fluxed solder paste. It can be used to wire wrap beads, make jewellery components and much more. Sterling silver wire is difficult to reshape after a mistake, doesn’t torch as easily as fine silver does and will become darked in colour if annealed.Ĭopper wire has a lovely, rich colour. Once you start working with sterling silver wire, it quickly starts to harden, making it difficult to finish intricate details. This wire is ideal for use as a base wire when you want a structurally sound base such as a bracelet. Sterling silver wire can be used for making your own jewellery findings and wire wrapping, as well as making rings and soldering to create your own unique jewellery designs. Fine silver also melts easily, creating smooth balls on the tips of the wire. It can be reshaped if needed and anneals wonderfully.įine silver does not get as brittle as sterling silver does. The wire can also be used for findings, rings and wire wrapping. For this reason, fine silver wire can be easily shaped into intricate designs. This is because it is very versatile and comes in the largest variety of sizes.įine silver wire, also known as pure silver, is the most malleable wire. Round wire is the most popular and many jewellers choose to only work with round wire. Wire is available in a few different shapes including round, beaded, d-shaped, square and rectangular. You also need to ascertain how brittle the wire can become as you want to be able to use the wire without any breakages. When choosing wire you want to also be aware of differences between manufacturers when it comes to softness. Hardness means how hard the wire is, it mainly includes full hard, half hard and dead soft. Wire gauge refers to how thick the wire is, and the wire is thicker as the number is smaller. Wire is measured in either mm – which is the UK’s measurement guide, or in gauge – which is America’s measurement guide. There are genuinely two important aspects about the wire that you need to pay attention to these are the wire gauge and wire hardness. For this post, we will focus on the qualities of jewellery wire. Beading wire actually comprises of a multitude of tiny wire strands that are twisted together to form a strong wire. Using the right type of wire will reduce any frustration and of course, will allow you to make beautiful pieces.īeading wire is not the same as jewellery wire which is a solid strand of wire that is available in different hardness’s and thicknesses. There are so many choices available with each reel of wire having lots of confusing numbers on it. Wire comes in a wide range of sizes, shapes, hardness and metals. Metal wire is an important part of jewellery making and is often one of the first decisions you will need to make when you begin a new design.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |