Making Copper Wire Earrings. Lora S. Irish

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СКАЧАТЬ pressure of your fingers. After the link is created, it can be work-hardened by lightly tapping the link for about one minute with a nylon mallet.

      Brass wire is very hard and needs even, strong pressure to create smooth bends. Brass does not tarnish and retains its bright yellow tone for years.

      Aluminum wire is available in a range of hardnesses, from very soft craft wire to harder hardware wire.

      Stainless steel wire is a hard wire that can be bent using jewelry tools and a little extra pressure. The metal does not tarnish over time, retaining its bright appearance.

TOOLS

       WIRE CUTTERS

      Several kinds of wire cutters can serve different purposes. If you only have a budget for one wire cutter, make it a flush cutter.

      1 The inner face of a flush cutter is V-shaped to create a sharp cutting edge. The outer face is flush, which leaves a flat, smooth cut on the end of the wire. Plus, the fine tips of a flush cutter allow you to reach into tight spaces. These cutters leave the cleanest, flattest end cut to a wire.

      2 The outer face of an end cutter is curved so that only the cutting edge touches the wire. This tool allows you to clip the wrapped loops parallel to the main wire.

      3 Side cutters are heavy-duty cutting tools, able to handle thick-gauge wire, like 16-gauge and thicker, easily.

      The flat, outer side of a pair of flush cutters is placed against the jewelry piece, with the V-shaped inner cutting edge facing away from the finished project.

      Side cutters have a very deep V-shape on the inner cutting edge. The outer edge also carries this V-shape. The final cut will carry the V-shape and may need extra sanding to smooth the cut wire end.

       CHAIN-NOSE AND BENT-NOSE PLIERS

      Chain-nose and bent-nose pliers ensure you keep a firm grip on the wire you’re working with. You should have a pair of chain-nose pliers as well as a pair of bent-nose pliers.

      4 Chain-nose pliers are available with smooth inner gripping surfaces or finely textured inner surfaces that give greater gripping power. Be careful, though: textured inner surfaces can leave fine scratches on the wire.

      5 This particular pair of chain-nose pliers includes a handy side cutter at the base of the pliers’ arms, allowing it to do double duty.

      6 Bent-nose pliers have special angled noses that allow them to get into tight, hard-to-reach areas. Like chain-nose pliers, they are available with smooth or textured gripping surfaces.

      The flat inner surface of any pair of straight pliers allows you to create crisp, angular bends, like the right-angle bend shown here.

      Bent-nose pliers have curved noses that can allow for a more flexible grip and angle of approach for tricky wraps.

       ROUND-NOSE PLIERS

      Round-nose pliers allow you to create perfect round shapes and curves because both arms are cone-shaped to provide a graduated surface on which you can bend circular elements. If you only have a budget for one pair of round-nose pliers, make it a medium-sized, smooth pair.

      7 Smooth-surfaced round-nose pliers do not mar or damage the wire as you turn loops.

      8 Textured round-nose pliers have cone-shaped arms that are textured with a fine grit pattern. The extra texture makes bending heavy-gauge wires easy but can potentially mar delicate metals.

      9 Round-nose pliers are available in a variety of sizes—from extra small for creating tiny jump rings, like this pair, to extra large for creating miniature hoops.

      Where you position the wire in the graduated, cone-shaped arms of a pair of round-nose pliers will determine the diameter of the circle you are creating. Close to the tip results in smaller loops; close to the base results in larger loops.

      Round-nose pliers can be used to create U-bends, end loops, and mid-wire circles (as shown here).

       NYLON-JAW PLIERS

      10 A pair of nylon-jaw pliers will make working with spooled wire frustration-free and is an essential part of your toolkit. These straight, wide-armed pliers have a nylon pad that prevents the pliers from scarring the wire. Whenever you use a new wire, pull it through a pair of nylon pliers first to ensure that the working wire is straight and without the small bends that naturally occur from being wrapped on the spool. Roll off a length of wire from the spool, grip the wire close to the spool with the pliers, and then pull the pliers to the end of the wire.

      As you can see on this pair of pliers, the nylon pads on some nylon-jaw pliers can be replaced if the pads become damaged over time.

      Because of their extra-wide surface, nylon-jaw pliers are perfect for gripping very large curves, spirals, and bends as you work earring links.

       FILES, HAMMERS, AND ANVILS

      A file is essential for ensuring your earrings are clean and polished. Hammers and anvils, while not essential, will allow you to diversify the effects you create in your earrings.

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