IRON KNIGHTS METAL WORKING

Wire Jewelry Tips Of The Week January 11Th-17Th

 

Question:

How do you have your supplies organized in your workshop? I am trying to decide how to organize my supplies and can't decide if it would be better to organize by type, size, color, gemstone or some other method. Could you provide advice on this?

Answer:

Loaded question! As you asked how I have my supplies organized, thus this answer: I use hardware organizers for my beads, which are separated into crystals, gemstone, metal and others. Each category has its own hardware cabinet and they are divided by color, where one row across is all pinks, one all blues, etc, and arranged from clear/white down to purples and then blacks, according to the order of a rainbow.

My metal beads and findings are in another hardware cabinet and divided by color and size heading down. First drawer is 2 and 2.5mm, the next 3mm and so on; clasps/toggles and ear wires, etc have their own drawers divided by color. For findings & metal beads I have small pieces of card stock labels taped to the front, inside of each drawer. (Beads I just look for the color through the drawer fronts.)

Cabs are all inside glass topped, knife display cases, organized by color and gemstones are (unfortunately) everywhere! Some are in individual baggies in a hardware cabinet (organized by color and type so blue topaz is separate from white topaz, etc), some are in trays of individual little gemstone boxes with see through tops and others are in their own boxes in the safe.

If you scroll down to the last third of the article here, you will see some of the storage ideas our faculty uses in their own work spaces: http://wire-sculpture.com/wire-jewelry-artists/280/setting-up-your-jewelry-making-work-space/ And here you’ll see more ideas on how to organize, label and store supplies: http://wire-sculpture.com/jewelry-making-blog/533/storing-small-supplies-for-travel/

I’ll bet that while you are organizing, you will find some really cool things that you forgot you had (and new design ideas will pop into your head) so be sure to have a notebook nearby and have fun!

Question:

I have been struggling for years with holding bundles of wires together for wrapping. Tape is irritating and messy, waste wire does not hold well, and can let the bundle slip.
A few weeks ago, I was getting ready for a show, and being impatient, began using a pair of hemostats (the ones sold for fishermen to extract hooks) for their clamping action. I ground off the jaws smooth, put on tape, and they work well for wrapping up to four wires. Is there any tool I can buy that will clamp small groups of wire?

Answer:

Although I have rarely had issues using either 3M painter's tape or white quarter-inch quilter's tape, I know some folks like to use clamps to hold their wire bundles together. Wire-sculpture does have a small rubber clamp http://wire-sculpture.com/jewelry-table-vise/Small_Rubber_Head_3_Inch_Quick_Clamp_Pack_of_1-3491-0.html  Another option would be to go to a hardware store and just look around. Sometimes you will be amazed at the new ideas you'll come up with!

Question:

How do you store unused wire to stop kinks?

Answer:

Hi folks. Well, this comes down to a bit of organization and preparation.   If you recall back in September 2009 Sherrie Lingerfelt gave us a great video tip that showed us how she stores and organizes her wire. This little tip will keep you from getting the dreaded “wire kinks” in the first place.   Watch that video here.  “Organizing ALL of Your Jewelry Wire“

So, get those unused wires organized in a bag, in your envelopes and store it in a case. Don’t forget we have another video that shows you how to straighten wire with your fingertip.
Watch that video here. "Straightening Your Jewelry Wire"

Perhaps soon we can discuss in video on how to address a wire that is truly kinked.  Do we cut it out and throw out the kink or do we get creative?  To be continued..

Question:

I do a lot of chain maille projects. I make my own rings with a pro ring maker out of gold filled and sterling with a copper core. What medium works best in a tumbler to remove the burrs on the cuts? Should I use rouge in the tumbler?

Answer:

Under 'Caring for Your Wire', we have a newly updated article all about tumbling that includes advice from our chain maille friends: http://wire-sculpture.com/wire-jewelry-artists/269/tumbling-your-jewelry/

Question:

I saw your response about setup. Your outdoor setup only has a top but no sides.  How do you handle the wind?  I have a real problem with outdoor shows, even with sides to my tent. My displays, even when I weigh them down fly around.

Answer:

I do have sides, but as I prefer to let in as much light as possible, I only put the sides up when absolutely necessary and at night.

Question:

Is it ok to use a welding compound to put a tiny object on a wire design that is not one that I want to make with a part of the wire?

Answer:

By 'welding compound' I am thinking that you mean a substance like JB Weld. If you are good with the process of using this material and can do it in a neat fashion, give it a try and let me know how it works so I can share with the others here. Personally I prefer to remain a ‘purist’ in this art form and would figure out a way to use wire to attach the item.

Question:

Im not sure what thickness to use. I have a 22 gauge craft wire that is too thin.I want a thicker wire. Do I go higher in number or lower. I thought that the higher numbers are thicker but  on this website (Wire-Sculpture.com) the higher numbers (say 26 gauge) are cheaper than the lower numbers (22 guage). So I am confused. Shouldn't the thicker wire be more expensive since it has more silver in it? Am I incorrect in thinking that the higher numbers are thicker.

Answer:

Wire sizes do get smaller as their gauge number gets larger. For example, a 12 gauge wire is 2.88mm or 0.11 inch across, whereas a 24 gauge wire is only 0.511mm or 0.02 inch across. Round wire will appear smaller than square wire because the distance that determines the gauge/size is measured across the center of the wire. Wire-sculpture does have a chart that shows wire gauge conversions:  http://wire-sculpture.com/pages/All_About_Wire.html

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Jewelry Making Tools

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