Making My Wire Bundles For Wire Wrapping

My Work Area

Making Wire Wrapping Bundles

This is where we finished off last time. This is a pic of my work area. I do all my wrapping with a lap desk so I'm sat comfortably with all my tools and materials in easy reach.

I have the cabochon, the 4 square wires we cut, 1mm half round wire and my tools. I have laid out a bead mat, ruler, polishing cloths, a reel of red 0.4mm wire, my tool caddy containing - 2 flat nose pliers, wire cutters, round nose pliers, nylon jawed pliers, chain nose pliers, plastic hammer, wire straightener and a fine black permanent marker.

Making bundles of wire beforehand is a great time saver. I usually have a number of different length bundles ready to go in different finishes. You will probably want to measure your wires each time until you get the hang of it and then like me, keep your favourite sizes 'in stock'. I keep mine tidy in plastic tubes.




As I said in an earlier post, I don't like using tape unless I have to so I wrap my bundles with 0.4mm wire of an opposing colour. Tape leaves a sticky residue on wires and can't be used in this way to make up bundles that may not be used for weeks. That is one of the reasons I wrap with wire but it also helps in straightening the wires too. When we come to bending the bundle to create the setting for the gemstone they will also support and guide the bend.

Taking my four wires in my left hand I will hold them in shape and place the wrapping wire a bit proud of the top edge so I can tuck it in afterwards.
















I now wrap the wire around five times.

Cut the wire and tidy up with flat nose pliers giving it a firm squeeze. Don't use too much pressure or you may mark your square wires. We don't want to 'fix' the guide wires at this stage as we will be moving them around in the next stages.

Continue to make more wraps until you have a total of six around your square wires. You may find that the wires have a tendency to twist but that can be easily fixed using two flat nose pliers to make them straight again.

Using your ruler, measure and mark the middle with your permanent marker. You will find that it isn't really permanent and can be easily removed if necessary with a cloth and acetate free nail polish remover. This is the stage I will finish at if I am making bundles for future use and put them away. Not knowing how I will use a bundle I can't put the half round wire on as I may use it in several different ways depnding on the type of wrap I want to do, or even use different colour wire for added interest.

Basic Wire Wrapping Tools

My Wire Wrapping Tools.

I'd like to share with you the basic set of tools that I use all the time. When you first start out with wire wrapping you need very few tools. Our tools tend to be mostly pliers and cutters and for your first set of tools you will need wire cutters, round nosed pliers and chain nose pliers. As you go along you will add other tools to your kit and I have more tools that I have picked up to enable me to do things better or quicker  and I'll introduce you to them as I use them in the wrapping tutorials.

My basic tool set consists of the following -

Bail making pliers.
2 pairs of flat nose pliers.
Plastic jawed pliers.
A ruler.
A permanent marker.
Wire cutters.
Chain nose pliers.
Round nose pliers.
Wire straighteners.

Buying cheap sets of tools is a false economy. I appreciate that if you are just trying out the hobby you will want to keep your costs to a minimum until you know you are going to continue with it. I have gone through about four sets of tools so far and now buy the individual items as I am in a better position to understand what I need now that I have some experience wrapping.

I was given some very sound advice when I was starting out and that was to buy the best quality tools I could afford and then use them as little as possible. Very good advice indeed. I use my hands for as much as I can and use tools when I have to. In the beginning I had a 'death grip' on my tools that left all sorts of unattractive marks on the wires. You will need to develop a gentle touch with your tools for the best results.

How To Measure Gemstones For Wire Wrapping

MEASURING GEMSTONES FOR WIRE WRAPPING

There are quite a few different ways to measure your gemstones for wire wrapping. This is the method I first learned and is a simple formula to work out how long your wires need to be. This works really well for me. Don't get too hung up on accuracy at this stage. A little out either way won't hurt - you just have to learn to work with what you've got. I will show you how to do a very simple wrap something like the one on the left here.

For this example I have chosen a piece of Rose Quartz measuring roughly 30 X 25mm. It's a nice familiar shape to work with. The process for measuring uneven and asymetric stones is no harder and uses the same steps.

The first way that I'm going to show you uses masking tape. I have since moved away from any kind of tape as I don't like the sticky residue that it leaves on my wires. Tear a piece of masking tape that is longer than the gemstone is round. You can always rip off any extra. Start at the top middle and wrap the tape around the stone until you come back to the top again.

Fold the tape back so that the two edges meet and cut off the excess.

Wind the tape around the stone again to make sure you have cut it properly and it fits right.

Lay the tape out flat on your work surface and measure it. In this case it measures roughly 92mm so lets round it up to 90mm. Like I said earlier total accuracy is not needed for this type of wrap. Just about is good enough. I am so used to the size of gems that I like to work with that I now have wire bundles made up in 240mm, 260mm and 280mm. When I want to start work I pick out a bundle that is about right for the size of stone and work with it.

If you are just starting out the use of this formula will tell you how long to cut your wires.

Take the total length of the tape (90mm) and times it by 2 which will make it 180mm. Add 50mm to the total making it 230mm to allow yourself plenty of spare wire to bend around your bail to make it interesting and attractive. You may find you need more or less than I use but this is a good starting point for you until you get used to the type of wraps you are going to attempt.

The method I most use nowadays does away with the tape altogether. It is MUCH faster than fiddling around with tape.

I take a piece of spare wire and bend it roughly around the stone and twist the wire together.

This leaves me with a nice outline the size of the stone. I cut the wire near the twist, give it a pull to with my fingers to straighten it and measure it the same as I did the tape.



You now know you have to cut your wires 230mm for this stone. Simple isn't it?

In the next post I will show you how I bundle wires for a border wrap and the tools I find most useful.

How I Choose Gemstones For My Wire Wrapped Jewellery

CHOOSING GEMS FOR WIRE WRAPPING

I have been asked how I choose gems. It starts with buying. I am attracted to some stones more than others. Being a lover of bright colours I naturally buy more of those than any other. I buy what I consider 'drab' colours at my wife's insistence or because they were part of a bundle of rocks. Because I love to make pendants I pick the sizes of gemstones that are best suited. I do buy smaller stones either for dainty pendants or for rings. I buy many of my gemstones from www.jewellerymaker.com 
 as they are good quality and well priced. I do buy individual stones from suppliers in India and China either through direct contacts that I have built up or through Ebay.

When I want to start work I go to my stash of gems and look through them until I find one that 'speaks' to me. A stone that I am excited to wrap. In fact I will pick 2 or 3 stones and sometimes more to work on at a time depending on how I feel. 

I don't have a plan or a design in mind beyond the type of wrap I will use as I find it stifles my creativity. Once I have created the settings for the gem I start to have fun bending wires in interesting shapes until I am happy with the result. This keeps my designs fresh and constantly evolving. No two designs are ever the same using this method and I get to play with the designs. 

This is the reason that I very rarely take orders or commissions. I make what I please, creating shapes that appeal to me. I do sometimes get asked to recreate a design and I am usually happy to do so.

That's the basics of how I choose gems, on their beauty alone and where I get most of them from. Next I will go into the wires I use to wrap them. Where I get them from and why I use them. Please feel free to ask any questions you may have or if you would like me to go into greater detail on certain things. As I go along with the way I work and answering questions I will start to incorporate pictures, instructions, patterns and maybe even videos. Best wishes - Mark xx

Wires Used Most Commonly In Wire Wrapping

Wirewizards shared a link

.

November 6

Copper Square and Half round Wires

WIRE WRAPPING WIRES:

You will come across 3 main types of wire in wire wrapping but in many different gauges, hardnesses and colours. The 3 main types are round, square and half round. Largely, square and round wires are interchangeable and more a matter of preference than anything else though there are differences that I will go over with you. 

Half round wire is what I would consider an essential for my type of wire wrapping. Half round wire is 'D' shaped. That is to say flat on one side and round on the other. The advantage of using this wire with either round or square is that it lies better on the wires giving a firm, even wrap that is aesthetically pleasing too. You will see it in action when I come to basic wrapping techniques. 

Personally I use round and square wire in gauges (thickness) of 1mm (18 Gauge) and 0.8mm (20 gauge). I had to buy many different types and sizes of wires to find what I liked to work with best and what suited the type of wraps I wanted to make. You will probably go through some experimentation yourself before finding your ideal sizes. I like to use square wire whenever I can as I like the way it bends and twists more than round wire but you will have your own preferences.

Next is hardeness. Wire is available in different strengths. Hard, Half hard, soft and dead soft. For a beginner, dead soft is probably better to use. Some people only ever use dead soft but like gauge you will find your own preference. I use a mixture of Half hard to dead soft, sometimes even mixing them on a single piece. You can make dead soft wire harder by working it to give greater strength to your pieces.

Colour is more than just silver or gold these days. Wires can be had in almost any colour imaginable and can really bring out the beauty of the gemstones you will be working with. The more traditional colours used in wire wrapping are silver, gold, copper and antique bronze.

This is not meant to be an exhaustive explanation of all the types of wires  and their uses but as an introduction to be used with the next posts on basic wire wrapping techniques. As usual I am always available for questions or to clarify points of interest for you. The tools I have found most useful, how to avoid common mistakes and where to buy materials at good prices will all be in future posts.

I buy my round wires from www.wires.co.uk

 and www.jewellerymaker.com

 as they are good prices and the wire can be bought in larger quantities (100 metres and more). Another good source of wires is www.palmermetals.co.uk

 and I use them for most of my square and half round wires.

Best wishes - Mark xx

Wire Wrapping Designs and Basics

 Solar Quartz

WIRE WRAPPING DESIGNS

When I first started making border wrap pendants they would take me an entire afternoon. I have found ways of speeding it up and now take around an hour instead due to preparations. I would make the setting and fit the stone and then I would start to sweat it. 

You see, I may have been happy with what I had done so far but making the bail and twisting the spare wires into interesting shapes is where it could all go wrong. I didn't enjoy it much and breathed a sigh of relief when it was finished. I felt like a used tea bag - all used up. It was mentally draining! 

The act of cleaning and polishing the finished piece was like a come down for me allowing me to relax again. It was a wild ride and I was hooked. Quite a few pieces had to have the stones snipped out and ended up in the waste bin. 

As I went along and grew more confident in my abilities that last part that had worried me so much became the best part. 

I never know what I am going to do with the bail and wire bending until I do it. I found that if I planned it out too much I would have to follow my plan which left me open to self criticism if I didn't follow the design perfectly. I had to learn to let go and follow where the wires wanted to bend instead of where I wanted to bend them. 

I have enjoyed my wrapping enormously ever since and each one is a joy to make. This approach has served me well and allowed me the freedom to create wonderful freeform shapes. 

I make up bundles of wires in the quiet times, often when everyone else has gone to bed as I am a bit of a night owl. 

In one of my next posts I will show you how I measure a gemstone and calculate the amount of wire to use and how making up bundles can save you heaps of time when you are ready to start making jewellery.

Best wishes - Mark xx

My Biggest Wire Wrapping Critic

Wire Wrapping Critics

My best (or perhaps worst depending on how you look at it) critic is my Son Tom. When I hand him a finished piece he points out every little error, every slight asymetry when I go to great lengths to make my pieces asymetrical, and any small mark my tools may have left on the wires. As I try to explain to him, a little of me goes into everything I make. A little artistry, perhaps even a little personality. I am not a machine that can recreate anything perfectly. I make unique, hand made jewellery. 

Every gemstone I use is different and has to be as they have all been created by mother nature herself. I feel that this has a certain value that mass produced items do not. If your goal is to make your own jewellery everything you make will be special. Anyone can buy a string of gems, put a catch on it and call it hand made and they will be able to make it over and over again. Developing your own style is important so as you do not get lost and confused with every other jewellery maker but when you are just starting out you will need to copy patterns almost slavishly to learn the techniques you will need for the future but do not make a habit of it. Make the designs your own. Improve them wherever you can and make things in your own style. 

We all stand on the shoulders of those who have gone before us to one degree or another but before you know it you will be creating your own designs.