adrian65
Cave Dweller
Arch to golden memories and to great friends.
Member since February 2007
Posts: 10,777
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Post by adrian65 on Oct 28, 2007 9:17:26 GMT -5
Hello,
A friend of mine could help me doing for me some square wire. He asked me what thickness should it be, but I didn't know exactly what to tell him. So, please, could some of you measure your most used square wire with a caliper and tell me the thickness? (the length of one side, not the diagonal).
Thank you,
Adrian
PS. Maybe the size of the stones I wrap also matters, so here it is: I wrap stones around 2 cm ... 1 inch height.
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nancyf
has rocks in the head
Wired Cowgirl
Member since April 2007
Posts: 629
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Post by nancyf on Oct 28, 2007 10:00:08 GMT -5
Adrian...I'm not real sure what you are asking here....but wire is ordered in size by gauges. There are two basic good sizes... I use 21 gauge square a lot...for larger stones (above 30 x 22mm) I use 20 gauge square wire. My wires at the top are always held together with 18 gauge, half-round, half-hard. This is because I don't have to do as many wraps in order to keep them together. These wire are used to form a bail of some sort too. On the side wraps...I use 21 gauge, half-round, half-hard. You can order all these in copper from Brandywine ( www.brandywinejewelrysupply.com/ ) for practicing. You can also order sterling silver or 14k gold filled in 5ft. or 1 ounce packages. You can also get wire at www.thunderbirdsupply.com/Hope this helps.
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Post by Jurrasic Jonje on Oct 28, 2007 10:41:37 GMT -5
Adrian, I went to rio grande and they had the metric sizes for square wire. here ya go
22 gauge = .65mm 21 gauge = .71mm 20 gauge = .80mm 18 gauge = 1.0 mm
hope this helps.
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adrian65
Cave Dweller
Arch to golden memories and to great friends.
Member since February 2007
Posts: 10,777
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Post by adrian65 on Oct 28, 2007 12:26:19 GMT -5
Thanks, Nancy and Jeremy. Yes, it helps Adrian
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Post by docone31 on Oct 28, 2007 17:38:02 GMT -5
Adrian, watch out when ordering in guage. The industry tolerance is +-15%. Untill I caught on, I cannot tell you how many good pieces never sold because the wires were not all the same. Always order in dimensional thickness, never guage. A jewelery who orders in guage stands out as amateur and they use the ends of rolls rather than scrapping them out. I used to work for a wire distributor so I do know this. Even some of our top vendors does this. I have caught many and I have called them back on it. They go oopsie and send a mailer and replace the wire. I still have wraps from my early days that haven't sold. I have measured the wires and the 20 guage was, .031, .031.5, and so forth. Put it against .032 and the piece just doesn't sell. Go by mm., or thousandths. Great luck.
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nancyf
has rocks in the head
Wired Cowgirl
Member since April 2007
Posts: 629
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Post by nancyf on Oct 28, 2007 19:37:54 GMT -5
uh oh...I'm an amateur...I order by gauge! lol! Course, I usually always order in bulk from certain companies...suppose I've been lucky. yea! However...he is right, there are differences when ordering from large wholesalers. They sell by size not gauge. Weird, I know...but it is true. I ALWAYS make sure my wire is flush...always have...that is how I've probably lucked out. ;D Good point guy! I never thought of that.
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Post by busylittlebeads on Oct 30, 2007 17:57:04 GMT -5
Hey there guys: For the ordering record to be sure that the gauge is the correct another variable is to KNOW how much wire you get in the varying weights. Companies such as Rio Grande are precise with this. This means you want 1 ounce of 24 gauge 1/2 Hard wire, it will ALWAYS be 48 feet. Know how much length you are getting for your weight BEFORE you place your order. If the comapnay can't call that up on their computer or off hand, don't buy from them.
Kathy
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Post by busylittlebeads on Oct 30, 2007 17:58:31 GMT -5
Hey there guys: For the ordering record to be sure that the gauge is the correct another variable is to KNOW how much wire you get in the varying weights. Companies such as Rio Grande are precise with this. This means you want 1 ounce of 24 gauge 1/2 Hard wire, it will ALWAYS be 48 feet. Know how much length you are getting for your weight BEFORE you place your order. If the comapnay can't call that up on their computer or off hand, don't buy from them.
Kathy
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Post by akansan on Oct 30, 2007 17:59:32 GMT -5
I'll agree there! I placed an order for 1 oz. of 22g with a company...and they sent me .94 oz instead. They were nice enough to mark on the package that it was .94 oz, but still. I paid for 1 oz...
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nancyf
has rocks in the head
Wired Cowgirl
Member since April 2007
Posts: 629
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Post by nancyf on Oct 30, 2007 19:39:45 GMT -5
Well here is the thang...ya have to know if they sell in troy ounces or what...yep, there is a difference. Most companies will tell you how many feet are in "their" ounce. However, ya need to know there are differences. Most sell in troy ounces and they are less feet...I can't remember what the other is just a this moment...seems I'm brain dead...just alive enough to point out there is another. ack!
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