bambooprincess
spending too much on rocks
I call him Foo Foo...
Member since April 2009
Posts: 318
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Post by bambooprincess on Apr 29, 2009 20:04:04 GMT -5
Would someone be willing to pick up some of the waste snips off of their wire wrapping and tape them to a piece of paper with a label as to what they are (half round half hard, square...etc..) and send them to me? I'm such a hands on type of learner and am having a hard time seeing the different types just by photos. I'll have to order all my wire online because I live way out in no man's land so seeing what I need to order would help. I can send my address privately to you if you are willing to help me out. Thanks, Rebecca
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damammy
has rocks in the head
Member since January 2009
Posts: 697
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Post by damammy on Apr 29, 2009 23:21:22 GMT -5
It is easy to ID the different type, half round is for binding it is round on top flat on bottom, flat goes down, 21 gauge, half hard for binding. Square is flat on all four sides 21 gauge is what most use, but 22 gauge dead soft is ok and you get a little more for your money. Round wire is just round. Donna
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bambooprincess
spending too much on rocks
I call him Foo Foo...
Member since April 2009
Posts: 318
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Post by bambooprincess on Apr 29, 2009 23:33:14 GMT -5
Okay, thanks for the good description. What about the twisted looking wire? What is that?
I hope no one thought I was asking for free wire? I was asking for the little snips that you would sweep into the trash while cleaning up your area. I'm not a materials beggar or anything. I just like to see and touch examples to learn. Thanks again for the reply and if I may ask a couple more questions, is there a good price guide to wire types (gold filled etc) out there somewhere? And where should I go online to get wire?
Thanks, Rebecca
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Post by Woodyrock on Apr 30, 2009 1:18:04 GMT -5
Rebecca:
If you do silver/gold work, you save all the scrap to sell back to where you buy your wire. Precious metals are sold by a price to make it, and by weight at the current spot price. Confused yet? Two good places on line we use are Rio Grande, and Indian Jewelers Supply, using Rio Grande the most. The wire wrappers will chime in with some other places. The twisted wire, is just that, you hold one end in a vise, put the other in a hand drill, and twist it. You can twist more than one wire together, and you can hammer it after twisting for a different effect. Find a book on silver work, and you will see many more things you can do with wire. Woody
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kentuckyrocker
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since November 2008
Posts: 217
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Post by kentuckyrocker on Apr 30, 2009 8:06:43 GMT -5
Rebecca I understand what you are asking- and why. When I look at the pics, the wire always looks so much sturdier than what I am holding in my hands. I have gotten 22 gauge square dead soft silver wire and mine never looks as strong as what I see on here. I had gotten mine off of ebay but this next batch, I am going with Rio Grande. If I had any snips, I sure would send them to you just so you can see. You are like me- eyes and hands learner.
Theresa
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bambooprincess
spending too much on rocks
I call him Foo Foo...
Member since April 2009
Posts: 318
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Post by bambooprincess on Apr 30, 2009 8:31:12 GMT -5
Oh! I had no idea that the scrap was sold back to the supplier. :blush: Thank you for letting me know about that and that the twisted wire is just made by the individual. I knew about braiding it from reading on here but did not know that the twisted wire was made individually as well. Theresa. Thank you for understanding what I was asking/talking about. It helps. Thanks for all of the replies. Rebecca
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kentuckyrocker
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since November 2008
Posts: 217
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Post by kentuckyrocker on Apr 30, 2009 8:52:26 GMT -5
Rio Grande carries the twisted silver wire too Rebecca. Yeah I looked lol! same reason as you I suspect- just adds a bit of oomph to the wrap. Now on the copper on Rio Grande, they only go down to a 16 gauge but really that would probably be about right for sturdiness. If you want to feel the thickness of the gauged wire, Michaels has some- I think they have the 20? in a spool- craft wire only. When I am doing my dreamcatchers the 20 gauge was too thick for the a lot of the bead holes. I had to go with the 22 and 24. 24 gauge is as thin as I would ever go because it breaks really easy.
Theresa
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Post by akansan on Apr 30, 2009 9:30:58 GMT -5
If you want to look a little better at the shapes, I know Santa Fe Jewelry supply shows a picture of the general shape of the wire. If you click the next arrows at the bottom of this link, it will walk you through the different wire shapes commonly carried. www.sfjssantafe.com/SmetalsItems.php?Gid=SS006h&ItemSet=Sterling+Silver+Jewelry+Wire&DepId=metalsThe half-hard part of the description is the hardness of the wire. Dead soft is a whole lot easier to manipulate than half-hard, but is still sturdy enough for a wrap. Wire slowly work hardens as you manipulate it, anyway. The 22g is a thickness. Here's a table that shows approximate widths by gauge, using AWG. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_wire_gaugeOnline locations: Copper - Brandywine Jewelry Supply. You can't beat the square copper from them for price. Silver & Gold-filled - couple locations: Rio Grande, Monsterslayer, Thunderbird Supply. Those three kinda fluctuate on who has the best prices. Around Christmas, it was Monsterslayer. Right now, it's Rio Grande. Theresa - the wire at Michae's is poor quality wire. I used it when I started wrapping, but the wire would actually SEPARATE and peel on me! I've used 26g wire in a few things, and it didn't give me near the problems the Michael's wire gave me. 24g is probably the smallest gauge I would use on a wrap (unless I'm wrapping one of Adrian's leaves!), but my main point was that quality really does matter.
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bambooprincess
spending too much on rocks
I call him Foo Foo...
Member since April 2009
Posts: 318
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Post by bambooprincess on Apr 30, 2009 19:52:41 GMT -5
Thanks! I'm going to go check out Rio Grande now.
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Post by MyNewHobby on Apr 30, 2009 20:15:03 GMT -5
BambooPrincess ...
You are asking all of the same things I have been asking.
I have only been tumbling and wrapping for about 3-4 months.
I still cannot get the gist of the half hard, dead soft, etc .... etc.
I have learned what wire is always a matter of personal taste .... or not .... ;D
Julie
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Post by akansan on May 1, 2009 8:55:25 GMT -5
Julie - if you take the exact same wire, one hard, one half-hard and one dead soft, the dead soft will be the easiest to bend. And full hard would be very difficult to bend. The harder the wire, the better it keeps it shape because it's harder to bend. However, after wrapping, dead soft becomes half-hard through work hardening.
If you take a piece of dead soft wire and run it through nylon-jawed pliers multiple times (say 10), the dead soft hardens. If you take a piece of dead soft and twist and twirl it, the wire hardens. If you've ever had a wire snap on you, you've taken that wire just past hard - after hard, it becomes brittle and easily snapped.
Does that help any?
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kentuckyrocker
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since November 2008
Posts: 217
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Post by kentuckyrocker on May 1, 2009 10:55:38 GMT -5
The only use I have found for Michael's wire is my dreamcatchers. I would never use it for jewelry or anything that would be repeatedly used. Low quality is so right. Thanks so much for the info on the copper wire- I like copper myself on my personal jewelry. I hadn't found any good quality wire. I look forward to giving theirs a go. I didn't understand what you all were saying about the dead soft becoming half hard when using it but it does. I found out when I made my ring that one time. Quality matters, it really does with wrapping. You take a gamble using quality to learn with but really it makes learning so much easier. Trying to wrap with low quality wire just did not cut it with me. I pitched more than I ever did with the real silver wire. Someone suggested wrapping the ends of your tools- yeah. I am going to do that the next wrap I do. Thanks all for pitching in here and thanks Rebecca for asking You were reading my mind lol! Theresa
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aunuts
fully equipped rock polisher
Some days are gold, some are rocks. Either is cool.
Member since March 2006
Posts: 1,110
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Post by aunuts on May 2, 2009 0:06:52 GMT -5
Hi All, I do a lot of wrapping and get all my gold & silver wire from Rio Grande. I'm still looking for a good place for copper. I don't like wrapping with that thick a gauge. Also, I use 22 gauge 1/2 hard for all my wraps. Just never have tried dead soft except for crochet. Will have to do that on my next order.
Rebecca, Rio Grande has 5 catalogs (I think) of different catagories of materials. It's a great place to look.
Hope this helps. JoAnne
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damammy
has rocks in the head
Member since January 2009
Posts: 697
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Post by damammy on May 2, 2009 13:12:13 GMT -5
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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 May 2, 2009 13:37:44 GMT -5
If you go here...there is some useful info about wire and some simple free tutorials. www.keystonejewelry.com/make-jewelry.htmThunderbird Supply and Monsterslayer (both.coms) sell wire. Brandywine is a great place for copper wire and other useful items. Have FUN!
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damammy
has rocks in the head
Member since January 2009
Posts: 697
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Post by damammy on May 3, 2009 21:06:13 GMT -5
Rebecca (Bambooprincess) I sent you a PM check your mail up the top by your name. Donna
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