Roan
has rocks in the head
Member since January 2008
Posts: 600
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Post by Roan on Sept 13, 2012 0:38:25 GMT -5
Can anyone tell me the best way to sharpen the end of a wire?
Let's say you're making a brooch and need a sharp end to stick through the material of the dress/shirt. What's the best way to do this without wrecking the rest of the wire? I'm using 14ga and 16ga dead soft sterling silver wire.
Thanks!
Eileen
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carleton
spending too much on rocks
Member since April 2012
Posts: 277
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Post by carleton on Sept 13, 2012 1:11:38 GMT -5
Hi Eileen,
I always used my bench mounted belt sander when making pins and fibulas.
When in a pinch and away from my "nice" shop, I have used a regular bench grinder, that usually requires some fine grit sand paper and a good polish after though. I like being able to spin the material, rather than "spin" my sander if that makes sense, lol. When doing an aged piece I have also even hammered out the point on the anvil (with a polished face hammer ideally)
No sure what you have to work with though, so that may not have helped.
Carleton
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Roan
has rocks in the head
Member since January 2008
Posts: 600
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Post by Roan on Sept 13, 2012 7:00:25 GMT -5
Hi Eileen, I always used my bench mounted belt sander when making pins and fibulas. When in a pinch and away from my "nice" shop, I have used a regular bench grinder, that usually requires some fine grit sand paper and a good polish after though. I like being able to spin the material, rather than "spin" my sander if that makes sense, lol. When doing an aged piece I have also even hammered out the point on the anvil (with a polished face hammer ideally) No sure what you have to work with though, so that may not have helped. Carleton Hrm. Dunno if I can do all that in a cost effective way. I make stock pins for stock ties for horse showing (dressage, jumpers) and I've been buying straight kilt-type pins to do this. I ream the bead holes and thread them on the wire, then make the loops. The gauge of the wire in the pins I've been buying is too small and the pins are very fragile. They tend to bend going through the stock tie. I've not been able to source anything better, unfortunately. Ergo, I thought of making my own. It's not the main part of my product line, just an accessory, so I don't want to make a major investment in equipment. I do, however, want something that looks professional. I have those two different gauges to play with, to see if they will work with the beads or not. I can only ream the holes out so much before they break. I wonder if anyone here would want to make some for me? Eileen ETA: Lemme ask my husband if we have a bench grinder. I think we might. |
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Post by FrogAndBearCreations on Sept 13, 2012 8:14:34 GMT -5
I use a small flat diamond file to point wire that is going to be for a pin back on a brooch to get the shape going then smooth with fine grit wet/dry sand paper works well  |
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itsandbits
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since March 2012
Posts: 825
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Post by itsandbits on Sept 13, 2012 9:50:21 GMT -5
what about the pin backs that can be epoxied on to cabs and such, I picked a bag of 100 up at wally world for $3
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Roan
has rocks in the head
Member since January 2008
Posts: 600
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Post by Roan on Sept 13, 2012 9:55:38 GMT -5
what about the pin backs that can be epoxied on to cabs and such, I picked a bag of 100 up at wally world for $3 I've looked at those and they're either not big enough or strong enough to use and most are cheaply made. It's traditional to use a pin that looks somewhat like a kilt pin or a large safety pin. I do have some of the safety pin types that have a screw on head, however they are a little on the small side. Sec, lemme get a picture of what I use. . . okay, this is the Capriccio stock pin that matches the Capriccio browband:  Those are the straights I've been using. I have to loop them three times, which I don't like, to get them to the right length. Eileen |
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itsandbits
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since March 2012
Posts: 825
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Post by itsandbits on Sept 13, 2012 10:33:39 GMT -5
very nice fab job. That is a pretty intricate shape to get right, or is the clip end allready done?.
The picture is a big help for what you are trying to accomplish, thanks
sorry, no idea
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gerard
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since April 2011
Posts: 218
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Post by gerard on Sept 13, 2012 11:48:45 GMT -5
I cut the wire with a sharp nippers on a long angle and only have to take a swipe or two with a file to finish.
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Roan
has rocks in the head
Member since January 2008
Posts: 600
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Post by Roan on Sept 13, 2012 17:52:55 GMT -5
very nice fab job. That is a pretty intricate shape to get right, or is the clip end allready done?. The picture is a big help for what you are trying to accomplish, thanks sorry, no idea End clip is already there. I'm hoping I can do it just as well, but, from your reaction, I probably won't be able to Eileen |
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Roan
has rocks in the head
Member since January 2008
Posts: 600
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Post by Roan on Sept 13, 2012 17:53:29 GMT -5
I cut the wire with a sharp nippers on a long angle and only have to take a swipe or two with a file to finish. I'll try that and see how it works. Thanks! Eileen |
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Post by rockjunquie on Sept 17, 2012 17:44:14 GMT -5
I've always cut the wire at a long angle too. It makes a good sharp point, but only one side is tapered so the strength remains.
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Post by rockjunquie on Sept 17, 2012 17:45:51 GMT -5
BTW- looked at your site- looks very good, I like it a lot. |
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TByrd
fully equipped rock polisher
Have you performed your random act of kindness?
Member since December 2010
Posts: 1,350
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Post by TByrd on Sept 19, 2012 20:08:32 GMT -5
I do make some of my own pins, First, very carefully, when you are ready to make the pin portion of your wrap, with the wire pointing towards you, take your nippers and cut the wire kind of diagonally, cut the edge away from the wire. After that step, use your sand paper to make certain your pin is sharp. You should use full hard wire to make a pin, half-hard and dead-soft are just too soft to retain their shape.
Tammy
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