Making a Jewelry Wire Bail Finding --
A Beginner's Jewelry Making Technique -- Page 18

Alternative Configuration (Continued):

Step 20:  To finish this teardrop bail wire component we need to do a couple of things.  We need to wrap the short wire segment around the wire below the teardrop loop to fill the space above the pendant and we need to cut the excess wire on both the short wire segment and the long wire segment and then squeeze the cut ends flat.  The order for this isn't terribly important.  Based upon the last step your wire and pendant will appear as shown at right.

Step 21:  In these instructions we are going to wrap the short wire segment first.  It might have been easier to cut the excess wire from the long wire segment first so that it wasn't in our way, but the pictures below don't show that.  To wrap the short wire segment you need to hold the teardrop loop either with chain nose pliers or with the thumb and fore-finger on your non-dominant hand.  Because we had to use soft wire for this project so that the teardrop loop would be shaped correctly, making this wrap is going to be more difficult than normal.  We used our bent chain nose pliers to help us keep this wrap tight.  You can also make this wrap with just your fingers, but using your fingers the wrap tends to be loose and not as consistent.  A good technique is to wrap one loop in the wire by using just your fingers and then use your pliers to twist that wrap so that it will be tight then make a wrap the same way.  When using your pliers, the pliers will be gripping the wrapped loop and not gripping the end of the short wire segment.  Make about 2 wraps until the space above the pendant is filled with wrapped wire.  See the picture below-left for what your wire should look like.  This part takes a little practice. 

Step 22:  Using your flush cutter, cut the excess wire.  After cutting the excess wire, squeeze and twist the cut end of the wire with your bent chain nose pliers so that the cut end lays flat.  Your wire should appear as shown below-center. 

Step 23:  Using your flush cutter cut the excess wire from the long wire segment and using your bent chain nose pliers squeeze the cut end until it lays flat.    Your wire should now appear as shown below-right. 

Step 21	Step 22	Step 23

These instructions continue on the following web page.