 Step
9: At this point we need to grasp in turn, each wire tail and bend
it 45 degrees so that the two tails end up parallel to one another as
shown at right. You will need to grasp the wire about 1/8" from the
center point in the square so that the finished wire component will remain
symmetrical. This step will require some practice. We did not
get it right the first two or three times, so please don't get discouraged
if it isn't perfect the first time. Ours wasn't
 either.
Step 10: Now we are ready to take our flat piece of wire and make
it into a ring. To do this we use the ring mandrel so that we get a
rounded shape in the size that we need. Begin bending the wire tail,
away from the loops until you can insert the wire tail into the square
shape as shown. Continue bending the wire against the ring mandrel
until the wire is round in the appropriate size. When you are close
to the correct size, bend the wire tail over as shown. Using a nylon
hammer or a rawhide hammer to hammer the wire lightly against the ring
mandrel will help. Try to hammer everywhere but on the two loops.
The signal that you have hammered enough is that the ring is round as
shown. If your ring isn't round, you probably need to hammer some
more, pulling the
Step 11: When you have a perfectly round ring, then bend each
wire tail down as shown at right. This fixes the size of the ring.
After this step it will be difficult to make changes. In the picture
at right, the wire tails are each bent on the outside of the ring.
They are not on the same side of the ring.
Step 12: Now you are ready to cut the excess wire. Using
your flush cutters, cut the wire and after completing the cut, use your
bent chain nose pliers to bend the cut ends of the wire back on top of the
rounded portion of the wire. This is a good time to put the ring
back on the ring mandrel and hammer lightly to make sure that you have a
good, round
Step 13: At this point we need to add the decorative bead between the two loops. Start by cutting a segment of 22 or 24 gauge round wire about 2 1/2 inches long. Thread this wire segment through one of the loops, through the center of a 6mm bead and then through the opposite loop. The next part requires some patience. You need to wrap this 22 or 24 gauge wire around the bottom of the loop. (The bottom is the part of the loop closest to the inside of the ring.) Use your bent chain nose pliers to help in positioning the wire. Wrap about three times on each side and cut the excess wire. Squeeze the cut ends flat again using your bent chain nose pliers. |
wire
tail to remove any slack in the wire.
shape.