Past Techniques:
We maintain a techniques web page that provides links to
the discussion of techniques in our prior newsletters. You can visit
this web page
here.
Follow the links on that page to the discussion of the
technique in that
newsletter.
Jewelry Technique:
This weeks jewelry making technique is a discussion on making loops with our
fine step jaw pliers.
We use these pliers on every piece of jewelry that we make and now have some
detailed pictures that show the steps involved in making a loop. The
four pictures below show the four basic steps in using the step jaw pliers.
In the first step, you grasp the wire in the jaws of the pliers with about
1/16" of excess wire sticking out while holding the pliers in your
non-dominant hand. In the second step you use the thumb on your
dominant hand to push the wire up and over the round jaw of the pliers.
In the third step, you reposition the wire so that you can complete the
loop. In the fourth step you grip the wire and using the thumb from
your dominant hand you push the wire until the gap is closed.
We have added a page of detailed instructions to our web site on making a
loop with step jaw pliers, You can view this detailed page of
instructions by selecting any of the pictures here
or by selecting here. Step jaw pliers are perfect for making the
initial loop in any wire component that you will make on a jewelry making
jig. The flat jaw does not mark the wire so you won't have a mark on
the outside of your wire. The resulting loop is always the same size
so using these pliers makes it easy to be consistent. We consider our
fine step jaw pliers to be an important part of every jewelry making tool
box.
Nostalgia Corner:
 This weeks featured design in our Nostalgia Corner is the design for
our Four Leaf Clover wire and bead bracelet and earrings. This design
is an excellent design for a beginner. It is also a design where we
have modified our approach to making the wire component because we got
smarter. Now when we make the clover wire component we do two things
differently. First, we start making this four peg pattern with only
two pegs in the jig and we add peg 3 after we have completed the loop on peg
2. Then add peg 4 after we have completed the third loop.
Second, we flip the wire component over after making the loop on the second
peg. The initial loop remains on peg 1, but the loop we made on peg 2
in the pattern is transferred to peg 3. The resulting wire component
will be flatter and more aesthetically pleasing.
This is a good piece for beginners to make to understand what happens to
your wire components when you flip them over after every loop. The end
result is a wire component with two layers of wire instead of one that
grows in thickness from start to finish.
Please
select here, or select the picture above to view our instructions for making
the Four Leaf Clover Wire & Beads Earrings and Bracelet jewelry making project.
Warning! Joke Follows.
This is only a joke. We tell jokes because we are in favor of smiling,
laughing and being happy. This does not mean that we are opposed to
anyone or anything.
If you have ever in your entire life been offended by
any joke -- please skip the below paragraphs.
Boomer Humor: This week Boomer has two jokes, one for Democrats
and one for Republicans. Please don't get your party affiliation
confused. Reading the opposition party's humor will be considered
humor trespassing and is a punishable offense.
To view our joke for Democrats select here.
To view our joke for Republicans select here.
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Vendor
in Malaysia: We have a new vendor in Malaysia who has elected to
carry our WigJig tools. They are the Rissareen Craft Gallery in Shah
Alam, Selangor, Malaysia. You can contact Nole at the Rissareen Craft
Gallery via e-mail at 
