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:
 Have
you ever looked at a piece of hand-made jewelry and noticed that each of the
loops in the jewelry item were slightly different? Being more
consistent in the loops you make is just one step in making more
professional quality jewelry.
This week's jewelry making technique is a discussion of how to use
Step Jaw Pliers to make more consistent open loops. You can view the
step jaw pliers at right. In the picture at left, you can view what we
mean by an open loop. This technique will help everyone to make these
loops in a consistent size.
Using the step jaw pliers requires a different approach to making a loop
because the flat jaw of the step jaw pliers can interfere with making the
loop. The technique that we will describe here overcomes the problems
of the flat jaw of the pliers getting in the way. Step 1 in making the
open loop is to grasp the wire using your bent chain nose pliers and make a
90 degree bend. Step 2 calls for grasping the wire as close to the 90
degree bend as possible, but on the short end of the wire. In step 3,
you need to bend the wire about 30 degrees back toward the 90 degree bend.
In step 4, you bend the short wire tail around the round jaw of the step jaw
pliers. You won't be able to complete the loop because the flat jaw of
the pliers will prevent it. In step 5, you need to relax your grip on
the wire and re-orientate the wire so that you can complete the loop.
In step 6, you push the wire tail the rest of the way around until the loop
is completed and the wire tail is perpendicular to the long wire segment.
The final step in making this open loop is to first check to ensure that the
loop is centered and then adjust by twisting the wire one way or the other
until the loop is centered. Once you have visually centered the loop
over the longer wire segment, remove the wire from the pliers and cut the
excess wire at the point where it starts to overlap.
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| Step 2 |
Step 3 |
Step 4 |
Step 5 |
This is an abbreviated description of this technique. Please select
any picture above to view our more detailed description of this technique.
Please note that if you make the loop on the smallest jaw of our fine step
jaw pliers, it will make a 1/16" loop. If you make the loop on the
second step, it will make a 3/32" loop, and finally, if you make the loop on
the largest jaw of the pliers, it will make a larger, 9/64" loop. The
good news is that as long as you use the same step on the pliers, it will
make the same size of loop.
Please note that we only recommend the step jaw pliers with the flat jaw and
the stepped jaw. There are round nose pliers with a concave jaw and a
stepped jaw. We don't recommend that anyone purchase those pliers as
we find that the edge of the concave jaw will scratch or mark the wire.
In our next newsletter, we will describe how to use the step jaw pliers to
make more consistent wrapped loops.
 Nostalgia Corner:
This week's featured design in our Nostalgia Corner is the design
for making our Simple Jewelry wire Ring jewelry making project. The
reason that we bring up this project now is that this design is also a good
design to use as a toe ring and summer is the prime time for wearing toe
rings. Making a ring like this requires a jig to set the length of the
wire and a ring mandrel to provide the round shape of the ring in the
correct size. You will also need a nylon hammer to hammer the wire
into the ring mandrel in order to get the round shape of the ring.
Please select
here, or select the picture above right to view our free instructions for making
our Simple Jewelry Wire Ring.
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. It is not
our intention to offend anyone! We don't write these jokes, we only re-tell
jokes that we have heard on the public radio, television or over the
Internet.
Boomer Humor:
Boomer recently heard of a new medical cure for men who get the rash caused
by Poison Ivy or Poison Oak. We are publicizing this new cure as a
public service. The cure is the medicine Viagra plus bed rest.
The bed rest is so that the rash will heal more rapidly. The Viagra is
so that the sheets won't stick to the rash.
Boomer Philosophy on Global Warming: Two weeks ago, it was
disclosed that the EPA has suppressed the publication of an EPA funded study
that documents recognized experts in climate forecasting predicting global
cooling for the next 30 years. It has also been publicized in the past
two weeks that the Cap and Trade bill that passed the US House of
Representatives was passed without allowing time for the Representatives to
read it before they voted for it.
Our belief is that if this bill was such a great plan, that it would stand
up to the light of day. Any bill that is so heinous that you can't
allow Representatives to read it before they have to vote on it must be
suspect. Any bill that is based upon such flawed science that you have
to suppress actual studies that show climate change to be false, should be
very suspect.
America has reached the point where the inconvenient truth is that
logic and hard science are not politically convenient and must be suppressed
so that a political agenda can be achieved. Unfortunately, this Cap
and Trade political agenda won't result in a cleaner or cooler planet and
will result in jobs leaving the US for China, Pakistan and India.
Please select here to read our small
company's philosophy on Global Warming and its impact on this small
business.
Announcements:
Online Books.
If you are looking for new and interesting jewelry projects -- try one of our Online
Books. Our most detailed instructions are for sale online.
Please select
here to view our selection of online books.
These books are delivered over the Internet and there are no shipping costs
on an order with just online books.
Shipping
Policy. We waive the shipping charge on orders over $60 shipped within the US
(as long as these orders remain over $60).
For International orders we ship via Global Priority Mail and charge $5 over
the US Mail charge for this shipping service. Please select
here to view our entire shipping policy.
WigJig University.
We provide over 2,700 web pages of free information, tips, techniques and
free
jewelry making designs
in WigJig University. We encourage everyone to view this information
as a source for new ideas, projects, or a way to learn new techniques.
We now have a page in WigJig University that shows our designs sorted by
the
WigJig tool used to make them. Please select
here
to view that information.
International Vendors. We do have vendors who sell our WigJig
products outside the US. We encourage customers to contact these
vendors in their home country. Please select
here
to view our list of overseas vendors. We are also happy to sell our
WigJig tools to stores. Please
send us an
e-mail if you are interested in selling our WigJig tools.
Classes.
We have a listing of various jewelry making classes using our WigJig tools
that are offered by bead stores throughout the country. If
you are interested in classes, please select
here. If
you know someone who has classes in using our WigJig tools, please ask
them to send us an e-mail at
custsrv@wigjig.com so that we can include them in these pages.
We are
continuing to improve our newsletter, so please feel free to provide
feedback at
custsrv@wigjig.com.
SHIPPING WAIVED ON ORDERS OVER $60.00 SHIPPED
TO USA - Customer
Care - WigJig, PO Box 5124, Gaithersburg, MD 20882; (800) 579-WIRE (phone),
(240) 597-2262 (fax),
custsrv@wigjig.com
(email). Privacy Policy.
All content on this web site including
jewelry and wire designs are copyrighted©
by WigJig. WigJig®
is a registered trademark. Last modified: 07/21/2009
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