Making your own wire findings is a fun way to add your own personal touch
to jewelry designs. This beading lesson shows you how to make your own
head pins, wire-wrapped loops, custom jump rings and handmade wire clasps.
Head pins are used to make beaded charms and dangles. You can make your
own simple head pin by folding the end of a piece of wire about 1/8”.
This will prevent beads from sliding off the end of the wire. You can
also glue a small bead onto the end of a piece of wire. But head pins
can also add a decorative touch to your designs. You can form the end
of the wire into any shape that will prevent beads from sliding off the
end. A favorite motif is the spiral. Make a small spiral on the end of
the wire, then slide beads onto it. To give the spiral extra strength,
you can use a hammer and anvil to flatten it.
Loops are also a jewelry making fundamental. You can make basic loops
or wrapped loops. To form a basic loop, use round nose pliers to make
a 90-degree angle near the end of a piece of wire. Roll the wire end back
to form a nice, round loop. It’s best to use 16 or 18-gauge wire
for this type of loop, otherwise the loop may pull apart. To fasten loops
together, just use chain nose pliers to twist one loop open, then attach
another loop.
A wrapped loop is a more secure option. To form a wrapped loop, use round
nose pliers to make a 90-degree angle about 1” from the wire end.
Make a loop close to the wire stem, then use a chain nose pliers to hold
the loop and wrap the extra wire around the base of the loop. This prevents
the loop from ever pulling apart. You can use 20-28-gauge wire for making
wrapped loops. When you make a wrapped loop on each end of a bead, that’s
called a bead link.
To make wrapped loop bead links, start with one complete bead link. Using
another piece of wire, make a wrapped loop, string a bead and make another
loop. Before wrapping it, slip the unfinished loop onto a wrapped loop
from the completed bead link. This connects the beads, then you can finish
wrapping the extra wire around the base of the loop. To make a decorative
bead link, wrap the extra wire around the length of the bead.
When using colored wire in your wire-wrapped jewelry designs, you might
want to make jump rings and clasps that match your wire color. There’s
a special tool that makes creating your own jump rings a lot easier. Just
wind the wire around the dowel, then use wire cutters cut the individual
rings off. This method ensures that you’ll get even, consistent
jump rings.
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