Making Jewelry - Wire Wrapping 101 Part 3 (niobium jewelry wire)

(niobium jewelry wire) Next, using your chain nose pliers, grasp the loop with the excess wire pointing up. Hold the loop firmly, and with the other hand, work the excess wire away from you and around the short wire between the loop and the top of the bead. (niobium jewelry wire) Work slowly and steadily so that you get the wraps right next to each other. Speed can be your enemy here.

(niobium jewelry wire) When your last wrap touches the top of the bead, stop. Use your cutters to cut the remainder of the excess wire off as closely as you can. A word about cutters. The side of the semi-flush cutter that is smooth and flat will make a cut with the smallest point.

The side (pictured at the beginning of the article) that is angled will produce the largest point on the end of the wire. (niobium jewelry wire) So it is best to have the flat side of the cutters facing the wire that will remain with the angled side toward the "waste" wire. Use your chain nose pliers to gently squeeze the very end of the wire into its final position. Run your finger over it to be certain that it will not poke or scratch the wearer.(niobium jewelry wire)

Voila! You have made your first wrapped loop. You are well on your way to making beautiful jewelry. (niobium jewelry wire) Last thing to remember is practice, practice, practice. Do not expect to do it perfectly the first time or even the seventh. But do keep at it. As I said in the beginning, this is the single most valuable wire wrapping technique that you can learn.

(niobium jewelry wire)

Making Jewelry - Wire Wrapping 101 (niobium jewelry wire)

(niobium jewelry wire) Insert the wire or the headpin into the bead keeping in mind whether or not there is a top and bottom to the bead. You will need to leave a space between the bottom of the loop you are about to make and the top of the bead for the wraps. (niobium jewelry wire) Depending on how many wraps around the wire you want to make, either grasp the wire by the tips of the round nose pliers or further toward the jaws. This is mostly a matter of experience and much depends on the gauge of wire that you are using. Then make a right angle bend in the wire or headpin.(niobium jewelry wire)

Next, decide how big you want your finished loop to be. For a very small loop use the tips of the round nose pliers. For a larger loop, use a part of the RNP that is closer to the joint. Grasp the wire with the RNP so that one of the jaws is on top.(niobium jewelry wire)

Hold the round nose pliers so that the end of the wire is pointing away from you. (niobium jewelry wire) Using the other hand put your fingers close to the RNP and push the wire toward you over the jaw that is on top. Then pull the wire the rest of the way around until the bottom jaw stops you. (niobium jewelry wire)

Slightly loosen your grip on the wire with the round nose pliers so that you can rotate the bottom jaw out of the way without losing your place along the length of the jaw. Finish taking the wire all the way around the jaw. (niobium jewelry wire) You may have to pull the wire slightly to the side to pass the bead.

Remove the loop from the pliers and inspect it for symmetry. (niobium jewelry wire) Everything should be at right angles to each other. Also, the loop should be centered on the shaft of the wire as is sticks up out of the bead. (niobium jewelry wire) If the loop is not centered, re-insert the round nose pliers jaw until it stops, grasp the loop with the pliers and roll your hand away from the excess wire until the loop is centered. Straighten the excess back to a right angle.

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