Chainmaille and DS Wire

Beading Forum Archive » Making jewelry » Shaping wire » Chainmaille and DS Wire

Shaping wire

Last post 07-14-2007 8:35 PM by jan atherton. 4 replies.

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07-14-2007 6:46 PM

donnae417 Joined on 06-13-2006 Posts 31	Chainmaille and DS Wire Hi Everyone, I received my kits yesterday and thought I would start to open some of the rings. It was harder than I thought. I wondered whether you could make your rings out of DS wire,make your piece and then tumble it. Would that work and do you think your piece would be strong enough? Thanks, Donna[?]
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07-14-2007 6:57 PM In reply to

loopy
Joined on 09-28-2003
Posts 421

RE: Chainmaille and DS Wire

Yes! Your rings would be strong enough provided that you make your chain with the recommended optimal AR - no big, airy, artsy chains.

Coiling, cutting, opening rings, closing rings, tumbling and wearing your piece of jewelry will make those rings plenty hard. No worries. I've sold many (many) chains, never had one returned and I always use dead soft wire.

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07-14-2007 7:33 PM In reply to

Llisa Joined on 07-20-2006 Canada Posts 764	RE: Chainmaille and DS Wire Yup, what Loopy said. I'd add that you can use big, airy rings if you want to but you'll need to solder them closed. I've got a necklace currently in the works that connects little Byzantine units with some huge (3/4" or so) diameter rings - those big babies are definitely going to be soldered! I do LOVE working with fire!!!!
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07-14-2007 8:12 PM In reply to

donnae417
Joined on 06-13-2006
Posts 31

RE: Chainmaille and DS Wire

Hi Loopy & Llisa,
When I started opening those rings I thought wow, am I going to have a hard time. I just thought if many people say they use DS 99% of the time, their pieces have to be strong so shouldn't the same apply. It may be easier for me to manipulate the rings using dead soft even though I don't relish the thought of cutting all those rings. I guess that's a part of the process like it or not. Now it's just a matter of using what I already have and then getting some dead soft.
Wish me luck with all the cutting!

Thanks, Donna

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07-14-2007 8:35 PM In reply to

jan atherton
Joined on 02-21-2002
USA
Posts 221

RE: Chainmaille and DS Wire

Dear Donna,

Hi!

I tumble my jumprings for about 4 hours, then make them into jewellery and tumble them again for 15-30 minutes to make them nice and sparkly, I work pretty small, but I haven't had problems when using DS wire.

I only solder larger rings made from thin wire, or twisted wire rings, I bought some paste solder which makes this easier to position and I use one of those little creme brulee type torches which run on butane lighter fuel at home. Hope this helps, I have been cutting and coiling rings myself this week.

Love, Jan

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