I have started making my own jump rings so that I can play with Chain Maille. My wire cutter is really good, but I am positive it is not the right kind. Forgive me for my ignorance, so far in my beading career I have basically just strung beads. Are there special tools I need to make sure the ring is cut flush and so on. I know I need to get some Mandrels, at the moment I am using my great grandmother's knitting needles, but it is working so far.

Thanks for any help you can give me.

Vita

Just get the Jumpringer or the Koil Kutter, or their equivalent. If you're doing a lot of jump rings, they will save you a lot of time. They will also look a lot nicer than cutting with wire cutters.

A jeweler's saw with a #2 blade works really well. (And it's inexpensive if you're not ready to invest in a Jump Ringer.) Try an advanced search and set the date back a couple of years and you'll get lots more specific info.

QUOTE: Originally posted by robinaronson Just get the Jumpringer or the Koil Kutter, or their equivalent. If you're doing a lot of jump rings, they will save you a lot of time. They will also look a lot nicer than cutting with wire cutters.

Any place in particular?

Vita -
At home depot they have a tool that looks like scissors but it is a flush cutter. The brand is Fenian I think (I'm not at home or I could look at mine). They cut really well and they were cheap (under $10). If you want to buy already cut rings, Ringlord.com is a great place to start. I think mailleartists.com (?) also sells rings. I do both, make and buy rings. Depends what I have on hand and what I need at the moment. Like now, when I have a show in 3 weeks 2500 miles away and I'm pretty much out of wire! LOL
Angela

Thanks everyone for the great advice. I will look into the Jumpringer, but I will also get a flush cutter or the jewelers saw for now, since they are so cheap.

Angela- Good luck at your show and thanks for the websites. I checked out http://theringlord.com/cart/shopdisplaycategories.asp?id=1&cat=Rings They have a lot to choose from. Very Cool.

I can't wait to get started. I love Maille and have always wanted to do it. I have been playing lately and it is so much fun. Anyway Here I go......

Thanks again!!!!!

Vita

Go with the jewellers saw. Cutters, by their very nature, squish the wire and will not give you the nice clean join on your jumprings that you're looking for.

Thanks Llisa. I checked out the prices of the Jumpringers, whoa! They are a little pricey. I will look into the saw.

Vita

I have a saw and do make my own jumprings from time to time. However, I hate sawing with a PASSION - it's less fun than watching paint dry and infinitely more frustrating!

About six months ago I went through the exercise of figuring out the cost of a "proper" set up to coil and cut rings versus just buying saw-cut rings from The Ring Lord. It worked out that I'd have to coil and cut over 108 ounces of wire before I would break even on the cost of the equipment. I'm strictly a hobby-mailler and 108 ounces is a LOT of silver!!! For this reason, I opted to stick with my plain ol' jeweller's saw and buy the vast majority of my rings pre-made by The Ring Lord.

Of course, if you're a "purist" who likes to make everything from as close to scratch as possible, then forget the strictly financial comparison noted above. Bragging rights certainly carry some value and that alone may be enough to justify the cost of the equipment.

Thanks Llisa for your advice. I am just getting into this and though I sell my beaded jewelry, I am not quite at the point of selling maille, so it will be a hobby at first. I did check out the prices at The Ring Lord, and really they are very reasonable. I could really get some of the lower cost rings to practice with and then move on to more expensive ones later. I am really not into bragging, though I may have a little purist in me. But financially speaking I can not be too picky, if you know what I mean.

Have a great day!

Below is the link to another thread here that is a fabulous and complete "tell-all" resource and information guide for all things chainmaille.

http://www.beadandbutton.com/bnb/community/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=37052

While it's possible to use cutters to cut your own rings, it is extremely difficult to get clean ends and still have the rings be consistently sized, which is exceptionally important. At minimum, you should get a jeweler's saw to do the cutting. It will still be a bit tedious but you will get cleaner cuts and more usable rings. You may or may not like the ring-making process. The next step up is to get the Koil Kutter set-up since it's less expensive than the Jump Ringer and does a very decent job of zipping through a coil of rings very quickly.

I make some, buy some, depending on what I need and how much time I have. Or if I need a size for which I don't have a mandrel, I'll buy the rings. As you get more experience with it, you'll figure out what's going to work best for you in terms of time and budget.

Jilla, Thank you so much for the link and the advice. It is very helpful.

I really appreciate all this help. Everyone here is so great!

Vita

I just started making my own jump rings mostly because I wanted a large quantity of 16 gauge, 10mm and they are too pricey to buy premade. After much research, I decided to go with the jeweler's saw and blades for about $10. It is a little slow and the sawing is not much fun but I think my cost per ring is only about .22 to .25. They look just as good as the purchased ones.