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Daily Wire Tip Dec. 16: Forging Wire

By on December 15, 2010
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Daily Wire Jewelry Making Tip for
December 16, 2010

Question:

Dale, what do you mean when you say “forged” wire?

-Michele in Clinton, Connecticut

Answer:

In the wire jewelry world, “forged” wire is wire that has been beaten with a hammer or mallet of sorts, depending on the desired outcome.

For example, using a chasing hammer and bench block on a heavy round wire will stretch, harden, and shape the wire, which is used when making a soft wire into a more solid shape like a cuff bracelet. When an embossing hammer is used, not only will a wire be forged, but also textured.

For more information, please see our discussion: Forging Soft Wire

Answer contributed by Dale “Cougar” Armstrong

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4 Comments

  1. avatar

    Jan

    December 16, 2010 at 8:06 am

    Hi, I’ve been frustrated trying to figure out how to texturize “Both” sides of my wire! Whenever I turn it over and use my Fretz hammer to texturize it the side I just did goes flat/smooth. I don’t use excessive force, just enough to leave the dimples in the wire. I use a steel block and have tried the rubber one and get no results there at all.

    Sincerely, Jan
    Budd Lake, NJ

    • avatar

      dalecgr

      December 16, 2010 at 4:27 pm

      Jan, it will take a bit for you to decide which technique works best for you but try:
      1. Put a piece of leather over a steel bench block to protect the textured side
      2. Use a steel block for the first side and then a nylon/plastic block for the second side.
      Some folks have used a piece of towel, however I like to use a piece of industrial felt to protect the textured side while I work on the opposite. Just don’t hit really hard the on the second side.

  2. avatar

    mary

    December 22, 2010 at 4:20 pm

    Had the same results as well Jan till I changed things around.
    I find the use of the word “forged” to really be wrong when used as it is now when applied to wire work. Course, this come from having a knifemaker as a husband and watching him hammer out a red hot piece of steel to shape for a knife blank.

    Personally, I think the term should be “hammered” because that is what we are doing. Then apply the excepted term of “texturing” when we do that.

  3. avatar

    Charlotte Burnett

    July 25, 2013 at 1:32 pm

    As a trained metalsmith, I must comment on the use of a chasing hammer. A chasing hammer is NOT used for forging. The purpose of a chasing hammer is for striking another tool, for example, a stamping tool, a chasing tool, a repousse tool. For forging, you will find that a forging hammer is far more effective. If you do not have a forging hammer, a ball-peen hammer is more effective than a chasing hammer.