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Daily Wire Tip Nov. 1: How Much Length is Lost When Twisting Wire?

By on November 1, 2009
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Daily Wire Jewelry Making Tip
November 1, 2009

Question:

How much of the length of the wire is lost when it is twisted? Should it be twisted before measuring for the project?

Answer:

Based on my personal experiences with twisting square wire, a single strand of wire from 20 through smaller gauges will not lose enough length to worry about.  Twisting larger gauges from 19 through 16 you loose about 1/16 to 1/8 of an inch, while 14 and 12 gauge about ¼ of an inch. When twisting a round wire around a square wire in gauges from 20 through 12 it can be unpredictable based on how tightly the desired twist is, so in these cases you may wish to add about ½ inch to each piece, just to be safe.  While twisting 2 round wires together, you do loose a bit and again, that depends on the gauges used and the amount of twist.  Experiment with shorter pieces of copper and keep a log of your results to be better able to plan your future twisted designs.

Answer contributed by Dale `Cougar` Armstrong

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