Twisted Wire Tips
Sometimes all it takes is using an innocuous little element to make a design stand out from the rest. Consider the lowly twisted wire rope. Since twisted wire can easily be made right at your workbench with short or long wires, it can be an inexpensive way to add much needed character to many designs.
Instructions
Twisted wire can add a bit of a relaxed or rustic style to designs.
Kick it up a notch. When heavier twisted gold-filled wire is married with silver as in the ruby bracelet, or finer gauge twisted wire is used as a subtle decorative element as in the bangle bracelet, any design will look like a more "high-end" piece.
Twisted wire rings work with many different styles of jewelry, even Bali-style.
Kick it up a notch. When heavier twisted gold-filled wire is married with silver as in the ruby bracelet, or finer gauge twisted wire is used as a subtle decorative element as in the bangle bracelet, any design will look like a more "high-end" piece.
Twisted wire rings work with many different styles of jewelry, even Bali-style.
Twisting Wire Tips
A: Just a few twists of a single wire length can straighten it. Dead soft wire can be twisted to harden it to half or full hard temper. However, if it is twisted too much the wire length will no longer be straight but rippled and will eventually break.
B: Just as when twisting a single wire to work-harden it, the same thing happens when two or more wires are twisted together to make a decorative "rope" element. When twisting together wires longer than two feet, it can be helpful to anneal the "rope" at some point in the twisting process, especially when a tight twist is wanted.
C: Many people use a drill to twist wire. Since the jaws of some drills do not close tightly enough to hold wires in gauges most jewelry makers use, try folding a wire in half and secure the loop end in the drill.
B: Just as when twisting a single wire to work-harden it, the same thing happens when two or more wires are twisted together to make a decorative "rope" element. When twisting together wires longer than two feet, it can be helpful to anneal the "rope" at some point in the twisting process, especially when a tight twist is wanted.
C: Many people use a drill to twist wire. Since the jaws of some drills do not close tightly enough to hold wires in gauges most jewelry makers use, try folding a wire in half and secure the loop end in the drill.
D: The wire tails are then held in pliers while twisting the wire. Because of how the jaws of regular pliers close, one wire invariably will let loose when the twisting starts. Using flat nose parallel jaw pliers might solve the problem some of the time, but the torque of the twisting wire can still pull one wire loose.
I could never keep the two cut ends secured in a pliers as one end invariably came loose. I had enough of that and usually soldered the ends together, which worked well.
One day it just hit me. I did not care if some wire was wasted as there is always a use for scrap wire. Grasp the two wire tails and rotate the pliers to wind the ends around the outer end of the flat nose plier jaws. No more wire end popping loose and no more time wasted soldering! Twist away!
I could never keep the two cut ends secured in a pliers as one end invariably came loose. I had enough of that and usually soldered the ends together, which worked well.
One day it just hit me. I did not care if some wire was wasted as there is always a use for scrap wire. Grasp the two wire tails and rotate the pliers to wind the ends around the outer end of the flat nose plier jaws. No more wire end popping loose and no more time wasted soldering! Twist away!
E: Loosely twisted wires can easily separate when cut into short lengths so it is generally better to have a tight twist to wire ropes.
F: When twisting longer wires together, the twists are always a bit tighter at both ends than in the middle of the wire length.
G: Twisted wire can be flattened to look faceted. Either run it through a rolling mill or place it on a bench block and flatten it with a hammer. Once flattened it will be work-hardened and may be difficult to work with. Anneal it before shaping it to fit into a design.
F: When twisting longer wires together, the twists are always a bit tighter at both ends than in the middle of the wire length.
G: Twisted wire can be flattened to look faceted. Either run it through a rolling mill or place it on a bench block and flatten it with a hammer. Once flattened it will be work-hardened and may be difficult to work with. Anneal it before shaping it to fit into a design.
H: Adding a ball of silver between the twisted wire ends means the end twists do not need to be matched.
I: Twisted wire is very stiff. Anneal it to be able to coil and store it for later use.
J: To make an invisible twisted wire seam, cut the wire coil ends at an angle following the twist of the wire.
I: Twisted wire is very stiff. Anneal it to be able to coil and store it for later use.
J: To make an invisible twisted wire seam, cut the wire coil ends at an angle following the twist of the wire.
Fancy Twisted Wire Tips
Step 1: Fold a 48" or longer piece of 20-gauge wire in half. Follow B, C, and D in the above Tips and Tricks.
Pro Tip: If the wire coil is twisted too loosely or too tightly, the coil lines will not be very visible. Depending on the tightness of the twist, the twisted wire length will be between 16- and 14-gauge in size. The wire seen here should have a slightly tighter twist to have the best visual impact in finished rings.
Pro Tip: If the wire coil is twisted too loosely or too tightly, the coil lines will not be very visible. Depending on the tightness of the twist, the twisted wire length will be between 16- and 14-gauge in size. The wire seen here should have a slightly tighter twist to have the best visual impact in finished rings.
Step 2: Cut a piece of 16- or 14-gauge round wire the length of the finished twisted wire above. Solder both ends of the twisted wire and heavy gauge wire together with easy paste solder-first two photos in "D" above. Anneal the entire length of both wires to make them easier to twist together.
Step 3: Secure one end of the two wires in the drill.
Step 4: Grasp the other end of the wires with pliers. Because the ends are soldered together it is not necessary to wrap the ends around the tips of the pliers.
Twist until the desired tightness of the coil is achieved. Keep in mind that what looks like a tight twist in the straight piece will probably not look tight enough in a small ring.
Don't worry if a loop of the heavy gauge wire forms in the middle of the twisted wire length as only short lengths are needed to make rings
Twist until the desired tightness of the coil is achieved. Keep in mind that what looks like a tight twist in the straight piece will probably not look tight enough in a small ring.
Don't worry if a loop of the heavy gauge wire forms in the middle of the twisted wire length as only short lengths are needed to make rings
Step 5: Anneal the twisted wire to make it easier to coil or shape.
Step 6: Small Wrap N Tap pliers are perfect for making coils to create rings with 20-gauge and 16-gauge twisted wire.
Using this tool:
Adding patina to the rings enhances the rope design, making the twists stand out beautifully.
Using this tool:
- The middle step produces 10-11mm OD rings
- The largest step produces 12.5-13mm OD rings
Adding patina to the rings enhances the rope design, making the twists stand out beautifully.
Step 7: Make a larger twisted wire ring and turn into a toggle "O" ring. The T-bar can also be made with twisted wire.
Find a full tutorial for Twisted Wire Jump Rings here: Pattern - Twisted Wire Jump Rings
Materials
20 Gauge Round Dead Soft .925 Sterling Silver Wire
H8-20D
- Lesson Quantity: 5.00 feet
- Purchase Quantity: 1.00 5FT
- Price: $19.05
- Gold Club Price: $14.29
Tools
3.6 Volt Automatic Wire Twister (Cordless Screwdriver)
G5-15
- G5-15
- Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
- Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
- Price: $42.97
- Gold Club Price: $32.23
3 Prong Wire Twister Head
G5-2
- G5-2
- Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
- Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
- Price: $7.97
- Gold Club Price: $5.98
C.H.P Milano Italian Flush Cutter, 5 1/2 Inches
PLR-487.00
- PLR-487.00
- Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
- Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
- Price: $16.97
- Gold Club Price: $12.73
Flat Nose Wire Pliers
G2-506
- G2-506
- Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
- Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
- Price: $32.95
- Gold Club Price: $24.71
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- Category: General Education
- Technique(s): Twisting
Judy Larson
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