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Post by rockjunquie on Nov 11, 2019 11:39:25 GMT -5
The question about what to tools to get gets asked a lot. So, here is a one stop thread for tools and comments- add what you like, too.
This is just what I think and what I use. I am a traditional border wrapper. If you are doing other styles of wrapping you may want to add other tools, such as a drill for coiling.
These are old pictures that went into a book I wrote, but my tool use changes as I change and as I find new and or better tools. These are the basics. First and foremost- I use a lot of different width flat nose pliers. You may want to add chain nose as well, although I don't use them. Also, as mentioned in a recent post, you might find nylon jaw flat nose very useful, too. You can straighten wire with them.
 Flush cutters for getting a nice parallel cut on the end of your wire. There are many to choose from. Not all of the expensive ones are good and not all of the cheap ones are bad. In the picture, the ones on the left are very inexpensive. On the right are some heavy duty Lindstrom- much more expensive. Semi flush are also used a lot, but you will have to be more careful about filing the ends of your wire.  I use a cheap and dull thin bladed knife a lot. They are good for separating wires. You will want a double ended pinvise if you want to twist wire. (Shown in the picture taken apart.) Not pictured is some kind of file or cup bur to round/debur/smooth your wire ends. There are plenty to choose from. I use a small needle file and a cup bur for earring wires.  You will probably want some needle nose pliers for making round shapes. They come in a variety of sizes and prices. I don't recommend the Beadalon pair. They were pitched soon after the pic was taken. As with most of my tools, except for cutters, I prefer the Rio Grande Swanstrom tools (or, their cheaper German Rio tools). They are more expensive, but worth every penny and you can have them reconditioned.  Some people don't know this, but you really can't make a proper bail without bailing pliers. So, I find them indispensable. And besides, they come in handy for a lot of other things, too.  As you become a more proficient and experienced wrapper, you will be adding a lot of tools that you don't always use but can't do without for some things. This is an old picture. I have added more things to it and gotten rid of some, but as you can see there are lots of things that you can add to your arsenal. You'll be picking up all kinds of things for use as mandrels.
And that's about it... I think.  Feel free to comment with your favorite tools. |
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julieooly
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2018
Posts: 525 
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Post by julieooly on Nov 15, 2019 9:22:00 GMT -5
Thanks for this Tela, I've seen articles about dipping and coating your tools. Is this necessary for a beginner?
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Post by rockjunquie on Nov 16, 2019 16:33:20 GMT -5
Thanks for this Tela, I've seen articles about dipping and coating your tools. Is this necessary for a beginner? I have never done it and from I know, it doesn't hold up. The best thing to do is to learn how to use your tools properly and you won't need it.
Condition your new tools and you won't have as many nicks and stuff. Take sandpaper or emery boards and smooth all the working edges of your pliers. I also smooth the flat part- the throat.
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julieooly
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2018
Posts: 525
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Post by julieooly on Nov 17, 2019 8:53:32 GMT -5
Got it! Thanks
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jim931
noticing nice landscape pebbles
Member since August 2017
Posts: 82 
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Post by jim931 on Nov 17, 2019 23:08:54 GMT -5
This seems like a good area for this question.... any recommendations on where to buy wire from? I still haven’t bought any because there seems to be so many options when I google it. I saw an older topic that mentioned the types of wire to start with but didn’t see best places to buy.
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Post by rockjunquie on Nov 18, 2019 7:35:53 GMT -5
This seems like a good area for this question.... any recommendations on where to buy wire from? I still haven’t bought any because there seems to be so many options when I google it. I saw an older topic that mentioned the types of wire to start with but didn’t see best places to buy. It depends on what kind of wire you want to use. If you want coated copper wire, the sky is the limit. You can get it at the craft store and many other places. I don't recommend it, though. It nicks very easily and is not very easy to work with. If you want silver, silver filled, gold filled or pure copper, a lot of us use Rio Grande.com. There are other places, though. At Rio, you will pay by market price on silver and gold. You can get copper in pound rolls, which is great to start with. Copper is easy to work, cheap and you can give it an antique patina with liver of sulfur. It's always handy to have copper around for lots of reasons, not the least of which is for practice and working out difficult designs before you commit to silver or gold. |
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Post by hummingbirdstones on Nov 18, 2019 8:55:14 GMT -5
This seems like a good area for this question.... any recommendations on where to buy wire from? I still haven’t bought any because there seems to be so many options when I google it. I saw an older topic that mentioned the types of wire to start with but didn’t see best places to buy. It depends on what kind of wire you want to use. If you want coated copper wire, the sky is the limit. You can get it at the craft store and many other places. I don't recommend it, though. It nicks very easily and is not very easy to work with. If you want silver, silver filled, gold filled or pure copper, a lot of us use Rio Grande.com. There are other places, though. At Rio, you will pay by market price on silver and gold. You can get copper in pound rolls, which is great to start with. Copper is easy to work, cheap and you can give it an antique patina with liver of sulfur. It's always handy to have copper around for lots of reasons, not the least of which is for practice and working out difficult designs before you commit to silver or gold. What rockjunquie said. Rio probably has the best assortment to choose from and they sell copper on pound (and 5 pound) spools which makes it easy to store. I just bought 6 pounds of raw copper from them for weaving. In the past I haven't used copper much, but I have noticed people asking for it more so I figured I'd do some copper pieces for our show next year.
When I was comparing prices, I noticed a lot of places sell copper, but in smaller lengths. 50 feet of 28 gauge wire may sound like a lot, but when you're weaving it's not much at all. The smaller amounts are good for starting out, just to see if you like it, but when you decide what you want to work with, I would recommend buying a larger amount because in the end it's more economical. Wire doesn't go bad.  |
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julieooly
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2018
Posts: 525
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Post by julieooly on Nov 18, 2019 13:17:18 GMT -5
This seems like a good area for this question.... any recommendations on where to buy wire from? I still haven’t bought any because there seems to be so many options when I google it. I saw an older topic that mentioned the types of wire to start with but didn’t see best places to buy. I got this on Amazon, you could use it as a cost comparison to Rio. I haven't started wrapping yet but was told this was a great deal. www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01BKXU7CQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 |
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jim931
noticing nice landscape pebbles
Member since August 2017
Posts: 82
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Post by jim931 on Nov 18, 2019 20:01:08 GMT -5
For bailing pliers would you also recommend Swanstrom? Your photo showed three different size bailing pliers but the one I saw on the rio website was a single pair with interchangeable tips. Would you recommend that pair or a different one?
Also is there a big difference between flush and super flush cutters? The price difference wasn’t much so I was leaning towards super flush just because they would like they would be better. But the description for both was about the same..
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Post by rockjunquie on Nov 18, 2019 20:05:18 GMT -5
For bailing pliers would you also recommend Swanstrom? Your photo showed three different size bailing pliers but the one I saw on the rio website was a single pair with interchangeable tips. Would you recommend that pair or a different one? Also is there a big difference between flush and super flush cutters? The price difference wasn’t much so I was leaning towards super flush just because they would like they would be better. But the description for both was about the same.. I got cheap bailing pliers because I don't use them much. For repetitive tools, you want good ones. I would not recommend the changeable tips.
Probably not much difference. A sales gimmick maybe.
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Post by greig on Nov 19, 2019 15:03:35 GMT -5
Excellent info. I will bookmark and reference before I go shopping. Thanks much!
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Post by fernwood on Nov 20, 2019 4:57:52 GMT -5
A couple of my go to tools not mentioned yet. Hemostats and crochet hooks.
I use several styles of hemostats. Some are curved, some are straight. Some have ridges, some are flat. They help hold things in place and can be used to hold wire to pull tight.
The crochet hooks can be used to latch onto wire and pull through tight places, such as wrapped bails.
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Feel free to comment with your favorite tools. 
what the hell going on here...mostly