Autumn
starting to shine!
Member since July 2014
Posts: 47 
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Post by Autumn on Jul 7, 2014 22:01:58 GMT -5
I taught myself to wire wrap, so I've come up with (or found online) some tips and tricks to help out. What are yours? Let's list them--we may find some we never knew about! - Use masking tape to hold the wires against the stone. But first, get some of the extra glue off by "sticking" it to your hand a few times.
- Save the scrap wire. That includes "bad" wraps. If you want to trash a wrap, remove the stone and put the wrap in your scrap bin. I've made some nice "bird cage" pendants from scrapped wraps.
- Experiment with different wires AND different brands. No two companies make copper wire alike!
- Look for inspiration, and follow the muses--even if they seem out of their mind. Evolution is good for artists.
And don't be afraid of failure! I gave my very first wrap to my partner for sentimental reasons, and she has the "braided" bracelet I made her. Both are shudder-worthy, but also very humbling. It shows how far I've come, but also reminds me of what I still need to learn. Failure isn't a reason to give up, is a reason to return to the drawing board. Some of my "failed" and "ugly" items are the ones customers loved the most!
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TByrd
fully equipped rock polisher
Have you performed your random act of kindness?
Member since December 2010
Posts: 1,350
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Post by TByrd on Jul 8, 2014 4:58:03 GMT -5
Wrap the jaws of your pliers with masking tape to help protect the wire from being scratched. Using the flush side of the cutters to get flat ends.
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Post by rockjunquie on Jul 8, 2014 12:18:23 GMT -5
Do your own thing.  If you really think about it, it will come to you. The rest is figuring out how to do it. That's how you accumulate skills. Try out new tools. Try out new techniques. I know them all. I don't use them all. But, if a design calls for it, I can. Sand the snot out of your pliers. Always cut the wire the right way. You'll get real good at doing fancy flips with your cutters. Kinda like a hibachi chef. LOL! Always have your correctly cuts ends facing your work and not the unfortunate wearer. Try new designs in copper. Remove the stone and keep the wrap for future reference. Photograph your new pieces from all angles, too, also for future reference. Make sketches. Save your sketches. When you are saving images from the web for eye candy, remember to save the artist's name, too. You may need to give them credit. Put your name on your images. Make your bails in proportion to your piece. Have emory boards on hand for sanding nicks when they happen. Finish will very fine and then polish. File any ends that may snag clothing. |
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Autumn
starting to shine!
Member since July 2014
Posts: 47
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Post by Autumn on Jul 8, 2014 19:48:31 GMT -5
Heat shrink tubes (for electric wires) make good plier covers. They come in multiple sizes and are removable.
Take a digital photography class. It'll help you with the photography AND jewelry making.
Sales, discounts, coupons and other markdowns (for your supplies and tools) are your friend. Some stores have memberships and offer a free trial during certain parts of the year. That $14 tool for $3 is a good reason to check out that free trial!
File the wire. Then run it over your skin to make sure.
File the wire that doesn't "show".
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transcendental
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2014
Posts: 459
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Post by transcendental on Jul 12, 2014 10:22:39 GMT -5
I've been saving up my scraps too, crinkled, curly, and kinked. When I get enough I make birds nest pendants with a couple beads to look like eggs, the more scraggly the wire the better it looks. They are the first item to sell
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Autumn
starting to shine!
Member since July 2014
Posts: 47
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Post by Autumn on Jul 13, 2014 20:23:24 GMT -5
I've been saving up my scraps too, crinkled, curly, and kinked. When I get enough I make birds nest pendants with a couple beads to look like eggs, the more scraggly the wire the better it looks. They are the first item to sell Wow, that's a really good idea! I like the look of bird nest pendants, but never really wanted to make them. |
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transcendental
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2014
Posts: 459
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Post by transcendental on Jul 14, 2014 8:51:12 GMT -5
I've been saving up my scraps too, crinkled, curly, and kinked. When I get enough I make birds nest pendants with a couple beads to look like eggs, the more scraggly the wire the better it looks. They are the first item to sell Wow, that's a really good idea! I like the look of bird nest pendants, but never really wanted to make them. Yeah I liked them but didn't want to make them either, they seemed too easy compared to caged wraps and they take a bit of wire for a full looking nest so didn't want to waste good wire making them, scrap was the perfect medium to test them out. The mark up is incredible! They take about 10 min to make and I factor my scrap into the pieces the scrap came from so no matter what you charge for them it's pretty much pure profit, aside from those 10 minutes and whatever the beads cost you . Another thing is that I only make them when I have enough scrap built up so they are essentially a limited time only item which I think helped them sell quicker in the shop I had them in along with the fact it was spring time so it fit in well with the time of year. |
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Post by rockjunquie on Jul 14, 2014 10:34:14 GMT -5
Wow, that's a really good idea! I like the look of bird nest pendants, but never really wanted to make them. Yeah I liked them but didn't want to make them either, they seemed too easy compared to caged wraps and they take a bit of wire for a full looking nest so didn't want to waste good wire making them, scrap was the perfect medium to test them out. The mark up is incredible! They take about 10 min to make and I factor my scrap into the pieces the scrap came from so no matter what you charge for them it's pretty much pure profit, aside from those 10 minutes and whatever the beads cost you . Another thing is that I only make them when I have enough scrap built up so they are essentially a limited time only item which I think helped them sell quicker in the shop I had them in along with the fact it was spring time so it fit in well with the time of year. Could you post a picture of one? I'm having a hard time envisioning this. Maybe you could do a quickie tute for the board and get a sticky. |
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transcendental
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2014
Posts: 459
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Post by transcendental on Jul 14, 2014 11:29:06 GMT -5
Yeah I liked them but didn't want to make them either, they seemed too easy compared to caged wraps and they take a bit of wire for a full looking nest so didn't want to waste good wire making them, scrap was the perfect medium to test them out. The mark up is incredible! They take about 10 min to make and I factor my scrap into the pieces the scrap came from so no matter what you charge for them it's pretty much pure profit, aside from those 10 minutes and whatever the beads cost you . Another thing is that I only make them when I have enough scrap built up so they are essentially a limited time only item which I think helped them sell quicker in the shop I had them in along with the fact it was spring time so it fit in well with the time of year. Could you post a picture of one? I'm having a hard time envisioning this. Maybe you could do a quickie tute for the board and get a sticky. Sure thing. This is the first one I made  Once I get more scrap together I'd be more than happy to make a tutorial but if you don't feel like waiting there are links out there. Just search bird nest pendant tutorial and a whole bunch will pop up. That's how I learned. I was able to make 4 and they all sold within a week for $20 a piece |
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Post by rockjunquie on Jul 14, 2014 12:06:39 GMT -5
OH! OK. I got it now. I didn't realize that you were talking about a bird's nest. I thought you were talking about a bird cage. Yes, I've made a few of those myself. Yup, you can find tutes all over the place and on YouTube, too. Probably don't need to post a tute. Nice of you to offer, though. You are right. The messier the wire, the better! Lots of videos here. |
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Post by rockjunquie on Jul 14, 2014 12:10:20 GMT -5
If anyone is familiar with Ed Sinclair's single wire wrap, you can adapt the two for this, too. HMMMMMM...... I KNOW I added an image here! It misappeared.  Trying again- If 2 show up, I'll delete the dupe. .jpg) ![]() |
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transcendental
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2014
Posts: 459
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Post by transcendental on Jul 14, 2014 15:40:53 GMT -5
Yeah I was curious about the bird cage too. All the ones I've seen seem to require solder and I'm no where near ready to venture down that path lol. I didn't think making a tutorial was necessary either but if people wanted one I'd be more than happy to provide.
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Autumn
starting to shine!
Member since July 2014
Posts: 47
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Post by Autumn on Jul 14, 2014 19:35:59 GMT -5
I'm not sure what "official" bird cages look like, but here is one of mine. It reminded me up a bird cage when I made it. These are just quick pictures for demonstration. ...and apparently my pictures aren't uploading. Here's the link below. s1380.photobucket.com/user/autumn_cc/library/Jewelry |
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transcendental
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2014
Posts: 459
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Post by transcendental on Jul 14, 2014 20:01:45 GMT -5
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Post by rockjunquie on Jul 14, 2014 20:14:18 GMT -5
You can wire wrap something like that. Make a basket bottom and bring the wires up with a little weaving. Check out Mary Tucker's work. www.flickr.com/photos/wiredelements/ She does lockets and baskets. She is one of my favorite wire wrappers. If you go look- I am the lucky owner of a pair of her woven hoops. We swapped. She got a nice stone wrap and I got her prototype of the earrings. They are AWESOME!!! Mary has a free tute for a hinged trinket box necklace. wiredelements.com/learning-center/free-tutorials/trinket-box-tutorial/ She was the first and the one to popularize this design. She's very talented. |
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Autumn
starting to shine!
Member since July 2014
Posts: 47
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Post by Autumn on Jul 14, 2014 20:26:25 GMT -5
Thanks transcendental. I Googled "bird cage pendant" after posting that. They're pretty...but not my thing.
I'm determined to make a locket one day. I looked over one tutorial for making a "locket", but I didn't like it. Tutorials aren't how I learn to begin with...and this was much too awkward of a result for my taste. Mary's photos gave me some wonderful ideas. What beautiful items.
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transcendental
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2014
Posts: 459
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Post by transcendental on Jul 15, 2014 21:14:51 GMT -5
Yeah not my thing either. That keepsake basket pendant was cute tho! I might have to try it at some point. I like watching and reading tutorials. Get to see a bunch of techniques by a bunch of people and figure out what works for me. I've also combined ideas from several tutorials and made my own unique items.
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Autumn
starting to shine!
Member since July 2014
Posts: 47
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Post by Autumn on Jul 22, 2014 22:13:16 GMT -5
Back to the list...
-Learn about trade names. That would have saved me some money early on.
-Learn about common treatments for stones, and how to identify them.
-Learn basics for spotting real and imitation materials.
-Price is not always a good indication of quality
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If you really think about it, it will come to you. The rest is figuring out how to do it. That's how you accumulate skills. 
