How to Make Jewelry - Selecting Your Wire Tools

Adding to the last two posts on general beading tools and how to make jewelry, this post will focus specifically on tools that are useful when your beading projects are dealing with making jewelry with wire. As skill progresses a beader will eventually try new techniques and variations and that includes the incorporate of wire into jewelry pieces. Jewelry design that incorporates perfected wiring techniques are truly beautiful to behold and display to others.

These tools are ones that I specifically utilize in my wiring projects -- you may even see some tools that you recognize from the previous post on basic beading tools.

I will discuss in this post how they specifically relate to the wiring process since your first introduction was their basic use for all general jewellery making creations.

Awl

The awl is a handy tool to have for whenever a project requires holes to be made in metal wire or any other metal pieces in the project. An awl is basically a steel spike with its tip sharpened to a fine point. The awl is a simple tool with which holes can be punctured in a variety of materials, or existing holes can be enlarged.

It is a staple of a lot of crafts including beaded jewelry, which you're reading here, as well as leather working, shoe making and just sewing heavy materials such as canvas.

For beading purposes, its simply used for punching holes in metal materials or any other object that requires a precise hole placed into it.

Bench Block

Since you will be dealing with a very tough opponent, the metal and wiring, it is always good to have a bench block that will help protect your workspace as well as providing a solid space where you can pound out the metal objects and apply the force that is required to manipulate metal.

Think of the bench block to wiring jewelry as a cutting board is to a chef.

There are many different types and varieties of bench blocks but there is no need to go to extravagant to begin with. For example, jewelrysupply.com has a very basic block that I have used before with great success.

Round nose pliers

The round nose pliers have now made their second appearance! You will recall the the design of the round nose pliers are perfect for manipulating the shapes of the wire for handcrafted jewelry. They can be used to create loops or rings.

Purchasing a pair of these pliers will open up the opportunities of what you can create from wiring jewelry.

Flush cutters

The flush cutters are a tool that are specifically designed for jewelry wiring and have already been mentioned as an essential tool to have, but their use will not be fully realized until you begin wiring.

Probably the one point I'd like to make is consider having two different flush cutters, one for the smaller gauge wires and another for the heavier gauges. The reason for this recommendation is that using the same flush cutter with heavy and small gauges can damage the cutter and make its effectiveness in clean cutting on the smaller gauges very poor.

Ball-peen hammer

Ball-peen hammers are divided into two classes: hard-faced and soft-faced. The head of a hard-faced hammer is made of heat treated forged high-carbon steel or alloy steel.

They are used when there is the danger of damaging a striking surface. More specifically, the ball-peen is used to flatten out metal objects and for the creation of textured designs of the metal pieces for the jewelry designs.

Metal file

The metal file is a tool that will come into use whenever your other cutting tools have begun to lose their edge and create jagged cuts and you need to file the edge down to something smoother.

Chain nose pliers

In the last couple of posts I've mentioned how the chain nose pliers are a versatile tool for use in beading. This still holds true even when your beading projects begin to include wiring in them. The basic uses for them on are for closing various clasps you've added to your jewelry piece or closing loops.

Fortunately, a few of these tools are simply a repeat from the basic tool kit you would want to have as an amateur beader. On top of that the additional tools should not put too much of a financial hit to your budget as you're building your tools. 

Any one of these items can be purchased relatively affordable; there is no need to spend money on expensive tools when a more economical one is available, which is the key when learning how to make jewelry and still have money in the bank.

Wire jewelry always adds a sophisticated look to your work. 

How to Make Jewelry - Essential Tools Pt 2

Ok we're back with part two of the how to make jewelry essentials toolkit list. In the last post, the bulk of the tools were various specialty pliers that any self-respecting beader should have with them. Since the bulk of the beading tools were listed in the other post, today’s post will be a little light reading. Following is a list of the last few tools that one should have:

Flush cutter

Now you may be asking yourself what is a flush cutter and why would I ever need one because you already have 11 different types of pliers that you went out and bought from the last post. A "flush cut", as you may or may not be aware, is one where the wire, after cut, is not left burred.

You need a good flush cut for making proper jump rings, or for making any kind of chain from rings for your jewelry designs. The flush cutter is commonly V-shaped on one side and flat on one the other. Once again it all comes down to how professional you want the piece to be.

Wire cutter

While you may ultimately have specialty cutters for specific wiring types such as metal, it is never a bad idea to have some plain old wire cutters for your handmade jewellery projects. You can use them for the more pliable beading wire –basically none of the metal wiring.

Ultimate Craft Scissors

In the last post I mentioned how the chain nose pliers are the most versatile of pliers; well the next versatile tool in the bunch would be some sturdy utility scissors. These can be used for a myriad of tasks related to your beading projects. You can use the utility scissors for things like cutting plastic, elastic items or even beading thread.

Beading Needles

Beading needles may be pointed or ballpoint and straight or curved and are perfect for beaded jewelry designs. The size of the beads and the thread will help determine the needle size, which, as with tapestry needles, is lower when the needle is thicker and higher when it is thinner. They are longer than standard sewing needles, enabling you to string multiple seed beads and other beads.

Twisted wire needles come five to a packet. Beading needles are very thin, flexible needles most often used for seed bead work. The advantage to using this type (rather than regular sewing needles) is that their eyes are the same width as the rest of the needle, so there's no added metal width to get in the way as you pass through seed and other small-holed beads. Beading needles are long, thin and flexible.

Now to find a tool box for your beading tools!! At this point, you have setup your room to be organized with all of your beading materials and you have now added to the storage an effective arsenal of beading tools with which to create beautifully designed jewellery for yourself to enjoy or sell making the learning process on how to make jewelry fun.

Starting a new hobby can be intimidating so if you're still not ready to start, you can still save money with your jewelry purchases.

How to Make Jewelry - Supplies Storage

Learn How to Make Jewelry - Organizing Jewelry Making Supplies First

So you have decided that you want to learn how to make wire jewelry as a hobby. This may be just to fuel your creative juices that you have inside or perhaps you want to make a little extra money by selling some of your handmade jewellery on the side. While beading is a very rewarding hobby you want to make sure that you have all the proper tools in place before you begin or frustration will definitely sink in.

Where to Start

Your first thought when you are learning how to make jewelry by beading might be, how could I run out of storage space? Beads take up so little space so it shouldn't take up so much space to make beaded jewelry. Surprisingly, though, the storage bins of tools, thread, string and beads can add up quickly. Before you know it, you can no longer get into your project room. Another significant downside to an unorganized project space is that will begin to take you sometimes two and three times longer than it should to design new bracelets or necklaces because you will spend your time hunting down your beads than actually stringing them together.

Now don’t jump ahead and buy a bunch of new bins from Michael’s or some other crafts store. That is something that is later on in your organizational strategy which will make your journey of learning how to make jewelry much more rewarding and stress free.

The first priority is putting together a game plan for sorting your beads. When you start out you may only have one type of bead and one type of string – the sorting will be easy at this point – however once you find your comfort level with one set of materials, there will be a significant increase in the assortment of beads and other materials.

As I said, the first step in keeping an organized beading space is to begin sorting. Now, I’m not going to tell you exactly how to sort because it will be your choices of projects that dictate what sorting method will be most effective for you.

This could be a simple sorting of the types of beads – an example being by seed beads, glass, Milagros, gemstone, etc. Then again, you may want to sort by the sizes of the beads, their type or bead color. The key is to make sure that you start with a strategy and don’t veer from it because your workspace will soon turn into an area that looks like a tornado hit your room!

Once you have decided how things will be sorted, the next task at hand will be to choose how to store them. You have options here too, but the most basic concerns for beaders are typically whether to choose storage bins that you can see into – an thus aware of what stock you have, or just some solid colored bins. The beader can choose a bin with many small drawers or ones with just a few.

And you thought that learning how to make jewelry; specifically beading was simply a string and clasp job and you’re done! In all seriousness, beading is an enjoyable hobby and can continue for many years as such; as long as you properly organize your jewelry making supplies from the get go.

How to Make Jewelry with Trollbeads

Here is a small project that you can use to put all of your newly purchased genuine troll beads to good use. I found this project, created by Kathy Mamet, who has nearly two decades of beading experience and providing classes to aspiring beaders. This a very good project for those that are wanting to learn how to make wire jewelry:

Twisted-Wire Bracelet

Skill level: Beginner
Estimated time: 1 hour
Tools: Chain-nose pliers (flat nose), round-nose pliers, wire cutters
Supplies: 20-gauge brass wire, 1 brass toggle clasp, 45-60 Troll beads with holes large enough to fit the 20-gauge wire.

Instructions:

1. Cut 4 yards of wire. Fold in half. Insert wire through ring on circle portion of toggle and slide to fold.
2. Using chain-nose pliers, make first twist by holding wires together, approximately 1/4 -inch down from toggle. Grasp toggle and twist until twisted wire is approximately 1/8 -inch long. (Note: do not over twist wire)
3. Now separate the wires. About 1/2 inch past the twist, bend one wire into a "U" shape. Slide a bead into the "U." Hold bead and twist until wire beneath forms a twist.
4. Repeat step 3 with the second wire.
5. Using chain-nose pliers, hold both wires 1/4 inch down from beads. Twist beaded section until twist is 1/8 -inch long.
6. Continue steps 3, 4 and 5 until bracelet fits comfortably around wrist, allowing room for adding stick portion of clasp.
7. Cut remaining two wires, leaving each with a 2- to three 3-inch tail. Using round-nose pliers, bend joined wires to 90-degree angle above twist.
8. Make loop by bringing wires over top jaw of round nose pliers. Slip toggle stick into opening of loop.
9. Grasp partial loop with round-nose pliers. Hold wire tails with chain nose pliers and wrap tightly around wire stems beneath loop, two to three times. Trim excess wire.

Let me know what you think of this project and I will try to find more that you can use to make even more of your troll beads jewelry. This is a pretty simple project for those just beginning to learn how to make jewelry.

Genuine Troll Beads & Books to Help Create Jewelry with Them

Tutorials for Jewelry Making

Well after a long holiday break from updating my how to make wire jewelry blog, I have returned to give all of you the opportunity to find out more about troll beads and the beading hobby by giving you a list of the books that have helped me to become familiar with beading, finding the right tools and workspace...of course in the most economical fashion possible. 

Cause if you're like me, you want to find fun hobbies to do, but really don't have that trust fund to fall back on to pay the bills. So without any further delay here is the list of four books that really helped me:

1. Jewelry Making and Beading for Dummies 

I have always enjoyed the "for Dummies" series of books, due to the simplification of all of the tasks. This one in particular has step by step instruction for beginner projects all the way to the more complex ones that involve things such as wire wrapping and knotting. So whether you want to use trollbeads for making necklaces, key chains or wine charms, you're sure to find the steps to guide you on how to make jewelry on your beading project.


2. The New! Beader's Companion by Judith Durant

Personally, I consider this my beading reference book! This was the second book that I purchased and after getting the basics down, "Beaders Companion" is just that, a companion to provide you with all of the terminology and reference for a huge list of beading techniques. I definitely recommend getting this book after reading a more introductory-type book like the book listed at #1.


3. Bead on a Wire: Making Handcrafted Wire & Beaded Jewelry by Sharilyn Miller.

Now we have ventured into the arena for the more experienced beaders. After you have done about 3-5 projects of beading together trollbeads, this book will provide you with the information to create more complex jewerly. Sharilyn has a wonderful way of elaborately describing and detailing all of the advanced techniques. Once you've done a few of the ones illustrated in this book, you will be a pro!!!


4. Marketing & Selling your Handmade Jewelry: The Complete Guide to Turning your Passion into Profit by Viki Lareau

This final book is being listed because, after creating several works of art (IMHO!!), I ran across this book at Barnes & Nobles. I thought to myself, what the heck?!! I enjoy making these pieces of jewelry, why not see if I can make some extra spending money. Viki takes a very good approach to describing all of the skills and factors that come into play in presenting, pricing, marketing and ultimately selling your handmade pieces of jewelry. Now this book may not be for everyone, especially those of you who enjoy beading as a simple hobby to relax after a long week! If you want to pad that emergency fund with some extra cash, this might be the way to go.


I hope that you go out and enjoy these excellent books, but more so that you find the passion for creating one of a kind pieces of jewelry with troll beads. You will be creating items that you can't just go down to the local jewelry store or mall outlet to find!!

Stay tuned for the next upcoming post that will include a beginner's level beading project for you. In the meantime, if you want to pick up some beads to get ready to do some beading be sure to follow the link above!!

Genuine Troll Beads Make Great Gifts

Earlier in the month I wrote about how you can be quite selfless by creating heartfelt jewelry made from troll beads and donating them to sick children. Let me ask you if there has ever been a time...usually after watching a Kay Jewelers or Jared's commercial for the millionth time that you wish provide more meaningful gifts for your family and less time trying to track down the new iPhone or a new Lexus?

Starting a new hobby by learning how to make wire jewelry with your family, even if its just one night a week, can help tremendously to build the bond with your kids. Beading is quite a simple and even addicting hobby to start.

When you can make outlandish or pieces of jewelry that stand out, you will capture the imagination and enthusiasm of your kids. Even in an article by Kim Mitchell for GO! Magazine there is mention.
"Glitter and glam could be just the thing to get your girls interested in making Christmas gifts, Riall said.

With so many options in the jewelry isles, Riall said the time consuming part won't be the making, but the selecting."

So start by getting involved with your kids with you, clear off the kitchen and start putting troll beads onto your jewelry pieces. And if you're so inclined, give them as gifts to those your care about!

If you want to read the whole article from Kim click here