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bilythepink
10-01-2013, 10:24 PM
I have just started making my own earwires using 0.8mm fully annealed wire. The reason for using soft wire is that I have been soldering the loop closed and just assumed that half hard or hard wire would soften anyway when heated (I hammer the top bend in the earwire and tumble to harden once they are made). My question is - am I wasting my time soldering the earwire (I have noticed most jewellers don't seem to do this) and would I save myself the effort of hardening by using half hard or hard wire ?

silken
10-01-2013, 11:42 PM
I too use fully annealed sterling silver wire for earwires. It is definitely a good idea to solder the loop closed for a few reasons. One, it makes the earrings look and feel more professional and two, there is a much lower possibility of the earring falling apart or getting caught in clothing, etc. It is not absolutely necessary but it does add something extra to the overall finish. Personally, I would continue using fully annealed wire as you would have to anneal hard wire before using it and half hard is more difficult to manipulate and is more brittle. Annealed wire will naturally work harden as you bend/manipulate it. Tumbling is a good way to harden your earwires at the same time as giving them a nice shine. If I were you, I'd carry on doing what you're doing. You might find the process is sped up a little if you make a jig to bend your earwires. You can make practically identical earwires with very little effort :)

mizgeorge
11-01-2013, 01:58 AM
You're not wasting your time soldering the loop if your designs call for it. However, you are wasting your time believing that your wires will be sufficiently hardened by tumbling alone. They'll have a lovely polish, but won't realistically be any harder than when you put them in - the 'hammering' action of the shot is far too small to have any impact on wire of that thickness, which needs to be drawn, forged or otherwise manipulated to harden it.

If it's any help, I regularly make hundreds of pairs a week and I very rarely solder a loop closed. I don't make them with dead soft wire either ;)

bilythepink
11-01-2013, 09:20 AM
Thank you Emily and George for your replies. I suppose it is a matter of choice and necessity re soldering earwires. I have noticed that after forming the wire and hammering the top bend that they are just as hard as the commercial ones and, as they don't bend out of shape rolling around in a tumbler full of pendants, they must be fairly tough already (might give it a go using half hard wire just to satisfy my curiosity though). They do look really good when they come out of the tumbler and I am so pleased I decided to make my own ;)

silken
12-01-2013, 06:23 AM
Everyone has their own personal preferences but I have used fully annealed for a long time and the process of forming/hammering hardens them enough to be sturdy and wearable. I generally don't buy half hard wire, you can make dead soft much harder just by manipulating it.

I have always found that my earwires come out of the tumbler harder than before, maybe this is an illusion/wishful thinking but they definitely feel more sturdy than before they got thrown around the tumbler for a couple of hours. Again, personal preference. If I don't have time to tumble earwires I'll just give them a quick polish with my radial discs and they're just as sparkly :)

bilythepink
12-01-2013, 09:48 AM
I accidentally left my tumbler running for a few extra hours last night and definately noticed a difference in the hardness of the wires - absolutely no illusion or wishful thinking - although the bottle of red wine may have clouded my judgement slightly :-O I showed the earrings to a few people who all agreed that the wires were sturdy enough and really liked that the loops were soldered, so think I will just carry on as before. I have to admit, the soldering practice has been a bonus too, my workshop is no longer littered with teeny pallions of silver solder, my hands have stopped shaking and my hair is growing back ;)

Wallace
12-01-2013, 11:03 AM
I seldom solder mine, now that I have almost got rid of the pre-made ones from my beading days and generous birthday gifts!

If a customer comes along and wants them converted to posts, I will have wasted my wires and time if they have been soldered closed. Instead, I make sure all the loops and links connecting to the ear wires are always soldered or wound around to close a design.

I use soft .8mm silver with a tough nylon hammer to additionally harden a little more on my on my bench (metal stake is past it's smooth by date).... Ooops!

Doesn't take much to harden them as the winding and tidying if the sawn ends all helps along the way. But a nice couple of hours in the tumbler with 5mm ball-bearings seems to bring them out nicely.

caroleallen
12-01-2013, 12:54 PM
I don't really see the point of soldering. Many of my earrings are either enamelled or aluminium, so it wouldn't be appropriate.

bilythepink
12-01-2013, 03:25 PM
Thank you all for the great advice, it's really appreciated and I've just realised that I can make loads of earwires in the time it takes me to solder just one pair. I really must learn to stop overcomplicating things that work perfectly well uncomplicated ;)