Hello hello

[casandra10]

HI
IM NEW AT JEWELLERY MAKING NEVER TRIED IT BEFORE I HAVE BOUGHT LOTS OF FINDINGS AND BEADS/WIRE ETC
AND AT THE MOMENT WATCHING TUTORIALS ON YOUTUBE, TRIED MAKING S SHAPED CLASP IN THE TUTORIAL HE USED 20 GAUGE
WIRE I ONLY HAD 16 GAUGE AND IT TURNED OUT RUBBISH IS THAT BECAUSE I NEED TO USE THE 20? I WILL PROBABLY BE ASKING LOADS MORE QUESTIONS
ONE OTHER THING THE TOOLS IM USING ARE MINI ONES WOULD THAT HAVE BEEN THER REASON?
HOPE SOMEONE CAN HELP THANKS IM JOAN BY THE WAY FROM LIVERPOOL:dance:

[metalsmith]

HI
IM NEW AT JEWELLERY MAKING NEVER TRIED IT BEFORE I HAVE BOUGHT LOTS OF FINDINGS AND BEADS/WIRE ETC
AND AT THE MOMENT WATCHING TUTORIALS ON YOUTUBE, TRIED MAKING S SHAPED CLASP IN THE TUTORIAL HE USED 20 GAUGE
WIRE I ONLY HAD 16 GAUGE AND IT TURNED OUT RUBBISH IS THAT BECAUSE I NEED TO USE THE 20? I WILL PROBABLY BE ASKING LOADS MORE QUESTIONS
ONE OTHER THING THE TOOLS IM USING ARE MINI ONES WOULD THAT HAVE BEEN THER REASON?
HOPE SOMEONE CAN HELP THANKS IM JOAN BY THE WAY FROM LIVERPOOL:dance:

Hi Casandra10 - or Joan - its difficult to say why your attempts did not succeed as expected without seeing the result. I doubt that the gauge of the wire was the entire reason, unless you didn't adjust the instructions you were following for the gauge. If you can load an image or two then that would help identify things a bit more easily.

BTW, you'll find the Caps Lock key should enable you to alternate between lower and upper case text.

[casandra10]

Oh thanks for that I have ordered some 20 gauge wire which should be here for Friday
so I will give it another go and if its still bad I will show you
Thanks
Metalsmith

Joan xx

[Dennis]

Hello and welcome. If you are talking about S shaped fasteners, then we all make our favourite versions and they don't necessarily have to copy what you have seen else where.

You need about 60mm of wire and 16gauge(1.3mm) should be fine if you first file both ends to a taper. Twenty gauge(0.8mm) would seem rather flimsy to me.

It is always easier for a beginner to draw the shape first and then slowly bend up the wire with round or looping pliers , bit by bit and laying it on the drawing for reference.

But for practice I would use some copper wire. The earth wire pulled out of some discarded electric cable would do fine for this.

There are various hooks in my album linked below. Dennis.

[caroleallen]

Reflections wire from Cooksons balls up nicely on the end if that is something you like.