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Thread: Advice on silver wire sizes

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Posts
    16

    Default Advice on silver wire sizes

    Hiya,

    I am just venturing into making chains, rings and things and I'd like to lay some beginning supplies to play around with. I have a couple of textbooks which are American and use gauge sizes that are confusing me deeply. I want to start out making some hammered chain necklaces/bracelets and some medium rings (vague or what?!). What are good sizes to have around?

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Location
    cotswolds
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    3,383

    Default

    Here's a quick functional conversion - this is NOT accurate, but is a quick guide to more-or-less equivalents if you're following American designs.

    30ga - 0.25mm
    26ga - 0.4mm
    24ga - 0.5mm
    22ga - 0.64mm (tricky this one!)
    21ga - 0.7mm
    20ga - 0.8mm
    19ga - 0.9mm
    18ga - 1.0mm
    16ga - 1.3mm
    14ga - 1.6mm
    12ga - 2.0mm
    10ga - 2.5mm

    For the sort of thing your'e thinking of, I'd probably start with 1.6mm and 2mm wire.
    I'm guessing from what you've said that you have a torch - which is good, as with the thicker wire sizes, you're going to need to anneal pretty often!

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Location
    Cornwall
    Posts
    3,172

    Default

    I'd use about 1.3mm for chains, 2mm for rings, 3mm for bangles, .8mm for ear wires

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Posts
    16

    Default

    Thanks very much both! I've been sitting on the Cookson site panicking about what to order (the answer is really 'stop ordering and get back to your day job' but anyway).

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Aug 2009
    Location
    South Wales
    Posts
    239

    Default

    Thanks for asking this Ali, I've been meaning to and thanks for the conversion George, this is one I'll print.
    Jane,
    (although I quite like Sunny!)

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