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Thread: Silver wire - soft or hard???

  1. #21
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Location
    South Coast
    Posts
    17

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    I think maybe I've got a combination of problems, then!

    I'm winding by hand - it's quite probable that I'm not doing it tightly enough. I do have a drill, and I don't know why it never occurred to me to use it (but my jewellery teacher taught us doing it by hand!). Regarding the ratio of mandrel to gauge, is there some kind of formula you can point me to? But tbh, it happens when I'm making smallish rings (~4mm) with not-that thin wire (0.8 or 1mm), so is it more likely that I'm not winding tightly enough, do you think?

    snow_imp - when you say 'pushing against the coil', do you mean that you reverse the saw blade so that it cuts on the up-stroke? Or something else? I'm a bit dozy today..

    Thanks again for the pointers - I'm very grateful.

  2. #22
    Join Date
    Aug 2009
    Location
    Rushden, Northamptonshire
    Posts
    798

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    I mean that holding the coil in my left hand, the saw in the right and the saw teeth pointing down I will be sawing on the outside of the top of the coil while pushing gently against the rest of the coil that will be in my left hand - at least, that's what I plan to try and see how it goes.
    Anne

    Feel the fear, and do it anyway!
    Blog: http://www.whiteoakjewellery.blogspot.com/
    Website: http://www.whiteoakjewellery.co.uk

  3. #23
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Posts
    567

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    I always think this is a tricksy thing to do - depending on the gauge of wire & the diameter of the rings, it can be pretty straightforward or a real bummer! For your first time why not try using some hench wire - say 1.5mm+ - and a reasonably sized ring that will help to give the coil some stability. Imagine that the thumb and forefinger that will hold the coil steady have the strength of steel and the precision of fine tweezers and accept that your thumb nail is a useful tool that will guide the path of your blade (mine is permanently gouged lol).
    I think that once you've done it once and know you can do it, it'll be ok.
    J x

  4. #24
    Join Date
    Aug 2009
    Location
    Rushden, Northamptonshire
    Posts
    798

    Default

    I don't mind the idea of a gouged nail - it was the blood that flowed last time that was worrying
    Anne

    Feel the fear, and do it anyway!
    Blog: http://www.whiteoakjewellery.blogspot.com/
    Website: http://www.whiteoakjewellery.co.uk

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