How to get square silver wire really straight?

[Inanegal]

Hello All,

Some time ago I got some really helpful advice from some of you on how to make jump rings out of square wire. http://www.cooksongold.com/forum/nee...ce-needed.html Thanks to you, I'm now making them really neatly and am very pleased with myself!

I've just started making a piece of jewellery out of 1.5mm square silver wire and need to find a good way of making 30mm lengths of it really straight. What I'm currently doing is annealing the wire and then hammering it with a nylon-headed hammer onto a steel block. Despite annealing several times, I'm finding it really difficult to get it perfectly straight.

I'd be grateful for any advice on how to do this better!

Regards,
Nina

http://ninagale.weebly.com

[Dennis]

No Nina,

To straighten any wire, you anneal it as evenly as possible, clamp one end in a vice, grab the other end with some serrated pliers and pull until when you let go, it still sticks out straght. Of course you do loose some thickness, so if that is important, you might have to start with a thicker gauge.

To anneal thin wire evenly, some people curl it up in a small tin, such as a half baked bean tin, that has had all the plating burned off it and then heat from outside.

Hope this helps, Dennis.

[Goldsmith]

Nina,
I use a method similar to what Dennis suggests, the only difference is that I have a draw bench which makes straightening wires quite easy. It is a standard method taught to me when I was an apprentice and used by silversmith box makers who need their wires dead straight when making boxes and photo frames.
James

[Inanegal]

Thank you both - that's very helpful.

Regards,
Nina