Tools, Tools, Tools.

[Dennis]

PART ONE
This post is all about the tools, some bought some adapted and some made up, to make a long long chain, ready for the party season. The main feature is a series of flower shapes, connected by twists resurrected from a past idea and connected by dozens of small soldered jump rings from Cookson. There is no catch, but it will go over the head twice to form a double row.

The flowers are made from pieces of tubing surrounded by jump rings and set on both sides with CZs. The tubes were sunk half way into a block and the rings, arranged around them open side facing inwards for soldering.
Once made up, a drilled piece of brass was used as a filing block, to standardise the lengths of the tubes, and then later as a firm rest, to push out the steel balls wedged in them from tumbling.

For the twists, I used larger jump rings made from thin wire and wound around the stem of a doming punch by hand. You will see that the stem has been drilled to capture one end of the wire. These rings were rather flimsy to separate comfortably with a saw, but my Tronex flush cutters made a pretty good job of it.
After soldering the rings were stretched to a long oval shape with circlip pliers and twisted with hooks, bent up and filed to size from coat hanger wire. Then they were stretched for a second time to make them more even and straight.

Finally, all the parts were connected and the stones set with polished round pliers, of which one side was filed to create a flat. The drilled and grooved wooden offcut provided a stable surface for setting.

This had me chained to the bench for days so to speak. I hope that what I have learned will be of interest to you. Dennis

[Dennis]

PART TWO
I have posted this in two parts, so as to get in all my pictures.

Since completion, it has been road tested and stays in place well. Also contrary to my fears it isn’t itchy to the skin.

Sterling wire, 0.7mm.
Large jump rings 10mm, small jump rings 4.0mm.
Tubing 4.mm, CZs 3.0mm.
Fifteen double sided flowers, length of chain 1500mm. Dennis.

[Patstone]

Do you clip the jumprings. Doesn't it leave one end pointy. I always saw mine.

[susieq]

Lovely Dennis, as always. Have had to google circlip pliers without too much success but am I right in thinking that these will stretch each ring to the same length? If so they seem like a useful addition.

Pat - I sometimes flush cut jump rings which are difficult to saw through. I flush cut the end of the wire coil, then turn the pliers round to cut off the first ring, which means both ends of the ring are flush cut. This leaves a pointy end at the beginning of the wire coil. Simply cut this off flush, and continue as before. Does this make sense? Wastes a bit of wire, but saves sanity.

[Dennis]

Hi Pat. Large jump rings made from thin wire are floppy and a pain to saw. Suzie has explained that the little pointy bit can be cut off, but those Tronex cutters did so well that I did not have to bother

Thank you Suzie. The advantage of circlip pliers is that they open when you squeeze the handles. How much in this case is upto feel and judgement, but you soon get the knack. The downside is that the tips come serrated to stop them slipping, so you have to file them smooth or they won't release the wire.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Silverline-8...8318986&sr=1-1

[theresa]

Lovely work Dennis - as always. Very pretty design.

PART TWO
I have posted this in two parts, so as to get in all my pictures.

Since completion, it has been road tested and stays in place well. Also contrary to my fears it isn’t itchy to the skin.

Sterling wire, 0.7mm.
Large jump rings 10mm, small jump rings 4.0mm.
Tubing 4.mm, CZs 3.0mm.
Fifteen double sided flowers, length of chain 1500mm. Dennis.

[Dennis]

Thank you Theresa.

[Tabby66]

Gorgeous Dennis, some patience needed there, though I can see it would be quite therapeutic as you say!! Glad that it is wearable after all that effort and such a stunning result

[Dennis]

Thank you Jill, but definitely no way to earn a living.

[jayneharrison]

Body jewellery supply shops are a good source of circlip pliers that are designed not to scratch metal. I already owned this pair (they are used for opening captive bead and segment rings) and they have proved invaluable for the same task Dennis has undertaken. They're very sturdy, highly polished and have several "steps" for dealing with different ring sizes and wire gauges.