Saturday, December 18, 2021

Wire-Wrapping Is Such A Craft !




December 18, 2021 ~ Have you ever tried making any piece of art  using wires?  The first time I saw somebody using wires to create something was my father many many years ago. I was just a kid ! I saw him making loops with pliers alternating with the hard wire. He was at that moment making our laundry line. I didn't pay much attention to what he was doing coz my mind was far more occuppied with playing rather than to watch him forever making loops. But as I grew up and started to do house chores, I came to experience hanging our clothes to dry but our clothes line snapped due to wear and tear. The wire had become rusty and brittle through years of usage. Uh oh.... father wasn't around coz he was at work and gone for several days as a train ticket conductor. I had no choice but to try fixing the wire myself. It wasn't an easy task at all. I had poorly connected some wires together and they still snapped . So we had to just put the clothes on chairs and fences to dry. Father was able to fix it again as soon as he came home. I was amazed by the way he made clean and unified loops  to secure both ends of the wire. 

That scenario was embedded in my brains... clean unified loops to securely end the wires. So when I encountered beading with wires, I tried to visualize those loops my father did with the clothes line. It took me so many trial and errors before I was able to perfect my looping.  I had gathered countless pains and callouses just to be able to perfect my loops and hold 2 pliers in bending wires alternately. Geeezzzzz.... wiring wasn't easy at all. 

I had experimented with several brands and types of wires easily available in the market too . I had used BeadSmith non tarnish artistic beading wires , Beadalon , stainless steel wires, etc. Took me quite a while but I had now I had finally settled with Beadalon German Style Wrapping wires as my favorite so far. This copper and brass wire has a tarnish resistant coating and has the perfect half-hard temper and finish for most jewelry wire wrapping uses. i find this wire easy to handle and manipulate. 😍😍😍 




If you ask me what wire is best for wire wrapping jewelry ?

It would be based mainly on my experience using the 24 gauge jewelry wire often as my no 1 all-purpose wire diameter. This wire is fine and perfect to fit through most gemstones , glass / crystal beads. Durable enough to make good wire-wrapped loops. Although 22 gauge jewelry wire is also a good general-purpose wire gauge especially when I make my earrings. I do also like the 20 gauge wire for its thickness and hardness that can keep the desired shape I wanna create permanently. 





Jumprings of all sizes is never a problem if ever I run out of supplies coz it can also be created by simply cutting out of the artistic wires. Perfect  to incorporate in my earrings design just like the pearl earrings shown above . I always try to be resourceful and maximize whatever materials I have in hand. 



Wired charm bracelet with some curled wire hanging accents to give a very unique touch , enhance and complement the look of the  beads.



with wire-wrapping, the designs you can create is simply endless !
It's such an incredible craft !


😍👌😍





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