Throwback Saturday - Free-form Wire Fibula

Hi all, I have been pretty much consumed with a project that I can't share at the moment, so needless to say, have only had it on my mind!  I thought I would re-post a fun wire tutorial from the vault today...

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Today, I am sharing a fun, quick, and fairly easy project ..a free-form wire fibula! These are so cute.  They would make a great, inexpensive teacher gift!

Materials needed:

large gauge wire - approx 24 inches
pliers - chain and round nose
steel block
hammers - planishing and texturizing
torch - for annealing wire
patina of choice

Start off with some fairly large gauge wire...I used 12g copper.  Be prepared to anneal it throughout the project as it will work harden really quickly.

• Flush cut one end and file smooth. Hammer to flatten.
• Using your chain nose pliers, bend flattened area over to form hook (approx. 1/4 inch)
• Using round nose pliers, form a loop behind the hook as shown.

• Continue to swirl wire around the beginning loop. This is where the free-form comes in!
• Create whatever shapes you desire

• When you have acheived your desired shape, begin the loop to form the pin.
• Straighten the wire and wrap around the base of your round nose pliers, looping twice.
• Don't fold down to the hook yet...you need to tap out any kinks, making the pin straight and hard

• Now you get to texturize! Hammer to your heart's content!
• Using your round nose pliers in the double loop, bend the pin over to fit under the hook.
• Measure about another 1/4 past the end of your design and cut with flush cutters at an angle
• not pictured...hammer and flatten a bit and flush cut other side to form the sharp point.
• File and sand, keeping the point, but getting rid of sharp burs on the edges
• Patina as you wish, polish or tumble

and, voila!

The design posibilities with this design are endless...add an art bead or beads to the shank, wire wrap parts, use different wire!

Here are a few I have made in the past...

So, go get your wire and your pliers and have fun!!

Re-Runs are fun!

Hello dear readers!  I hope all you Stateside friends had a very Happy Thanksgiving and you international ones are having a wonderful weekend!  I, myself, had a very low-key day with my little family, enjoying fabulous food and family time.  Some of our favorite things to do as a family is watch old re-runs of movies or tv shows.  For today's post, I decided to stay low-key and share a favorite  "re-run" tutorial of mine...double headpins.  By the way, did you know you can find all our amazing AJE tutorials at one place?  There is a tab at the top of our page called "Tutorials and Favorite Pages"...just click on it to find this wealth of information!

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For today's installment of Saturday Share, I decided to write up a quick and easy tutorial for the double headpins (for lack of a better name) that I use in connecting components, such as layered pieces or discs.  I have had several folks ask how certain pieces are connected and I thought this would be a good forum to share!

After struggling with balled headpins in connecting layered pieces and discs, I had a brainstorm one day.  What if, instead of balling up the end of 1 piece of wire, I somehow melted/fused 2 pieces so that I could use both "tails" to better stabilize my components to the base?  Imagine my surprise, that after twisting the wire together and sticking it in the torch, just like normal torched headpins, it worked!

Here is my method...start with a piece of copper wire.  I like 22 or 20 gauge.  Fold it in half, press together and twist until you have about an inch twisted.  Torch until you have the size ball you  want, quench, and untwist! Simple, huh!

It really is!  Things to watch for...make sure the wire is touching throughout your twist. Any segments that do not fully come into contact with the other wire will melt through, leaving you with a single pin, or worse, will cause the balled-end to fall off.  If you are using scrap wire, you don't have to loop at the end, just twist the 2 together, but make sure the very tips are touching. 

If you want to enamel the ball, do so as you would with regular torched pins, before you quench.

I thought this would only work with copper or fine silver, due to their fusing capabilities, but decided to try sterling silver and it works!  It also works with brass/bronze.

Layer your components in your desired configuration...thread double headpin through the holes and make sure you have a good fit.

With these 1-holed components, I wrapped the tails around my base form...usually in the opposite direction for a stronger and closer connection.

When I use a flat base to connect to, like these earrings, I like to punch 2 holes, like a button, and thread each tail through their respective holes, then on the back, flatten them and tightly coil them.  Since the ends are exposed with this method, you have to make sure any sharp edges or burs are filed.  I squeeze with my nylon-jawed pliers to work harden, then I usually tumble to strengthen as well.

There you have it!! I am sure that I am not the 1st one to figure this out!!  It is a really versatile technique and can be used in all sorts of ways!  I want to try fusing several strands together and do some wire weaving, but that's another day!

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Update...here is a pair of earrings where I connected the center bead with a headpin that I created by fusing 5(!) strands of wire.  I used 26 gauge wire so that all strands would fit through the bead, the spread each strand apart to wrap around the five petals of the flower.

P.S.  Don't forget about the wonderful online sales that several AJE team members have going on this weekend.  Sue compiled the shop links and coupon codes here!

Tutorial: Simple Twist Chain

I love making handmade chain - it can be time consuming but it is oh-so-rewarding when plain wire turns into something wearable. It's like magic. And nothing sets off a beautiful focal or art beads (or both!) like custom chain that is funky, rustic, or unusual.

So today, I thought I'd share the simple steps for turning some copper wire into a twist chain. (Disclaimer: you'll want to ignore the dirty hands with ragged nails in desperate need of a manicure. I work with metal, people!) 

Here's what you'll need:

• 14 gauge copper wire
• 16 gauge copper wire
• A bench block
• A chasing hammer
• A nylon hammer
• A metal punch
• An awl
• Heavy duty flush cutters
• A jump ring mandrel
• Sandpaper, various grits

Cut 1-1/4 inch lengths of 14 gauge copper wire. The number of pieces you'll need depends on how long a chain you're making, but I usually start with 16 or so. (One or more of them will wind up going into the reject pile, so more is better.)

Make sure each length is completely straight and the ends flush cut and sanded smooth. TIP: in order to straighten short lengths of large gauge wire, start by gently hammering one end with a nylon hammer to get a flat section started. Then use the forefinger of one hand to gently roll the wire back and forth as you hammer it. Flip the wire over and repeat to straighten the other end.

Do this for all your wire pieces.

Using your chasing hammer, forge a flat paddle on one end of a piece of wire. TIP: to get an even paddle shape, make sure your hammer face is striking the wire at slightly less than a 45 degree angle. Turn your wire over every few strokes to help keep the wire from curving to one side.

It will also help to make a very slight stroking motion outward with the hammer face at the end of each strike. I tried to take a photo of this, but it's nearly impossible so try imagining you are beating an egg... but backwards, away from you.

The paddle should extend not quite halfway up the length of the wire. When you've hammered the paddle on one side, flip your wire around and hold it with the paddle vertically. Hammer another paddle on the other side of the wire - notice that because of how you're holding the first paddle, the second paddle is at right angles to it. This gives the wire a twisting appearance.

Sand and smooth the paddles on each end of your links. Don't be discouraged if they look a little ragged when you first finish hammering them - any irregularity in the end of the wire at the start is going to translate into the forged shape and it takes a lot of practice to get your hammer strikes in the right place, but they're easy to reshape with the sandpaper.

When all your wire lengths are cleaned up, punch a hole in the center of each end. Depending on what kind of punch you use, you may end up with a burr around the edge of the hole. The easiest way to fix this is to use the ball end of your chasing hammer and gently tap the center of the hole a couple of times.

Then make a series of jump rings from the 16 gauge copper wire - the jump rings can be as large or as small as you'd like, but remember that their size will change up the overall "feel" of your chain. (Smaller jump rings will feel more traditional, and larger will feel more modern.)

Use the awl to enlarge any hole that doesn't allow the jump ring to move freely - you want to make sure the chain won't get hung up or twisted because the ring can't slide smoothly through the links.

OPTIONAL: If you have a tumbler, string all the paddle links on one piece of scrap wire and all the jump rings on another. Twist the ends closed and tumble for an hour - this step isn't essential, but it will clean and burnish your components before connect them.

Then, join the components together and add a clasp of your choosing. Voila! You just made a custom chain - wear it as is or add a focal.

Hope you enjoyed this little tutorial!

Until next time -

Scenes from Bead Fest Spring 2014

On Saturday, Colin and I headed out to PA for Bead Fest Spring.  I wasn't vending so I just wanted to spend the day with bead friends and do a bit of supply shopping.  We arrived around noon and had lunch with a few friends before we shopped for a bit.  At 2:00 we met up again and chatted and went through a pile of metal goodies that Heather Marston brought for us.  Thanks Heather!

Shout-outs to Staci Smith (wish I could have kept all those rings she made, lol!), Linda Hanes, Melinda Orr and Heather Marston!

I headed over to the artisan section after our meet-up and found Yvonne Irvin-Faus/MyElements and Michelle McCarthy/Firefly Design right next to one another.  We goofed around with some of the cutest ceramic lollipop pendants that Michelle had in stock.

Marti Brown/The Dragon's Odyssey was in the same section!  I buy all my niobium findings from Marti as you can't beat her selection and quality.  Not only is niobium easy on my ears but the colors tend to go nicely with my raku pieces!  Marti also makes fabulous polymer clay pendants!

Heather and Harry/HMB Studios was right across from Marti, Yvonne and Michelle.  They always have yummy lampwork beads in an assortment of fun shapes and bright colors.

Around the corner I found my buddy Diane Hawkey along with her super fun head beads!  I came home with a blue one!  Tracy Bell and Brenda Schweder were next to Diane and they were playing with lots of wire!

I eventually made my way over to Meg Fillmore Mullen/Bead My Love to bask in all her seed beady goodness.  I was so excited to see that she had turned some of my ceramic cabochons into kits!  When I need seed beads, Meg is my go-to gal.

I also visited with several other friends, including lampwork artist Donna McClaren/Beaded Chic (she brought her lovely daughter with her to help) and many more (I was too distracted at times to take photos).

It was a nice relaxing day for me and while I enjoyed not having the stress of vending, I think I'm going to take this show on next year.  I love being behind the booth and spending several days with my fellow bead people.  I look forward to seeing them all again at Bead Fest in August!

Happy Beading!

Diana P.
Suburban Girl Studio LLC

Saturday Share...The Hidden Truth

I recently was viewing a gorgeous coiled wire fibula on Pinterest and clicked through to see it more closely...not to study it and copy the design, but just to get some idea of the construction of the pin mechanism.  Alas, there were no photos of the back side :(  Likewise, I am drawn to a couple of talented enamel jewelry artists work and can never see the back of those sweet blossom earrings to figure out how the headpin is connected...you know what I mean?  I know that sometimes jewelry designers don't want to give away too much of the construction aspect of their work, especially if they use some signature, or secret technique that other designers would love to figure out.

Last month during our Component of the Month Challenge, Jenny Davies-Reazor created some amazing polymer clay components with vintage dictionary words embedded under resin.  I was amazed at the diverse, unique and plain old gorgeous designs that were produced from these.  I mean, they were so pretty, you could just hang them from a chain and call it a day, but, I think all the participants found that they were a bit of a challenge to design around, due to their construction.  Here are many of those creations on our Pinterest board for you to gawk at and drool over.

Here's mine...dream!

The biggest challenge I had was the fact that my component had 4 connector holes, which would be great if it was going to be a bracelet, but I really wanted a necklace for myself, so I set about trying to solve the 4 hole road block.

I am totally pleased with the outcome and have worn it almost every other day since its creation!  I described its construction on my COM blog post, and showed my beauty shots.  But...I didn't show the back.  The hidden secret of my piece.  Not sure why not.  I wasn't afraid of anyone copying the design, I mean, it has been done by others, most likely much better than I!  I got several queries about the back and never responded, but after the above-mentioned fibula back disappointment, I thought I would post this today.

See?  Nothing really earth shattering in the actual construction...copper wire, annealed to be flexible, curved into halves until a desired loop was made.  No real measurements were taken, I just laid the wire down on top and used my flat nose pliers to bend the corners... The hard part was figuring out how much to leave at the top to get a generous swirly thing and still he able to ball the ends in the flame a bit.  The head pin rivets were a stroke of genius on my part (she said, rolling her eyes).  I used 22 g wire, a bit big for wrapping like this, but wanted it to be sturdy.  I was a bit overzealous, unfortunately, as in really tugging the wire to tighten it, I pulled through the fragile hole Jenny had so meticulously drilled.  I cried and thought all was lost.  Luckily, the head pin stayed in place since there was a tiny grip of clay still around it, and the piece of the poor corner didn't fly off into oblivion, so I used my trusty E6000, and it has held so far!

The mended corner...you can see the extra glue that I should have tried to remove, but I was scared it would break again!

So, there you have it! My hidden truth!  Do you have any hidden truths you would like to share?  

Melissa Meman

Melismatic Art Jewelry

Art. Life. Love

Tutorial: Ornament Hanger

It's that time of year!  I'm sure many of you make ornaments for yourself, or to give to friends and family.  Here's a simple tutorial for a customized beaded hanger - it makes your gift that much more special!

Tools needed:

Wrap N Tap pliers; Chain Nose Pliers; Wire Cutters; Round Nose Pliers; Ruler; Cup Bur

Materials Needed:  18 gauge wire; 24 gauge wire; assorted seed beads or other beads of your choice

First, cut approximately 5 inches of 18 gauge wire; mine is silver plated.  You can use sterling if you wish, or copper, or brass, whatever you want!

 Next, use your cup bur to smooth the edges.  I didn't want to tumble my hanger to smooth the edges, which is why I used the cup bur.  But you can also tumble if you prefer.

Turn a simple loop on one end of the wire using your round nose pliers; I made mine small by turning the wire at the small end of the plier.

Next, insert your wire in the Wrap N Tap plier as shown; I used the largest round.  Turn the wire in the opposite direction of your first, small loop.

 Your hanger should start to look like one!

  Turn a larger loop at the other end of the wire.  This end is larger to accommodate whatever you might be hanging on the hanger.

 I used my chain nose pliers to put a slight bend in the hanger, so that it hangs straight.

 Next, take an approximately 8 inch piece of 24 gauge wire, and begin to wrap it at the bottom of the hanger, close to the loop.  Don't worry about how it looks - you can adjust the wire with your chain nose pliers, by pinching the wraps together, to make it look neater.

 Cut the extra piece of wire and pinch it in so it looks neat and won't scratch or catch!  You can see how the chain nose pliers did an excellent job of pinching the wraps together to look nice and neat!

 Choose the beads you are going to use for embellishment; I chose size 11 pearly white beads, and size 8 blue beads because those are the colors of the ornament I am making.  You can use anything - swarovski, gemstones, whatever your heart desires!

 This is the hard part - you have to hold the hanger while wrapping the wire around it at the same time making sure your seed beads go where you want them to go!  You just need a little bit of patience on this step!

 When you make it up to the little bend you put in the wire, wrap the 24 gauge wire the same number of times that you wrapped it on the bottom - in this case, it was 4 wraps.  Again, you can use your chain nose pliers to pinch the wraps closer.  Cut off any excess wire.

 Here is your finished ornament hanger! 

As I mentioned, you can use any wire and any beads - this is a simple design.  I'd love to see what you come up with for your ornament hangers - I bet you can make some amazing things!



Susan Kennedy
SueBeads