![]() I’ve found that a brass hammer works best due to the fact that it’s heavy enough to give you lots of extra power, yet soft enough that it will land a strong blow without a lot of bounce back. To use a disk punch, you simply sandwich a sheet of metal in between the two layers, insert the proper circle and hammer out a disk. Disk Punchĭo you want to cut circles, squares or even hearts, evenly and repeatedly? Look no further than a disk punch, a tool that will consistently produce identical shapes. I prefer a graphing ruler because being able to see through it helps me visualize a little better. The most basic piece of jewelry equipment would be a standard ruler, and likely it’s something you already have. Copper wire or other base metal wire will help you get a feel for things without wasting your money on valuable metals. You really don’t want to get spendy on silver or gold fill wire until you figure out what you’re doing. ![]() You will use them the way that you would good regular wire cutters, but they magically never leave loose ends! But pay attention to the size of wire you’re cutting - flush cutters can only handle a specified guage (and you don’t want to ruin your pair by cutting something too thick. Flush CutterĬutting lots of wire for all those new wire-wrapping techniques you’re learning? Consider a flush cutter. Along with being cheap and easily accessible, they can get in very close to your work so you don’t have rough stray ends. Trust me - it’s the best $3 you will ever spend in your jewelry-making life. Pro Tip If you’re cutting thin wire and don’t have any wire cutters, toenail clippers can be a great substitute. Do future you a favor and make the investment. Swanstrom and Lindstrom both make great pairs that you’ll have for years. There are a lot of cheap ones out there and they can wear out pretty quickly, especially when trying to cut thicker wire. You want these, and you want them to be good quality. Simply grab one end of the wire, grip tightly with your pliers and pull your wire through to smooth it out. You can curse the gods…or you can reach for a pair of nylon tipped pliers. Learning how to bend wire takes some practice and you will inevitably get some kinks in your material. You’ll reach for them whenever you want to make a nice smooth curve. These will help you make wire loops and hoops, bends, clasps and jump rings. Be sure to look for pliers that have a smooth surface between the jaws. ![]() You may want to consider two pairs so you can grasp anything without leaving a crimp in the metal. They’ll help you open jump rings, finish wire-wrapped ends and complete a multitude of other tasks you’ve yet to imagine. Here are my essentials tools that every jewelry maker needs. But before you drop a ton of money on a lot of equipment, you gotta know the basics. If you want to make necklaces, earrings, bracelets, rings and more, you too will need a pair of flat nose pliers, plus a few other wire-wrapping tools. ![]()
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