Wire hammering

What type of wire (not only gauge but "dead soft" "hard"... etc.) do I chose if I want to make hammered earings or necklesses.  Is there a ratio as to what gauge to use to obtain a certain width on the finished project?

It really depends on the individual project--there are no specific rules, but if you go with wire that is less than about 20 gauge, its not going to have enough stiffness or mass. I like 18 gauge--its heavy enough to keep its shape and doesn't look too thin. You can go heavier if you want a chunkier look, like 16 or even 14 gauge. It just depends on what you are making.

I use dead soft in 18 gauge or larger because its easiest to work with, but with lighter guages you may want to go with half hard so they will hold their shape. Full hard is quite difficult to work with, and its not used much for wire work. Hammering will also work harden the wire some, to help keep it stiff.

Hope that helps,

Erin

I am experimenting with hammering and wire and metals etc....having fun. Would love to see more ideas in here on the subject.

http://BeadedIndulgences.etsy.com

 Patricia:

If you are going to be really pounding on your wire, you really should anneal it first - even if you're using dead soft wire.  Hammering will harden the wire and a lot of hammering will make it brittle, so when you make adjustments, you could actually break it.

Lita

You don't need to anneal your wire.  You only need to anneal it to get wire soft.  If it's dead soft wire annealing wont get it any softer. 

You would only hammer it to make it harder because dead is too soft to hold it's shape...depending on what gauge your using.

You wouldn't hammer it to shape the wire.  Now if you are hammering to shape the wire then and only then would you need to anneal it; because too much hammering may make it brittle.

 If you are just experimenting might I suggest copper? You can get solid copper wire at lowes and home depot for pennies pretty much. I bought 15 feet a while back 14 gauge I use it for copper rings and I payed under 5 bucks for it.So you can play around and not break the bank.they also sell other types of wire you just have to make sure you ask for thhn wire and whatever guage you want solid or stranded. I use Thhn #4 and # 6 depending on the project.

Metal becomes work hardened from hammering, etc. and can become brittle and crack.  To prevent this you can heat (anneal) the metal with your torch which will soften it again.  You may need to do this several times depending on how much you are working the metal. 

You can purchase a small hand held butane torch, like one used for creme brulee.  Home Depot has them, but I bought mine from Harbour Freight Tools at a much better price.

You can tell  it needs to be annealed  when it becomes hard to work with, but you probably don't want to anneal as the final step because your piece might be too soft to hold it's shape.

We use fish silk or silver chain for dangle earrings.

boogaloo:

Metal becomes work hardened from hammering, etc. and can become brittle and crack.  To prevent this you can heat (anneal) the metal with your torch which will soften it again. 

I bought some headpins last summer at a great price from a vendor at a bead show.  Now I know why they were priced so cheaply - when I use them and make wrapped loops, they break, hence they are brittle.  I thought to myself, what a waste of money!

Do you suppose I could heat them with a torch to make them pliable again, without deforming them?  I was going to throw them in my scrap heap but hadn't gotten around to doing that yet.  A headpin is of no use if they break when you bend them!

If no one answers here, I'll repost this in a thread by itself.

The way I see it Sherri, you have nothing to lose by trying. You say you were going to throw them out so give it a try. I think if they're sterling silver you can heat them to make them more malleable. I am not sure if that will work on base metal. Let us know if it worked or not.

I bought some headpins from Michaels when I first started using them and they were the worst headpins I had ever bought. When you twisted them the silver coating cracked and pealed. I have not bought any from them since that very first time. I felt like I was just throwing my money down the drain.

Sherri S.:

I was going to throw them in my scrap heap but hadn't gotten around to doing that yet.

In that case, you have nothing to lose -- go for it !

Carole:

We use fish silk or silver chain for dangle earrings.

 What the heck is fish silk?

 Billy ;o)