Hi All:
I make my own earwires using a pair of round nose pliers, but I find
this to be a very time consuming operation since I can only do one
at a time.? I know a lot of you (if not all) must make your own
earwires and wonder what kind of jig you have that forms these.?
I’ve seen someting called EZ Ear Wires but don’t know if this is
what I need.? I was thinking about maybe using something like a Wig
Jig but don’t know if that would be too time consuming also.? Is
there some mechanized gizmo out there to cut down on my earwire
making time?
Thanks for all your help.?
Carolyn
I make mine one at a time. I use the handle of a plier as the jig to
bend around. It makes a PERFECT hook. Try your plier handle and see
which one is the best jig and mark it and use it every time so they
will be the same every time. Much cheaper than buying something.
Susan
http://web.mac.com/SusanThornton
I've seen someting called EZ Ear Wires but don't know if this is
what I need.
I reviewed this tool for Art Jewelry a couple years ago. I didn’t
think much of it. The earwires were not, to my eye,
well-proportioned or attractive.
Unless you are making a type of earwires that cannot be bought, this
is one of those things you cannot possibly benefit from making
yourself, IMO. One of my policies is, generally speaking, to avoid
doing anything that can be done better by a machine. Plus, my time
is valuable, and so making earwires myself costs more than buying
them.
I buy plain wires with a “leg”-- no loop formed on them yet-- and
put on beads, coils, or whatever I want and bend up the loop to hang
things from. That way, they are “custom” but uniform and quick.
Noel
Hi Carolyn,
I use the EZ Ear Wires gizmo and personally I really like it. Once
you get the hang of it, you can make really consistent bends in the
wire and of course you control the final length of each end. Usually
I will ball up one end of the wire and then use the gizmo to form the
french hook. I know we see lots of earwires with one end balled up,
but I do like that look and the ball prevents the beads or whatever
dangles from slipping off. I finish the hook by cutting the ends all
the same length and then quickly debur them with a 20g cup. Doing one
is very fast, although I usually set aside a morning to do them, and
I’ll end up with around 200 hooks. Good luck!
Thomas
I have used a wig jig for a while and I like it when I don’t have ear
wires on hand and also because I can use whatever guage wire I want
and I don’t have to take whatever is available. I spoke to a friend
who made her own and she loves the product also. I think it’s worth
having.
MF
I’ve never used that jig, but from what I can see in the ads, it
doesn’t create anything very interesting. If you use that, as Noel
said, you might as well get something out of a catalog made by a
machine. I personally make all of my ear wires by hand with pliers,
one at a time, but I also like to make ones that DON’T look like I
just bought them from a catalog. I actually get lots of compliments
on them, simple as they may be, because they are different. And as
simple as they may be, they aren’t always the same, which is also
nice. I can of course vary them here & there to fit the piece they
are attached to, since there’s no jig involved- length of drop,
style of bend & curve, method of attaching to piece, etc.
Lisa
Designs by Lisa Gallagher
Good Morning All:
I agree with Lisa… I make my own ear wires too, but do them
in pairs with my three step pliers. I only make the first two bends
and leave the rest until I need them so I can vary the endings to fit
whatever beads I am adding.
I tape two 3inch pieces of wire together and make a bend at the 2"
mark around the largest of the steps.Then I make a 40 gegree bend at
the end of the short leg at the mid point of the pliers using the
sharp edge, not the round part, and leave the other end alone til I
need the wires. I take off the tape and hammer the large bend lightly
to flatten it just a bit and strengthen it.Rebend if necessary.
I now have two wires that have the same bends in the same place and
a long leg that I can use to melt up a ball, work into a curl, add a
bead, make a loop or any other finishing touch that compliments
whatever I am hanging from them. If the end that goes through the ear
is a bit long for taste it’s easy enough to cut it down and rebend
the end.
Sheila…not looking forward to the Ontario winter.