I use the wood dowels and never have a problem with the coil
slipping. I drill a hole near the top of the dowel, insert one end
of the wire in the hole to hold it firmly, and wrap the rest of the
wire tightly around the dowel and do my sawing. I have not had a
problem with the coil slipping–perhaps because I wind it tightly.
Alma
Those of you who are having success with long lasting saw blades for
your Jump Ring Maker are making me think about trying it again,
though I always oiled my coils anyway. It makes me wonder what
metals are you sawing with your blades?
Still can't manage to cut more than a few rings before my holding hand cramps up. Those of you that hand saw your own rings, what's the secret to holding the coil?
I hold the coil vertically, so it is sitting over a notch in my
benchpeg. I grip it at the bottom between my finger and thumb, angle
my saw backwards slightly, and saw from the bottom of the coil. The
rings drop off entwined onto the blade.
I teach people how to do it this way, and usually their hand aches
after a while but they get used to it. Sometimes if they can’t manage
it, they hold the blade still and rub the coil up and down on it,
this works for some people. There is no right or wrong way, just
whatever works for you.
Annette
Hi Joy, I forwarded your post to Pepe tools. Tho I don’t think it
will do any good, it wont hurt to let them know,that what they did
was wrong, and a lot of people know about it. Pepe has a lot of good
tools, and I will still buy some of them. If enough people let them
know we are aware of this, perhaps they will be more careful of
taking other peoples intellectual property. ( if indeed, this is
true.)
Hand cramps, like things burned into your fingertips, is one of the
perks of being a jeweler.
Since I rarely need a bunch of rings I just make up a coil here and
there as needed. Here is how I eliminate hand cramping while holding
the coil. Put burr life on the coil and wrap it tightly in painters
tape, then clamp it gently in the rubber jaws of a bench vise with
1/2" or so hanging out toward me. Stabilize the bottom of the coil
with non dominant hand while sawing the top of the coil. Cut a few
rings, then slice that section off with an exacto knife (leaving the
cut rings still wrapped in tape-- a bonus is that they don’t go
flying all over), loosen the jaws, slide the coil toward you,
retighten the jaws gently, and repeat. Then run a wire through the
cut sections before you remove the tape and toss into a tumbler for
cleanup. I admit this method is fiddly but lubricating and wrapping
the coil with tape really helps reduce the blade snagging as you cut.
It also helps if your wire is tightly coiled with no gaps between
windings. You get beautiful closures that match up ready for solder.
I’ve used both the original Jump Ring Maker at Metalwerx in
Massachusetts, and then was confronted with a Pepe Jump Ring maker
at another school. The Pepe jump ring maker is actually a little
more awkward, the hand guard that goes on the flex shaft is bigger
and not quite the same, and the box that holds the coils so that you
can cut them has a very awkward way of opening it and closing it. I
would go with the original Jump ring maker rather than the Pepe
model if I had to recommend one. I had to figure out how to use the
Jump ring maker when a student asked me how to use it, and once I
figured it out, it was great to use. However, I had a lot of
frustration with the Pepe model and told the school that they needed
to replace the sawblade. I find that the sawblade and it’s holder
can get damaged very easily so you have to be gentle with them.
Same goes with the disk cutter. I hate the Pepe disc cutter and had
to regrind several of them for a few schools to make them work
correctly. First of all, they are designed to not go thru, so you
have to flip them over, use a wood dowel and give it a good whack to
push out the cutter rod. Plus, the steel is softer than it should
be, and can be put out of commission very quickly, as some of my
beginner students have done ( grit teeth in frustation). I rather
spend more money on a deluxe disc cutter that allows the cutting rod
to go all the way thru like the lovely but pricy Swanstrom disc
cutter which is a marvelous tool!. My disc cuttter set is an mid
90’s model from Gesswein that is no longer made, but has worked very
well over the years. the cutting rods go all the way thru the holes.
Avoid the Pepe disc cutter and get a different brand.
As for the Pepe mushroom stakes, I don’t really have much complaints
and have a set that has works very well.
Joy
Dick - in answer to what metals do I saw with the original
jump-ringer - nearly all plain sterling. But I’ve made solder-filled
rings, Argentium rings, brass rings - they all work just fine.
When I saw them, I smear the top of the bar that holds the rings
with bur-life or Injun Joes silicon magic stuff. That smearing goes
down in the slot so there is a bit of lube for the blade.
The one thing I’ve missed from all the Jump-ringer users is that it
is very important to have the coil of metal set firmly against the
end stop. Otherwise, you just chew up the rings.
It is beyond me why anybody would want to saw a coil by hand -
unless they are making 10 or fewer rings in a month. Time is money
and I can’t see wasting creative and productive time with mindless
sawing.
While I bought the original Jump-ringer, I have also acquired a
different jig for sawing the rings. It has four different v-shaped
troughs for rings and I like it better. I’ve been trying to find out
who made it - but so far I’ve not had any luck. It also has the
advantage of being elevated to catch the rings and bits of silver and
can be clamped to my bench. If anybody is interested, I’ll post a
picture to Orchid.
Judy Hoch
Those of you who are having success with long lasting saw blades for
your Jump Ring Maker are making me think about trying it again,
though I always oiled my coils anyway. It makes me wonder what
metals are you sawing with your blades? I have only used the saw
blades with sterling silver. 
I did hunker down and by Ray’s Jumpringer System and what is great
about it is that I bought it from RIO. Anytime I have had a question,
I have always gotten great help by knowledgeable customer service. I
went back and forth about the price but my final decision came down
to the quality of the product. There is no comparison between Ray’s
Jumpringer and Pepe Tools. Mind you I do have their disc cutter only
because I couldn’t afford the Swanstrom Disc Cutter when I first
started out, but it is definitely on my Christmas List!
Monica
deliasdelightjewelry.com
I regard the Pepe version as being the “student grade” version- in
other words, a cheaper version that’ll do the job but that isn’t
nearly as good as the “professional” version. There’s a lot of tools
like that- they’ll do the job but not as precisely or cleanly or for
as long as a the higher-quality tools. I put pretty much anything
Pepe does in that category, along with anything from Harbor Freight &
anything made in Pakistan. Grossman’s right when he says you get what
you pay for & there’s typically a reason why cheap tools are cheap.
I’ll admit that I have the Pepe jump ring maker, use it, & generally
like it for the most part. (Biggest complaint? The blade has a
tendency to come loose. Second biggest is that it’s extremely awkward
to attach the handpiece.) I’d still rather have Grossman’s because
it’s much more versatile & I suspect it’s more precise. So why did I
buy the Pepe version? Cost. When I got it, I was laid-off from my job
& trying to make a go of selling jewelry through local galleries.
There was no way I could swing the money for the real deal but I
kinda needed something to take some of the strain off my hands &
wrists (arthritis & carpal tunnel issues). Plus, less time making
jumprings meant more time making jewelry with said jumprings, which
is a big deal for a one-woman outfit. The Pepe version was pushing
the budget as it was but Contentti had it on sale.
Someday, when I do have the money, I still plan on getting the
Grossman Jumpringer. I’d like to be able to do longer coils & I’d
especially like to be able to do different shaped loops. For now, the
Pepe was what I could squeeze out of my budget & seeing as I’m a grad
student, it’ll probably be a little while before I can afford the
upgrade.
Sharon,
Artist, Chain Maker, Chaos Magnet
Teddy could you please share the you received from Mr.
Jumpringer himself. My frustration level with this saw is over the
top. thank you so much!
Linda L. Greene
Hello Linda,
I’m truly sorry to hear of your frustration with our Jump Ringer. My
phone number appears in three places: on the instruction sheet, the
Guard/Guide and the Coil Winder. Please call me. I want to help you
and any other Jump Ringer owner.
Incidentally, for those of you who want to single handedly wind long
coils or twist wire, we make an inexpensive stand that holds any hand
drill horizontally and may easily be mounted or clamped to a table or
bench. To maximize its usefulness, I suggest you lock the switch in
its “on” position and plug it into your flex-shaft’s foot control.
You will have complete control of the drill and still have two free
hands to manipulate
the wire. If you need to buy a drill, get one with a 1/2" capacity.
One day you’ll be glad you spent the extra few dollars.
Ray Grossman
Amen… I would love to see this jig. Please post pic
thanks thanks
[Edit]
How can I share files and pictures with the list?
http://www.ganoksin.com/gnkurl/ftp
Or… send the files to the attention of service@ganoksin.com and
we will upload them for you…
[/Edit]
Ray Grossman
Thanks for that flex shaft connect foot control idea, never thought
of it. Duh!
The drill style jump ringer while different from the hand held
ringer is useful especially with heavier wire. I just wish there were
a handle of some sort at the free end of the coil holder. The
adjustable handle on one end controls movement well, but just
holding the other end down with the free hand isn’t all that
efficient. For those of us not of strong arm, it is a bit tenuous at
times.
I finally got the just-right lengths of dowel to carry inside the
coils and one at the end to keep the coil from sliding. Doesn’t work
as well for the hand held, but really essential for the drill style.
Ruth Mary
Joining this thread really late, but wanted to share something that
might save you some money. I make chainmaille, I cut A LOT of rings,
and I love my Pepe (sorry Mr. Grossman, I was unaware of your prior
claim or I would have purchased yours). I was going through multiple
blades every month for awhile, even carefully lubing the blade at
every pass, cutting at different speeds - doing everything I could
think of. Finally I called Pepe Tools in frustration - it was the
drill motor. The one that Pepe recommends for use with their Jump
Ringer is made in China, and has just enough wobble to chew up
sawblades after a year of use or so. When I switched out theirs for
a used Foredom, the imperceptible wobble went away - how can I tell?
I go through ONE $12.50 saw blade every six months, if that, instead
of the other way around. I also have developed the habit of checking
the 3 set-in positioner screws on the #30 handpiece for tension every
few months, as one or another may vibrate loose, which lets the blade
wobble until it gets chewed up. I no longer buy the blades by the
gross, and am much happier with the system - even though I am
thinking about upgrading to the Ringinator.
Blessings,
Sam Kaffine
www.sterlingbliss.com
Note From Ganoksin Staff:
Looking for a compact drill for your jewelry projects? We recommend:
- Reading our guide to the best compact drills for jewelry work here
- Searching for more discussions about compact drills here on the Orchid forum
These are pictures of a cutter that I purchased more than 10 years
ago. The company that made it is no longer in business. In the event
that you might be interested, we could probably make some to order.
I find it especially handy because it doesn’t move around when
cutting and you can place a small tray under the device and catch the
fines and the rings easily. The lack of screws holding the top makes
it a dream for cutting. I use the standard Ray Grossman cutting head
as you can see in the last picture.
Judy
Great photos. Count me in. I’d like to order one right now. Take down
my email and notify me when ready.
I make hundreds of jump rings and would be grateful for any time
saving device.
Ruth Mary
