And if you are cutting gold wire throw the masking tape into a
container with your sweeps for refining!
Rick
Richard D. Hamilton
Fabricated 14k, 18k, and platinum Jewelry
wax carving, modelmaking, jewelry photography
My question… is it easier to make oval links for chains by
wrapping on an oval mandrel, or by fabricating round links and
then stretching them out into an oval shape? If an oval mandrel
is used, what do you use for the mandrel?
There are oval brass mandrels available as a set that are part
of the jump ringer tool, from Rio Grande and others. One of my
studio mates just finished a 20" 18k charm necklace chain made
from 2 alternating sizes of oval links. Looks great, and the
assortment of charms looks lovely on it.
Rick
Richard D. Hamilton
Fabricated 14k, 18k, and platinum Jewelry
wax carving, modelmaking, jewelry photography
My question… is it easier to make oval links for chains by
wrapping on an oval mandrel, or by fabricating round links and
then stretching them out into an oval shape? If an oval mandrel
is used, what do you use for the mandrel?
Two small dowels cemented together make a dandy mandrel for oval
jumprings.
My method os to make the links round and then squeeze them to
the oval shape. You check your solder joints at the same time.
Will Rogers never met a lawyer.
Bobert
Hi Karen,
My question... is it easier to make oval links for chains by wrapping on an oval mandrel, or by fabricating round links and then stretching them out into an oval shape? If an oval mandrel is used, what do you use for the mandrel
I’ve used both techniques, oval mandrels & an adjustable ring
stretcher pliers. For me it’s easier to make oval rings with an
adjustable ring stretcher. Obviously, the rings have to be fused
or soldered 1st when using a ring stretcher. If making oval rings
on a mandrel, you need a seperate mandrel for every size & shape
ring. With an adjustable ring stretcher pliers any number of
sizes & shapes can be made.
Oval mandrels, either wood or metal must be carved, pressed,
turned or ground. In order to ensure a uniform size this usually
requires some specialized equipment & the charge for doing it can
be higher than alot of us would like to pay.
One other problem encountered with oval mandrels is removing the
coil from the mandrel. A lot of times coils tend to unwind on the
mandrel, just a little, after they’ve be wound. This causes them
to grip the mandrel & makes removal a chore. Coils can be pulled
out of shape in the removal process.
When using an adjustable ring stretcher pliers, the pliers
adjustment is locked after the 1st ring is stretched to the size
you want. Then the rest of the rings are stretched, resulting in
a quantity of the same size & shaped rings. Another advantage of
this tool when making links for loop-in-loop chains is that every
join is tested before the link is put in the chain. Poor joins
usually break in the stretching operation & thus never make it
into the chain. Both round & deformed rings can be stretched with
the adjustable ring stretcher pliers.
Dave
, what do you use for the mandrel?
Years ago, I purchased hangers for my file cabinet. These
“hangers” were too long for the drawers and had to be “cut down
to size.” For some reason I kept these suckers. I’ve used them
to make 3/4 inch oval rings for hand-made chains, but still have
to test seam after soldering by stretching with pliers. So, I’ve
come to the conclusing that “O” (round) jump rings would work as
well as the oval rings. Both still have to be tested.
My question... is it easier to make oval links for chains by wrapping on an oval mandrel, or by fabricating round links and then stretching them out into an oval shape? If an oval mandrel is used, what do you use for the mandrel?
Although oval mandrel (or two round-glued together) will make
oval rings, one still has to check whether the solder seam is
solid. I’ve made many a chain and have found that unless I use
pliers to stretch the link (to an oval shape) there is no
guarantee that the seam will not fall apart with the first pull!
I’ve learned (via experience) that I make oval rings, solder
them, then put the ovals over the tips of pliers and pull! If it
doesn’t fall apart, it can be used and it turns out to be a nice
oval shape! (any size you want . … depending which end of the
jaw you use - the bigger or smaller one.) Sorry, I’m not very
techincal.
Hi there GeorgeDebbie, and you think my handle is strange??? ; )
The name is Rita. Please continue to use the handle, the
internet is not a place where one should be a REAL person and
state their name, address, etc . . . there are many weirdo’s out
there (and I’ve encountered some, so that’s why I’d rather not
post my real name!)
You’re right, this handy-dandy gadgit is OVERPRICED . … I will
not be purchasing one in the near future. I find I can get good
results using a pair of metal nippers (after winding the wire
around knitting needles- whatever size suits my purpose,) One
doesn’t need EXACT SQUARE edges, all they need is to have the
edges of the jump rings actually TOUCHING, and the solder will
fill the gaps! (I’ve used anything from hard to easy solder to
do the jump rings, I haven’t found much of a difference!)
Thank you for writing, and I hope you’re having a wonderful
weekend!
Regards, R
Dave - Thanks for the info. Those could be some pretty hefty
granules - which can be interesting. How small do the mandrels
get if you were into smaller grains? The other thing that that
might be useful for is making decent rings in which to put
granules - especially if you want a consistent size and lots of
them. I’ve seen something like that in the Rio catalogue - is
that basically what you all have been talking about? Does the
cutting blade work well, or does it leave a ‘tail’ on the ring
that would have to be filed down if you wanted a ring?
One thing that I’ve done instead of using round wire to make
the granules is to use cloisonne wire. It’s a consistent width
(depth?) and I think sometimes easier to handle - mark, measure.
I can also cut it with scissors (those really little sharp
Fiskars are great !)
Laura
My question… is it easier to make oval links for chains by
wrapping on an oval mandrel, or by fabricating round links and
then stretching them out into an oval shape? If an oval mandrel
is used, what do you use for the mandrel?
hi,
the ones that come with the ‘jump ringer’ are cast bronze or
something yellow. before i had them i would make my own with an
oval drawplate. if i had to make one today this is how i think i
would approach it: leave the the copper or brass work hardened
after you’ve drawn it to the size desired. the mandrel will
still bend if you don’t support it during the winding of your
oval coils. leave the coil on the mandrel for cutting the coil.
if you remove it the coil will torque, making it a little
difficult to place the future solder seams all in the same
place.
best regards,
geo fox
Hi all, I am hoping to try doing some granulation soon. I have read
the basic principles from Oppi Untracht’s jewellery book. This only
seems to apply to gold. Do the same principles of melting metal to
create the granules and fusion apply to silver as well. Any ideas
would be welcome. Richard