Several people have said that they use a machine to make their
jump rings. Is this the “jumpringer” as sold by Rio? I’ve been
trying to use that one on and off for a year. The tube of rings
overheat when I try to cut them with the rotary saw, they mush
down, partially cut, and generally make a mess.
Can anyone give me any hints?
kathi parker
www.angelfire.com/biz/moonscapedesigns
kathi, Indian Jewelers Supply sells rotary saw blades. I have
used them and gotten pretty good results. After winding and taping
the coil in place on the WOODEN dowel, clamp one end of the dowel
in a vise, starting at the far end pull the saw blade forward to
you. The blade “must” be imbedded into the dowel about 1/16 of
an inch at all times. If the blade is not into the wood all of
the evils you mentioned will happen. Use a light touch and you
will a dowel full of perfect jump-rings. My mentor makes
thousands of jump-rings a year this way. If you want more detail
let me know. enjoy Bill in Vista
Kathi, et al:
Much depends on the guage of the wire. We are having a show this
weekend, and Bill’s mentor is one of the Demonstrators. He, Jerry
Harr, has made hundreds of Roman, or Etruscan Chains.
The first dowel full of sterling silver rings I coiled were 16
ga, they cannot be cut this way. I gave up on these and coiled 18
ga on a long dowel. In class we were also unsuccessful in cutting
them. I presented the entire coil to Jerry Harr, he graciously
took them home last night, and today presented me with a cleanly
sliced dowel with about 18 inches of cut links. I have begun to
align them for my Idiots Delight bracelet.
Jerry’s equipment, a foredom with a small spring steel blade.
His admonition, “make sure the teeth are pointing in the right
direction.” This works far better with higher ga wire.
Thanks to all,
Teresa
Several people have said that they use a machine to make their jump rings. Is this the "jumpringer" as sold by Rio? I've been trying to use that one on and off for a year. The tube of rings overheat when I try to cut them with the rotary saw, they mush down, partially cut, and generally make a mess.
Sounds like your sawblade is dull. Get a new one. And use a
cutting lubricant like beeswax or burr life etc when you cut.
Power operated cutting tools are less forgiving of being run
“dry” than are hand tools… Alternatively, try winding the
links on brass mandrels, and leave the mandrel in place inside
the coil while the rings are cut off. It will support the coil.
If you are careful to orient the mandrel so the slice the saw
makes in it is in the same position each time, the mandrel will
work just fine over and over again, even with the groove from
cutting.
Peter Rowe
Peter, I know this will sound rather simplistic. I have been
trying to cut multiple jump rings recently. This weekend the
master Chain Maker Jerry Harr was demonstrating at our show. He
indeed helped me out by taking a dowel full of rings home to
slice.
He made a comment “make sure the saw blade is turning in the
right direction.” Today, I brought in a mounted, very bent saw
blade. Sure enought the teeth were pointing in the wrong
direction. I have purchased the saw blades both mounted and
loose. This must have been one I bought loose, and mounted
incorrectly. No wonder I could not cut rings. Duh!
Teresa
Hi Gang,
I’m also a chain maker & here’s 2 procedures I use for cutting
coils into rings. I use the Koil Kutter for cutting all my coils.
The Koil Kutter can be used with a Dremel (or equal), Ryobi or
Foredom #30 (or equal) hand piece. It can cut coils from about 3
mm to 30 mm diameter made from 10 to 32 ga wire. The coils can
be up to 3 1/2 in. long. I use 2 different procedures depending
on the gauge of the wire being cut. I wind my coils on a set of
steel mandrels varying in size from 2 - 13 mm in 1/2 mm steps.
Coils larger than 13 mm are wound on mandrels made for the
respective job, usually from PVC pipe.
The 1st procedure is used for heavier gauges (aprox 20 ga or
heavier). Both these procedures assume the tool is assembled &
installed correctly.
PROCEDURE 1
Place the coil in the groove of the cutter base.
Apply a light coating of lubricant to the top of the coil.
Oil of wintergreen works well. Moisten the tip of a finger with
the lubricant & draw it along the top of the coil. Liquid
dishwashing detergent will also work.
Place the slotted cover over the coil.
Insert the screw in the end of the cover that has the stop.
Tighten the screw until it just contacts the top of the slotted
cover.
Insert the screw in the other end. Tighten the screw until it
just contacts the top of the slotted cover.
Use a popsicle stick or other thin tool to push the coil
toward the stop until it just touches the stop.
Tighten each of the 2 screws an additional 1/4 to 1/2 turn.
Note: If the top cover is tightened down too much, it will cause
the coil to be flattened a bit & pinch the saw blade (similar to
disc brakes) resulting in excessive heating.
Place the cutter over the coil & cut. Be sure the shield is
installed correctly. The saw blade should be centered in the slot
of the top cover.
PROCEDURE 2
For coils made of lighter gauge wire (22 ga & smaller) the
following procedure works well for me.
Cut 2 lengths of masking tape a little longer than the length
of the coil to be wound. Place them so they can reached
conveniently after the coil is wound.
Wind the coil as usual.
Unwind the coil 1/2 to 1 turn will make it easier to remove
from the mandrel. Before cutting the coil from the wire supply,
cover the coil completely with the 2 pieces of masking tape. I
put the tape on the coil the long way as opposed to round &
round.
Cut the coil from the wire supply & remove it from the
mandrel.
Use the procedure above to cut the coil, OMIT the step that
lubricates the coil.
Remove the rings from the masking tape.
Here’s another way to cut coils made of thinner gauge wire.
Wind the coil on a suitably sized wood mandrel.
Tape the finish end of the coil in place with masking tape
before cutting the coil from the wire supply. Leave the coil on
the mandrel.
Place the coil, mandrel & all in the cutter coil holder.
Cut the coil as in procedure 1 above.
If there are little burrs left on the ends or the rings cut from
the coils, the saw blade may be dull & need to be replaced.
If there any other questions, ask away, I’ll help if I can.
Dave
He made a comment "make sure the saw blade is turning in the right direction." Today, I brought in a mounted, very bent saw blade. Sure enought the teeth were pointing in the wrong direction. I have purchased the saw blades both mounted and loose. This must have been one I bought loose, and mounted incorrectly. No wonder I could not cut rings. Duh!
Must be contageous.
Today, I spent several minutes searching with a little diamond
burr, to find the bit of platinum investment that I was convinced
was still lodged in a little opening in a platinum casting. I’d
been trying to clean/file up the edges of that little pierced
opening with a sawblade, and the blade was just gliding off,
which surely happens when the blades hit a bit of that fused
silica from remaining investment. Only when I couldn’t seem to
find that bit of stubborn quartz that I knew must be there, did
it occur to me that though the blade was gliding off without
cutting, it hadn’t sounded quite the same as when they dull
themselves uselessly trying to cut fused quartz… Then I
checked, and sure enough, the teeth on the blade were not only
mounted pointing up, but backwards too. I’d been trying to saw
with the rounded back edge of the blade.
Moral: No matter how experienced you think you are, there will
still be days when your brain is just “all thumbs”… and you’re
making the total beginners look skilled.
Peter
get a doll rod the size of the diameter of the jumpring you
want, take the wire and wrap it around the rod and use your saw
to cut the wire into individual rings, very easy to do.
get a piece of dowel rod that fits the diameter that you are
looking for in a jumpring, wrap it around the dowel while it is
in your vise, then put some burr life on your saw blade and cut
the wraped wire into jumprings, its very easy to do, dont waste
your money on the jumpringer.
This right and wrong saw blade direction bothered me all day.
In looking at the tool end of a Dremel or other drill type tool
turning in the ‘natural’ direction, the tool will turn
counter-clockwise. For the premounted saw blade such as Terrie
refers to below, the teeth will be right cutting if the Dremel
is ‘pushed’ (front to rear) or used on the left side of the coil
and ‘pulled’ (rear to front). This again refers to a coil on a
dowel, taped and supported horizontally in the vise.
Bill in rainy Vista
I find the jump ring cutter to be a very useful and time saving
tool, after years of winding jumprings and cutting them with a
sawframe. It is a very good idea to wrap the wound coil in some
tape before putting it into the saw guide. I had an extra #30
handpiece that I dedicated to the saw blade guard. A sharp blade
will zip through the coil in a matter of seconds- I sometimes
wonder why I didn’t buy one sooner. I’ve never even seen the size
jump ring that I make offered for sale commercially- 17 guage
wire coiled on a mandrel the size of a jacob chuck key handle
(yup, thats what I wound them on). I put the jump ring cutter up
there with my favorite tools, right up there with didydmium
glasses (thanks, Peter Rowe!), Lindstrom chain nose pliers, and
my tubing cutting holder. And thumbs of course, can’t make
jewelry without them…
Rick Hamilton
Richard D. Hamilton
Fabricated 14k, 18k, and platinum Jewelry
wax carving, modelmaking, jewelry photography