Just wanted to pass on a little trick for making oval jump rings.
Once the round rings have been soldered, stretch them into an oval
shape using “snap ring” pliers.
For those who don’t know what snap ring pliers are, they are used to
OPEN snap rings. They look very much like round nose pliers except
that the jaws open when you squeeze the handles. Fit the pliers end
into the snap ring and squeeze the handles.
You can find these at auto supply shops like NAPA or Advance Auto.
They’re cheap.
stretch them into an oval shape using "snap ring" pliers.
That’s a neat trick. It’s usually easier to make them oval to begin
with, though. Either wrap your wire around two wires stuck together,
soldered or not, or you can wrap it around rectangular stock of any
size. The wire will make an arc around the rectangle - you won’t get
rectangular jump rings…
I usually opt for pulling the chain through a drawplate. Thanks for
the tip though.
K. David Woolley
Fredericton, NB
Diversiform Metal Art & Jewellery