Rose Marie,
I tried sending you the following off-forum but it bounced back.
Please let me know if you need further explanation!
Just stick the mandrel in the drill like a drill bit and stick the
end of the wire down along side of it in-between the clamps (or
teeth?) of the chuck. If you are using a large mandrel and the wire
won’t fit, hammer the end of the wire a little to flatten it so that
it doesn’t need as much space. Bend the wire about 90 degrees and
squeeze the drill trigger. GO SLOW at first or you might get the
wire all tangled up. Guide the wire between your thumb and
forefinger–I keep the wire from flying around by --hmmm, not sure of
the word–guiding/steadying it like a piece of yarn in my pinkie
finger, as in knitting. (I knit holding the yarn in my left hand, my
mother called this the Continental or European method).
Hope this helps!
Priscilla Fritsch
Thanks Priscilla
I think this is pretty clear…will give it a “whirl”…HA. At
least try not to wind the wire around my head with the power
drill!!! My little finger would also be the “knitting” bobbin as
you learned!
I do need to find an assortment of dowels, though, so I can put some
other wound metal on the wood to saw - or use the little slate
cutting wheels. Used the cutting wheel today and had some clean ends.
There have been so many suggestions, I am trying some of them.
Rose Marie Christison
Priscilla has the right idea for winding coils but I’d like to add
two improvements that will make it safer, easier, and quicker.
-
We manufacture an inexpesive Drill Stand that is clamped or
screwed to the bench and will securely hold any drill horizontally.
-
Lock the trigger switch of your drill in the ON position. Plug
the drill into a Foredom FCT foot control and the foot control into a
wall outlet.
With this set-up, you control the speed of the drill with your foot
and still have two free hands to control the wire as it’s being
coiled. For absolutely uniform sized rings, remember to make tight
coils (each turn touches the previous one).
Ray Grossman
Ray
I use your horizontal drill press and while I find it safer than the
Jumpringer, I do have a problem. What advice can you give me for
cutting an entire coil? Too often, the last 1/2 inch does not cut. I
put many pieces together on a dowel as your directions suggest, and
that worked to complete the cuts, but often the coil bits were
scarred and became useless. Quite a waste of silver so I must solve
it. I use different size dowels for the various coil sizes.
I’ve marked the beginning and end of the channel in order that I can
see where to stop the blade as I draw the unit across. While
screwing the top plate down to hold the coil, not tightening too
much, the coil still seems to move.
Many thanks, Ruth Mary
On the subject of making jump rings easily without spending a lot on
equipment, I have put together some photos of my setup. They may be
in the archives someplace, however, if you send me an e-mail I’ll
send the pics.
Also I prefer to use metal mandrels to wind the rings. Wooden dowels
can be a little soft and the wire imbeds itself just enough that it
can be difficult to remove the coil. I do wrap the coil in tape
before removing it from the mandrel, this stops it from springing to
a larger size.
A good source for mandrels is harbor freight. Buy a set of transfer
punches; you get a set of around 30 for about ten bucks. Cut a slot
in the flat end or drill a hole to anchor the end of the wire and
wrap away.