Hello all, i’m wondering if any of you know a place (hopefully
online) where I can order some silver rings for chain. It’ll prolly
be a variety of gauges and sizes. I’ve taken a look at the urbanmaile
site (or whoever advertises at the top of the gankoskin newsletter),
but i want other places to compare to.
Check south Pacific Wholesale (http://www.headpins.com). They
probably have what you need, even if it’s not in their catalog.
Call them and chat - they’re cool.
Or try Pegasus - 800-742-BEAD. They do have them, but I don’t know
for sure if they ship them.
Both of these dealers may have a minimum order. I buy from them
mostly at shows, and find they are good value, honest, and helpful.
If you’re looking for pre-made silver jump rings, then you can try
either Metalliferous (www.metalliferous.com) or Rio Grande. Many of
the other metals suppliers also have jump rings.
However, if you’re doing a LOT of them and want the most flexibility
in gauge, size, and metal, you should learn to make your own either
manually or using a system like a Jump_Ringer. It will be worth the
investment, as it will be a lot cheaper over time to make your own
than to buy pre-made.
Karen Goeller
@Karen_Goeller
Hand-crafted artisan jewelry
http://www.nolimitations.com
The Ring Lord has excellent prices on silver rings, but only
selected gauges. http://www.theringlord.com
I have never ordered myself, but am on a message board with the
owner and have talked to many happy customers.
Brian Barrett
I have just made a necklace using more than a couple of thousand
jump rings which I made by winding the wire around a knitting needle
of the required diameter then cutting the rings by hand. It is
definitely a lot less expensive than buying pre-made rings. Making
your own gives you great flexibility as to size and gauge, and is
even more economic where split rings are concerned. Another benefit
is that if you have miscalculated how many you need for a particular
project, you just make a few more!
Mad though it may sound, I find the act of winding the wire very
relaxing, and quite often make up a stock of wound coils of the
sizes and metals I normally use as a break from more mentally
intensive tasks.
Pat
I have just made a necklace using more than a couple of thousand jump
rings which I made by winding the wire around a knitting needle of
the required diameter then cutting the rings by hand.
I make my rings the same way since I don’t really do enough volume
to justify buying a jumpringer, I use a setup that was suggested to
me by one of the exceptional instructors at George Brown (thank you
Ellen). Essentially it is a plastic cutting board clamped to the edge
of my bench with various holes drilled in it, a couple of steel
plates and some leather to guide the wire at the edge. Feed the wire
though to the needle inserted in the hole, clamp the wire to the
needle with a pair of vice grips and twist away. I get a perfect coil
in a few seconds. Total cost about $7.00 and you can get all the
parts at Canadian Tire or local US equivalent. If anyone wants a jpeg
of the setup, you can e-mail me off line. Cheers, Stephanie Morton
I’ve made a few pounds of silver chains with split rings. I must
say, if you don’t have an electric saw, and will be sawing them by
hand, it’s takes a fair bit of time. I prefer an electric saw for
cutting the rings. I mentioned www.theringlord.com. He has a fair
selection of sterling rings, for about $10US /oz and has a guarantee
that you can’t find cheaper… I make my wire and rings, but if I had
to buy them, it would be from this fellow.
Brian
Hi there Stephanie. Could you send me a jpeg of the set up?
Actually, I would be interested in knowing what method you use to cut
the rings as I have found that winding is not a problem.The Jump
Ringer must be great for preventing such injuries as ‘sawblade
finger’ ! Oh, the agonies of cutting through a stack of 0.3mm
jumprings. There was a thread a while ago on this very subject but
I have not got round to sorting out an easy to make cutting system
for myself. On the workshop injuries theme, about 10 years ago when I
was just starting out, I wound some rings on a large steel nail. Held
the nail in my left hand and proceeded to cut the rings with a small
circular saw held in a rotary tool. The result was entirely
predictable. The blade skidded off the nail and I ended up in
casualty having sawn right through to the bone of my index finger
tip. A lesson I will never forget. It instilled in me a healthy
respect for all the tools I use.
I have just read the latest postings on flexshaft mishaps and
workshop injuries it has confirmed my resolve to see if I can buy
some prescription goggles…
Cheers,Ruth. Fat Cat Jewellery in the UK.