Jewelry Wire Wrap

Tool Guide

Tool Guide

There are so many tools available that choosing can be difficult.  If you narrow the field there are still over two dozen types.  This article should remove some of the guess work and get you started on a productive path.

Lets say your birthday is coming up and someone who knows your newly acquired interest wants to give you a set of tools to get you started.  But you can only choose three tools from over two dozen possibilities.  Which three would you pick?

The following section was provided to raise your awareness of a specific health issue: Repetitive Motion Injury.

You can skip it and scroll on down to the Tool Guide below the second bar if you wish.  It's recommended reading though.  However, if you do skip it, don't say I didn't warn you.

Important Health Concern:

Repetitive motion can and does cause fatigue and long term degenerative injury.  And it doesn't matter if you have genetically superior muscles, bones, nerves, and tendons.  Wire wrapping requires repetitive use of the physical resources in your fingers, hand and palm, wrist, forearm, elbow, shoulder, neck, and upper back.  Purchasing well made, properly designed tools could save you from becoming painfully aware of your healthy joints and everything connected to them, including headaches.  Would you ride a bicycle without a helmet?  Okay, so there ya go!  It's that important.

To reduce the likelihood of long term injury purchase tools with plastic or rubber coated spring handles that fit your hand comfortably.  General Rule: Larger hands, longer handles; Smaller hands, shorter handles.  You will also make better jewelry if your tools are comfortable and fit your hand.

The plastic or rubber coating cushions the pressure against your palm and fingers and buffers the strain on your wrist, forearm, and elbow.  Spring handle pliers are easier than scissors to use and practically eliminates opposing motion strain on your hand and arm.  SO!  If you have to choose between plastic coated pliers and pliers with spring handles, then definitely choose the spring handle tool.  That's because you can moderate your hand pressure while repetitive motion is fairly consistent, making spring handle tools the healthier choice.  It's best to have both cushion and spring though.

I sustained a permanent hand injury in a industrial accident many years ago and then developed carpel tunnel syndrome as a consequence.  My understanding of tools runs much deeper than the average person, so to say the right tools are very important to me would be understating the issue.  Even perfectly healthy individuals can develop painful problems by using poorly designed tools.  This is why I feel that buying the proper tool is a critically important decision for anyone.  Most especially for folks with a previous injury like me, and those with arthritis, people who work on computers all day, and/or people who use their wrists and hands more than normal.  Again, I cannot adequately express just how important this is.  In fact, if you have never done this type of work before and you start out with inferior tools there is a vey real probability of injury to some degree right from the get go.  So please, take careful consideration when buying tools even if you're just experimenting to determine if wire wrapping is something you may want to do.

Poorly made tools can cost you dearly.  Well made tools don't have too.

All it takes is a little forethought, or knowledge, which I hope I've provided.

Tool Guide:

First, in case you didn't know, wire wrap tools have smooth jaws or surfaces that contact the wire.  This feature can reduce damage such as indentations, nicks, and scratches.  Some even have hard nylon plastic inserts to reduce damage even more.  Your local hardware store typically does not carry wire wrap tools.  If you call to find out, be sure to ask for "jewelry wire wrap" tools.

Most people making wire jewelry, and those who want to get into this type of art or craft, are average folks just like me.  Many cannot afford much, so price is often the difference between getting started or not.

As an artist and general craftsman most of my life, price has always been a primary consideration when acquiring materials and tools for my various projects and creative expression.  But there's more to it than that.

Have you ever made a purchase decision based solely on price?  Yeah okay, me too.  But my chances of experiencing genuine, deeply felt disappointment, is exquisitely enhanced when "the lowest price" is the sole motivating factor of a purchase decision.  That's why I put back a few coins and try to keep emotion out of the equation.  But that can be hard to do when excitement swirls around a new idea or project.  Nonetheless, when it comes to buying a tool, or tools, I have learned to weigh the PDQ's first.  What?

PDQ: Discussion on Price, Design, and Quality.  The Answer to the original question is farther down the page in case you want to get right to it.

There's a balance between Price, Design, and Quality (PDQ) that can be difficult to spot.  But I have learned what to look for and get the best "well rounded, all things considered," value for my money.  I firmly believe the tools offered here, while not the cream of the crop, do provide functional quality and above average Durability for a price that anyone can afford.  I use the tools I sell and if you've browsed my website you can clearly see that I do quite well with them.  The tools I offer have a Low-P, High-D, and Above Average-Q.

The Bottom Line: All tools wear out, period.  So in reality another category should be added to the PDQ concept; Durability.  The acronym should be PDDQ, but if you can remember the familiar acronym PDQ you'll be aware of the second D in the equation.  Design and Quality often determine Durability, and...

Price can be an indicator of both Design Quality and Material Quality.  But not always.  There are variables which warrant a closer look.  I won't get into granular details, but I will discuss a few important points you might want to consider.  Just because something is expensive doesn't mean it's the best.  Conversely, cheap is not necessarily an indication of poor quality either.  In my view there are variations of cheap, and all too often I have been very disappointed with "so called" quality products.  So how can you quickly tell the difference?

Well, you really can't at a glance.  It's either trial by fire, a user rating, info on a blog, or recommendation from a friend.  Hence, part of the reason for this article.

For many people it's often a matter of trial and error, influenced by price, and then personal preference is developed through experience.  In the end this may be the best way to discover what works for you and what doesn't.  Especially for newcomers, a recommendation from someone who has used a particular product can be of great benefit :-)

Here's a personal example that should help provide a better idea of the PDQ concept:  I have a very expensive pair of Swedish chain nose jewelers pliers made from extremely strong steel.  The jaws are thin and taper to a fine point, perfect for the work I do.  The jaws are strong, yet flex a little when applying forceful pressure, but they always bounce right back into shape.  However, this pair of mighty-fine pliers, while high Priced and made of exceptional Quality steel (almost indestructible, a 10 on the Durability scale), has 2 major Design flaws.  1.) They lack a leaf spring in the handle, and 2.) jaw length is equal to the handle length; in other words the tool is improperly balanced, the handle is too short in proportion to overall length.  This being the case, control is severely compromised, making them very difficult to use in addition to pain and cramp like strain in the center of the palm because they do not fit my hand properly.  Do you think I use them?  Well, obviously not.  But at one time I did because they were all I had.  Incidentally, I bought them at a pawnshop for a fraction of retail; there's another story here, but I won't get into it.

Anyway, this is a very good example of pricey, well made, but a poorly designed tool.  A key factor in determining whether a tool is worth the price is in fact Design Quality.  The opposite is also true.  I have a pair of chain nose pliers that are very well designed, but low carbon steel was used to make them.  The tips bent open after only a few uses; the tool was ruined and I wasted time and hard earned money.  There was a Brand Name stamped on that tool so I know not to buy them again.

But less expensive tools are not always stamped with a Brand.  While others are marked with the country of origin, such as Sweden, Pakistan, India, Germany, etc.  I used to stay completely away from tools made in Pakistan, India, Mexico, and Taiwan because they almost always used inferior metal and came in with a very low duty rating.  But the world economy has changed a great deal in just the last few years and competition is fierce.  Nations like India, China and Taiwan, Pakistan, Turkey, Mexico, South Korea, and others, have realized the quality of their products had to improve or loose business.  Perception plays a role too.  When I purchased my Swedish pliers I just knew they had to be good without ever having tried them.  Same thing goes for German made tools and even some from right here in the good ol' USA.  The lines between country of origin and quality have blurred some.  Prices are changing and so is quality.

Most tangible, consumer, products such as light bulbs, car tires, television sets, etc., have a established Duty Rating or Duty Cycle; the number of cycles (uses) a product will last under normal conditions.  Many of these products have the duty rating printed right on the package or is easily obtained as in the case of car tires.

The same does not hold true for tools, duty rating is never posted on the tool like it is on a package of light bulbs.  Unless you buy a tool that has a lifetime warranty.  But then I have never found a jewelry wire wrap tool that had such a guarantee; I haven't been shopping for tools in along time so I could be missing something.  Nowadays I rely on my experience, and now you can too.  For me, an acceptable Duty Rating for wire wrap tools priced around $8 or $9 (USD) is 3 years with vigorous daily use.  If you want a tool that will last 10 or more years then prepare to spend $30 to $65 (USD) for each tool.  You're going to need at least three tools to get started wire wrapping so that's about $100 bucks, minimum!  Or, you can get going with three of the alternatives, offered here, for about the price of one of the expensive name brands.  You'll be in business for at least three years or longer.  And even if you have to buy them again for two more cycles, or 6 more years, you'll still be under the cost of the expensive brands over the same time period.  Many prefer to buy tools once in their life time.  While that was possible at the turn of the 19th century, it ain't so anymore.  Face it, even major brands have limits, and it's shorter these days.

With my limited budget I cannot afford the kind of cash sometimes needed to get the best of something right up front.  I really don't like having to replace durable goods as often as I do, but I have learned to be proactive and balance the PDQ's, so it's not as painful as it used to be; mainly because I usually know what to expect.  And since these tools perform very well, even if I have to replace them a couple of times in the same time frame as brand products, I am no worse off having spent about the same money over the same period.  In fact I've actually stretched my dollar in a way.  Instead of $30 dollars on one tool, now I can spend $10 and have $20 to buy other supplies, like beads and sterling wire!  That's one reason why I use very nice alternatives and is precisely why I have decided to offer tools on my website.  To give the average person an upfront advantage - an opportunity to do more with the same or less.  Big business does it, why not you?

The tools I offer for sale were carefully selected with PDDQ in mind.  They are very reasonably priced, ergonomically designed, functionally well engineered, and manufactured with above average steel.  Their Duty Rating on a scale from 1 to 10 is about 6.5 to 7.5, they perform as intended with pleasantly unexpected durability, and best of all they don't cost a small fortune.

However, over time I know they will wear out.  The most common issue with pliers is the pivot joint, even with box-jointed pliers.  The constant scissor like motion wears down the metal inside the hinge point or joint.  This wear is noticed when the tips no longer meet or line up, there's a little side-to-side motion; you see this in scissors too.  There's always going to be a little side motion, even with new tools, but it gets worse over time.  With dozens of tools in my tray, only a handful are coveted as the best performers, and most don't even have a brand name stamped on them.  Two of my best tools show very little wear after almost three years; a couple are in the line up of tools offered here...

Tool Tip: A drop or two of sewing machine oil in the joint every now and then will prolong the life of your tools and make them easier to operate due to less friction.

General Rule: Larger hands, longer handles; Smaller hands, shorter handles.  The handle should be 2/3rds the overall length of the tool - click image.

To determine best fit, shake hands with the tool.  Gently hold the tool by the jaws, like handing someone a pair of scissors, turn the handle toward you and grab the handle as if you are going to shake hands with someone; don't squeeze lest you pinch the daylights out of yourself, then let go of the jaws.  The end of one side of the handle should reach the bottom of your little finger at the outside edge of your palm (the edge of your hand used if doing a Karate chop!), and the other end of the handle should comfortably reach the first bend or joint near the tip of your index finger, at the point where the handle ends and the box-joint of the jaws meet - the transition point between handle and tool.  The pad of your thumb should rest comfortably at the top end of the other handle, again at the transition point of the tool.  You should be holding 2/3rds of the tool in your hand.  This provides gripping power and fine control.

Note: You will make better jewelry if your tools are comfortable and fit your hand properly.

The Tools, the tools, get to the tools darn it!  Oh alright, sorry, like most guys I enjoy talking about them.  Sheesh!

Okay, the question that brought you here: If you could choose only three tools what would they be?

Here's the Answer:

For simplicity, I will talk about three basic sizes and categorize them as, Large, Medium, and Small.  I am referring to the width and thickness of the jaws, not handle length.

For most people, and the majority of wire wrap work, Medium size tools with a 5 inch (130mm) handle will do the job.

The following is my recommendation for the Three Basic Tools you'll need to get started:

Side Cutters, they're affordable and they work.  My preference is a quality pair of Flush Cutters though.  However, if your choice is determined by price then you will do fine with side cutters - the pair I have listed here (Stock NO. SC203) are perfect for most wire sizes up to about 18 gage half-hard.  I use this very pair of Side Cutters myself.  Flush Cutters are a bit more expensive and if you can afford them it's the better choice in the long run.  (Note: my personal Flush Cutters are Medium Duty and will cut half-hard wire up to 18 gage safely without damaging the tool.  I do not use them on anything over 18 gage because of their size.  If you use heavier wire in your work, over 18 gage, you can get by with any standard pair of electricians side cutters easily obtained at your local hardware store.  Get a pair with at least 6 inch handles regardless of your hand size.  Longer handles provide better leverage and easier cutting, especially on heavy gage wire.  Since you will not use these as often, this is the only tool that does not need a spring handle.)  Flush Cutters create an almost flat cut to one end of the wire.  They allow you to quickly trim off sharp ends and reduce the need to file them down smooth.  The last thing you want is to finish a nice piece only to have it draw your own blood, or worse, that of a friend or client - yikes!  You should wear safety glasses when using any cutting tool.  I wear readers to see my work and they just happen to shield my eyes from flying metal pieces.  If you do not require readers, then lucky you, but you might consider wearing eye protection when cutting.

Chain Nose Pliers - Medium.  Choose a pair with a very narrow, needle like, tip; preferably made from spring steel.  Some even come with wire cutters built right into to the lower portion of the jaw.  You'll still need a pair of Side Cutters, or Flush Cutters, for sniping off wire ends next to a winding or wrap next to a bead.  But Chain Nose Pliers with built-in cutters are very useful for cutting lengths of wire from your resource coil or spool and also some wire ends on your work.  The Medium size has thicker or heavier jaws all the way down to the end point.  I do a lot of winding and wrapping with thin wire so I need the tip to be needle like in order to get into small, tight, places, say next to beads.  Also used to press a cut end down without smashing a different part of the wire or damaging an expensive bead or mashing a coil.  Pressing a cut end down can often require a lot of pressure; this is true for me because I use Half-Hard wire for almost all of my work.  If the tip is small, but the metal is thin and narrow or has slender jaws, the tip will bend open or splay apart, permanently ruining your tool.  You need the extra bulk or jaw thickness of a heavier set of chain nose pliers to reduce the likelihood of this happening.  In other words, the tip should come to a fine point without sacrificing strength.  Finding a well proportioned pair of chain nose pliers is very difficult in lower priced tools.  Or, you can spend $60 or more on a Swedish or German pair of professional jewelers pliers made of very strong spring steel.  If you're like me, well, I don't have that kind of cash available to spend on a single tool.  This is another reason I want to provide inexpensive, well made, alternatives on my website.  They do the job well without the incredible expense.  I hope to offer at least two types of chain nose pliers in all three categories.

Flat Nose Pliers - Medium to Small.  The Medium size is a better "all around" choice; jaws are not too thick or broad across the end so you can work with a wide range of wire gages, and they are not too thin and won't bend or distort as easily when you apply a lot of pressure with them on heavier wire.  A strong squeezing grip is often required to flatten and/or press wire down for forming, twisting, etc.  The Flat Nose is a versatile tool.  Considered essential, an extension of your thumb and forefinger, it can also function like a small clamp for firmly holding your work.  You can also straighten wire, flatten curled or bent wire and loops, twist two or more wires together like a bread twist-tie, execute angular design elements and right angle bending, create spirals after the end is curled up with your chain nose pliers, flatten round wire for different design effects, and many other uses.

You will be successful and accomplish a great deal with the above three tools.  But there is a limitation.  In order to create nice round loops and hooks in the various sizes needed for most wire wrap jewelry work you really need a pair of Tapered Round Nose Pliers, also called Rosary Pliers.  Although you can create loops with chain nose pliers and a wooden or steel dowel, it can be very difficult to create small loops needed for certain designs that way.  While creating loops with chain nose and a dowel is effective, the process adds steps and time.  But I will stand by my assertion in that you only need these Three Basic Tools to get started wire wrapping.  They are all I had when I started out and I was very successful making loops and hooks with my chain nose pliers and several sizes of wooden dowels.  I also used a pair of hardwood chop-sticks to make different sized loops and hooks.

Tool Tip:  Chain Nose pliers with built-in wire cutters is an excellent alternative to purchasing the same two separately.  The cutter is near the hinge or lower portion of the jaw.  The only drawback is that they are not designed to cut a flat or flush end on wire.  The resulting cut creates a very sharp chisel end to each piece of wire that will require dressing or deburring.  Expect to pay only a couple more dollars for that one tool.  So if you can find a quality pair you'll actually have 2-for-1, which should allow you to purchase a pair of coveted Tapered Round Nose pliers.  In essence you'll have 4 tools for little more than the price of three; Chain Nose with built-in wire cutters, Flat Nose, and Round Nose.  Well worth the tiny extra expense to have 4 tools.

If you become serious and want to improve the quality of your work, use a second pair of Chain Nose Pliers.  Holding a small loop with one while using another pair to wrap and/or press ends down.  Flat Nose Pliers, while great for holding loops and doing other work, cannot get into tiny spaces.  Most especially areas created next to two interlocking or connecting loops or a loop next to a bead; if you plan on linking beads together or make earrings, you will quickly understand this issue.

So my primary tool set consists of five tools, which I could not afford until later.  They are: Flush Cutters, Two Pair of Chain Nose Pliers (Large and Medium) with slightly different tips, Medium Tapered Round Nose Pliers, and a Medium Flat Nose.  I could not get along these days without them.  But if I had to use only three tools I could use Side Cutters, Medium Chain Nose and Medium Flat Nose pliers, and do quite well without a problem.

Needle files or Escapement files.  Something else to consider.  These are small files with different profiles like round, rat tail, flat, tapered flat or knife file (wider on one edge and comes to a point and is shaped like a steak knife), triangular, and oval.  There are other profiles but these are the basic ones and they're designed for this work.  Like any tool, there are differences; even though they're small, some have deep cutting teeth and are very rough on the metal.  But excellent for removing large burrs or a lot of material at once.  If you're not careful you could damage another part of your work unintentionally.  Some have fine teeth; these don't take off as much material with each pass.  Fine teeth are more forgiving.  You are less likely to scratch other parts of a piece and polishing is easier because it does not cut so deep.  I use both kinds.  Escapement files are high quality jewelers files which can be very expensive, say around $150 for a set of 12 files.  The cutting grooves, or teeth, are gauged by number: 00, 2, 4, 6; small number deeper cut, higher number has a finer cut - Cut 4 is a good overall cut for most work.  Cut 00 is very fine and works on metal like very fine sandpaper, almost like polishing the metal.  But it's not, it just appears that way.  Diamond Needle files are okay, just not my preference.  They usually only come in Fine and Course grit.  They are good for removing a lot of material.  A good temporary alternative for a 6 Cut file is a simple emery board or a Cut 4 diamond steel fingernail file.  The diamond fingernail file will wear down, so if you want to continue using it on your fingernails DO NOT use it for jewelry.

Oh, one last thing.  It's important to keep a ruler or measuring device handy for measuring lengths of wire.  It will help keep you aware of usage, reduce waste, and improve your ability to estimate or calculate the amount of wire required to make your jewelry.  When it comes to expensive silver and gold wire you will understand the importance and value of developing usage and resource management skills.  A simple ruler then becomes quite valuable.  I have many rulers and use all of them.  But you really only need one.

And since we're on that subject, you might consider reading my Wire Guide.  There's valuable information for you about the kind of wire you can use for wire wrapping.  It'll clear up some of the mystery too.

I sincerely hope this Tool Guide helps you get on the pleasurable winding road to an extremely gratifying adventure.

Blessings, and Always...

Happy Wrapping!

Raymond