curious to know: those of you that make your own rings-- what sort of mandrel do you use to form the coil ? and once formed, how do you clamp the coil to saw into individual rings ?
making jump rings
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Jan Hendrik
Elite Cafe Member
You can do it without a mandrel as well by just using a round-flat nose plier. You can adjust the size of the rings by bending them at the part of the tapered round nose of the inside diameter you want. If you want to use a mandrel any round metal can be used like the back end of needle files, Phillips head screwdrivers, the back ends of drill bits etc. Simply clamp your wire at nearly 90 degree angle in relation to the mandrel in your bench vice and start coiling the wire around the mandrel. To cut it I suggest a jewellers saw and a 4/0 blade. An easy way for beginners to cut through the coils is to first wrap the coiled wire in masking tape. This keeps everything together while you cut. I personally don't need to do this.
bblake
Member
Making chain in the jewellery trade, I've had to make thousands of jump rings. I have wrapped them up on brass and mild steel rods. Ovals are another process because they don't slide off easily.
I just cut the coil on my (jewellers) bench peg. Hard to explain but the hand sit round the back, against and under the peg and the coil is held against a notch in the peg by the thumb and forefinger. It's possible to cut many inches of these coils in minutes once you get used to it.
I just read Jans answer and the masking tape is a good idea. I find the cutting to be second nature but my son, who I am teaching at the moment, finds it hard to hold it all together against the peg. I love a gadget as much as the next person but I really don't see any use for those steel things with a slot that hold jump rings to be cut.
I think Jan must have cut a lot of jump rings too, if he is using a 4/0 blade. You may want something a little bit tougher until you get used to it.
Here's a quick pick with the only coil I could find. Obviously the saw runs kinda vertically down the front but I was holding my camera with my saw hand.
I just cut the coil on my (jewellers) bench peg. Hard to explain but the hand sit round the back, against and under the peg and the coil is held against a notch in the peg by the thumb and forefinger. It's possible to cut many inches of these coils in minutes once you get used to it.
I just read Jans answer and the masking tape is a good idea. I find the cutting to be second nature but my son, who I am teaching at the moment, finds it hard to hold it all together against the peg. I love a gadget as much as the next person but I really don't see any use for those steel things with a slot that hold jump rings to be cut.
I think Jan must have cut a lot of jump rings too, if he is using a 4/0 blade. You may want something a little bit tougher until you get used to it.
Here's a quick pick with the only coil I could find. Obviously the saw runs kinda vertically down the front but I was holding my camera with my saw hand.
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Jan Hendrik
Elite Cafe Member
Bblake those jump rings are very big! I usually make much smaller jump rings hence the 4/0 blades. For the size jumprings in your picture I would use 3/0 blades to cut through them.
bblake
Member
Yeah they are huge. Only set I had lying around. They are for some massive sterling bracelets I make for one customer.
BLW
Member
I use a set of drill bits 1/16 up to 1/4 inch use shank end to wrap wire around held in vice. Gives me all the sizes I need. Obviously bigger drill bits for bigger sizes. Nearly everyone had drill bits around easy mandrels. Brendan
mitch
~ Elite 1000 Member ~
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i've only ever made a few on an occasional basis, so i just use whatever drill bit shank makes the size i need. to saw them, i clamp the frame of the saw in a vise, blade up, release one end of the blade, slide the coil over it, reattach & retighten blade, then just hold the coil in my fingers to slide it back & forth until they're sawed thru. voila.
Beladran
Elite Cafe Member
I to use drill bits when I'm making custom size jump rings.. For my common stuff I just order packs from stuller
Jan Hendrik
Elite Cafe Member
For brightly polished jump rings I suggest you polish the wire before you coil it. This way the jump rings will be polished on the inside which is hard to get to with a polish mop after they are coiled and cut.
Southern Custom
~ Elite 1000 Member ~
The easiest way to cut your rings I've found is to thread the blade of your jewelers saw through the coil once removed from the mandrel. I then use a ring cutting jig (basically a peg with a slot) to hold the coil to and then saw from inside out. Also I didn't see mentioned to make sure you anneal your wire before rolling.
When I used to make them by the hundreds for chain making, I had a bunch of tiny mandrels that I had formed a sort of crank handle on the end, and had corresponding size holes drilled in the front of my bench. A tiny hole is drilled through the mandrel near the crank handle end that the wire could be inserted through. Push the mandrel with wire into the hole in the bench and wind up a hundred jump rings in a few seconds.
When I used to make them by the hundreds for chain making, I had a bunch of tiny mandrels that I had formed a sort of crank handle on the end, and had corresponding size holes drilled in the front of my bench. A tiny hole is drilled through the mandrel near the crank handle end that the wire could be inserted through. Push the mandrel with wire into the hole in the bench and wind up a hundred jump rings in a few seconds.
silverchip
~ Elite 1000 Member ~
You can buy steel dowel pins in varying lengths and dia. for cheep. they make great mandrels for jump rings and you can put them in a drill to speed up the process. Wind them up, use a sharpie to mark a straight line while they are wound tight,then snip them off with a pair of flush nippers. Don't for get to file the joint before soldering.
Willem Parel
~ Elite 1000 Member ~
I have different sizes of rod, put the right size in a hand drill, put the wire between the claws of the drill and just turn the drill, in no time you have many jump rings.
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thanks to all. i make mine like most of you- proper size drill bit. works great. recently i got a brite idea of filling the coil with hotmelt glue. it held well in the visejaws for cutting, but was a bit of a mess trying to get rid of the glue boogers. not sure about cutting from the inside of the coil. i may try that just for the heck of it. never used my bench pin to cut them, just held the coil in my vise jaws.
diandwill
Elite Cafe Member
After annealing the wire, searching for the right sized diameter object, I wind my JR as most of you do. I then put the coil into my magnetic tumbler and it brightens/polishes the inside quite well. Then I put a new saw blade on, to ensure that when I slip it is a deep, clean cut!
dogcatcher
Elite Cafe Member
I wrap the wire on transfer punches, I have a set from Harbor Freight, http://www.harborfreight.com/28-piece-transfer-punch-set-3577.html Every size available from 3/32 through 1/2". Stick the proper size in a hand drill and wrap, then saw with a jewelers saw.
Brian Marshall
~ Elite 1000 Member ~
<"Then I put a new saw blade on, to ensure that when I slip it is a deep, clean cut!">
Yep, wouldn't wanna get infected from a dirty old used blade... always better to get infected by a new one...
Keep a large box of Band-Aids & antibiotic cream handy... especially if you hold the coils between your fingers.
If you freehand cut 'em with a flexible shaft machine & slitting saw, you can trim your fingernails at the same time.
(keep some jumbo Band-Aids around for this method and try to leave enough nail to grow back)
Brian
Yep, wouldn't wanna get infected from a dirty old used blade... always better to get infected by a new one...
Keep a large box of Band-Aids & antibiotic cream handy... especially if you hold the coils between your fingers.
If you freehand cut 'em with a flexible shaft machine & slitting saw, you can trim your fingernails at the same time.
(keep some jumbo Band-Aids around for this method and try to leave enough nail to grow back)
Brian
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Southern Custom
~ Elite 1000 Member ~
I'll try and take a pic of my cutting method and post it if I can figure out this new Galaxy phone. It is quite easy to do with a ring cutting jig.
Brian Marshall
~ Elite 1000 Member ~
Awww, man... that'll take all the fun out of it! No blood, no emergency room visits...
There are 3 ways you can cut 'em without cuttin' yourself - that I know of.
One is yours with the ring cutting jig. One is using the slitting saw with a JumpRinger style fixture.
Anyone wanna guess the third one?
Brain
There are 3 ways you can cut 'em without cuttin' yourself - that I know of.
One is yours with the ring cutting jig. One is using the slitting saw with a JumpRinger style fixture.
Anyone wanna guess the third one?
Brain
Haraga.com
~ Elite 1000 Member ~
No Brian, I don't want to guess the third one.
Brian Marshall
~ Elite 1000 Member ~
Off yer meds again, Leonard?
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