Working with Jump Rings

by Judy Ellis, Wire-Sculpture.com

Wire Jewelry Tips July 17th, 2015

Working with Jump Rings

by Rebecca Rudaski ©2012

Today’s we re-visit a great Tip is from Rebecca Rudaski, a chain maille artist. As a beginner to wire wrapping and working with wire, sometimes even the simplest things can be challenging until you are given the correct instruction and have a chance to do it “first hand.”

In today’s tip, Rebecca gives us a simple, yet very helpful way to work with Jump Rings.

You’ll need:

• Jump Rings
• 2 Pliers: your choice of flat nose or bent nose pliers. Rebecca is using the Lindstrom EX Flat Nose Pliers.

All chainmaille jewelry is made by opening and closing rings. When you open and close so many rings, you want to make sure that you have the right technique for doing so.

Step 1: Grab on to your jump ring with two pliers, and pull one end towards you, while pushing the other end away. Your ring will be torqued up into a spiral and ready to connect to other rings.

Step 2: Do not pull the ring open left and right, because that will distort the roundness of the ring. That will make it nearly impossible to get a good closure, making your finished piece MUCH weaker.

Visual Reference: Here are the two rings side by side as an example of how a properly opened ring looks next to a-not-so-properly opened ring.

Now that you’ve seen how to open a ring, you close it the exact same way. Depending on the metal you are using, you may need to push the two ends of the ring a little past closed, so that when you relax your grip, they “spring back” to a nice even closure.

It’s as simple as that! Now you’re ready to tackle any chainmaille pattern, assured that your jump rings are closed securely. For more information about chainmaille CLICK HERE for another article of our blog filled with details and examples.

Happy Wrapping!

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