Daily Tip July 10: Glue for Finishing Cords

By on July 9, 2010
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Daily Wire Jewelry Making Tip
July 10, 2010

Question:

I’m a beginner. I made some leather/suede necklaces, and had a very hard time flattening or attaching the spring cord ends. I damaged two pliers and one cutter. Is there a technique on working on these?

I finally ended up with fold-over cord ends, but if possible, I would like to use the spring cord ends. Please advise. Thanks.

-Carmen in Stockton, California

Answer:

To attach a spring/coil end to a cord, place a tiny drop of glue at the very end of the cord, slide the cap/coil onto this end, and then use an old pair of either narrow flat nose or chain nose pliers to gently but firmly flatten the first two coils (those farthest from the end) tightly on the cord to hold the cap in place.

Let the glue dry thoroughly before adding the clasp. My mother likes to use watchmakers’ glue, you can find what works for you.

Although we do not stock the coil/spring type of end cap, you can view our selections of glues and findings here.

Answer contributed by Dale “Cougar” Armstrong

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2 Comments

  1. avatar

    Lori Shumey

    July 10, 2010 at 11:31 am

    Hi Carmen… I have had that problem as well and I ended up just not making them because I got so frustrated. None of them seemed to have a nice ‘professional type’ finish to them. But I will give this another go.
    Lori

  2. avatar

    Carla Benefield

    July 10, 2010 at 3:40 pm

    I found that hemostats work better for me because I can lock them.
    And I usually make my own spring cord ends.
    If I can see how something metal is made, I can usually make it myself.
    And I make a lot of jewelry, some in wirewrapping and some from carving on a piece of silver.
    My favorite is to incorporate what Dale teaches in her books and my extensive knowledge of pottery and ceramics.
    This is why I call my stuff: Jewelry2Kiln4
    I have a small enameling kiln and 2 other small student kilns.
    I have only recently discovered “Gorilla Glue”.