Home   >   Daily Wire Jewelry Tips   >   Featured Tool of the Week: Metal Drawplate DRA-555.00

Featured Tool of the Week: Metal Drawplate DRA-555.00

By on January 30, 2012
Print Friendly

by Rose Marion, Wire-Sculpture.com

Tool of the Week for
January 30, 2012

This week’s tool: Metal Drawplate DRA-555.00

Demonstration by Kate, JewelryTools.com

This drawplate is the perfect size for drawing down wire. Its 39 round holes range from 2.80 – 0.26mm in diameter, which correspond to slightly larger than 10-gauge to about 30-gauge. Metal draw plates such as this tungsten steel draw plate are fantastic for reducing the size of wire to the gauge that you need.

If you’re looking to reduce the size of a woven wire chain, such as a Viking Knit chain, use a wooden draw plate, because the holes are much larger and the wood will not scratch or mar the wire. Albina’s How to Use a Drawplate might be helpful to you if you are interested in reducing chain – and the same general process is used for reducing wire, too.

When trying to reach a specific gauge, use our handy Wire Guage to Inches and Millimeters chart to convert the wire gauge to millimeters!

 

Click below to see Drawplates on JewelryTools.com:
Drawplates

Click below to see Drawplates on Wire-Sculpture.com:
Drawplates

Click to Receive Daily Tips by Email

5 Comments

  1. avatar

    diane

    January 30, 2012 at 7:28 am

    Can the square drawplate be used to make 20 gauge round wire into 22 gauge square wire? I find myself in the situation of having round 20 on hand and needing square 22. This would solve my problem if it can be used like that.

  2. avatar

    Mixed Kreations

    January 30, 2012 at 7:52 am

    This is on my to do list of things I want to try. I bought the wire for amaking a Viking knit chain, but haven’t had a chance to try it yet. Thank you for sharing.

  3. avatar

    Rachel Ison

    January 30, 2012 at 12:20 pm

    I’ve got the wood drawplate from WS and it’s the perfect tool for the viking knit! Plus the wood is solid and looks good itself.

  4. avatar

    Unique Wire Rings

    February 1, 2012 at 2:09 pm

    I really like this mother’s ring idea. I’ve done a couple of rings with multiple 6mm gemstones in them, but didn’t think to do them as mother’s rings. And I have a new ring design I think I can adapt to the mother’s ring idea. Thanks for sharing.

    Sue

  5. avatar

    Helen

    February 1, 2012 at 5:20 pm

    Can the teflon drawplates be used for wire and viking knit chain?