Making Chain with Wubbers and Wire

by Judy Larson

Category: Contemporary
Technique(s): Chain Making, Butane Torch Techniques
Skill Level: Beginner

It seems tools just seem to be multiplying on my work surface, many of which I don't use as often as I should. Case in point, my Wubbers Round Mandrel Pliers, which I LOVE. Since I work more with sheet metal than wire these days, they were languishing in the back row of my pliers stand. And my wire stash is out of control. Soooooo........I challenged myself to create with Wire and Wubbers.

Challenge yourself to make some easy and fun links using wire and Wubbers Round Mandrel Pliers. Note: If you don't own Wubbers Mandrel Pliers, wrap wire around any round object that will make rings of the desired size.

Because each bracelet has an extender chain, they can fit a small to large size wrist.

Materials

16 Gauge Round Half Hard Argentium .940 Silver Wire

H19-16H

Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 5FT
Price: $48.29
Gold Club Price: $36.22

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Sterling Silver Clasp Round Ring 14mm - Pack of 1

K3-77

Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
Price: $7.52
Gold Club Price: $5.64

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Sterling Silver Toggle Clasp 21 mm - Pack of 1

K3-159

Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
Price: $9.68
Gold Club Price: $7.26

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Tools

Silver Solder Paste Hard SS75 - 1/4 T.O.

SOL-822.20

SOL-822.20
Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
Price: $19.95
Gold Club Price: $14.96

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Silver Solder Paste Medium SS70 - 1/4 T.O.

SOL-822.15

SOL-822.15
Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
Price: $18.95
Gold Club Price: $14.21

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Silver Solder Paste Soft SS65- 1/4 T.O.

SOL-822.10

SOL-822.10
Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
Price: $16.95
Gold Club Price: $12.71

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Basic Soldering Kit

G15-4

G15-4
Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
Price: $58.95
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Xuron Flush Cutter - Pack of 1

G2-504

G2-504
Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
Price: $29.95
Gold Club Price: $22.46

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Steel and Rubber Bench Block 4x4 Inches

G17-44

G17-44
Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
Price: $29.95
Gold Club Price: $22.46

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7 Piece Mini TruStrike Hammer Set with Stand

HAM-520.70

HAM-520.70
Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
Price: $140.54
Gold Club Price: $105.40

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WireJewelry 9 Inch Rotating Turntable with Fire Brick

G32-9910

G32-9910
Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
Price: $39.95
Gold Club Price: $29.96

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Pickle Pot, 16 Ounces

CLN-584.00

CLN-584.00
Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
Price: $31.95
Gold Club Price: $23.96

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NATURE'S TOUCH CITRIC PICKLE, 2LB PLASTIC JAR

CLN-163.00

CLN-163.00
Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
Price: $17.95
Gold Club Price: $13.46

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Cut Lube

BUR-180.00

BUR-180.00
Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
Price: $9.95
Gold Club Price: $7.46

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6.5 Inch Long Flat Nose Pliers - Pack of 1

G2-74

G2-74
Lesson Quantity: 2.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 2.00 each
Price: $9.87
Gold Club Price: $7.40

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Instructions

Step 1

Read through the directions before starting the project.

After checking my wire stash, I decided to use one of the two 25 foot sections of 16 gauge round Argentium wire I purchased over a year ago for a project I never quite got to. Don't laugh! Most of us have been there!

Since this was an experiment/challenge, I did not know how many rings in what sizes I needed. I made the coils shown on the round mandrel pliers. When the bracelets were finished, there were still rings left, which were then made into earrings and pendants. Starting in this manner makes it easier to play around with the rings to come up with something pleasing to you.

A note on the coil size in relation to the pliers barrel: Since wire has a "spring" to it, the coil will be larger than the barrel. Each of us has different hand and arm strength which can also determine how tight the coil can be. Since this is an experiment/challenge, don't worry if the coils do not match up with the size of the pliers mandrel. The rings will still all fit together in your design.

Judy Larson's Making Chain with Wubbers and Wire - , Contemporary Wire Jewelry, Making Chain, Chain Making , Butane Torch, Soldering, Solder, making chain with wubbers and wire

Step 2

If using a cutting system, which is how the long coils were cut, or a saw, which is how the shorter coils were cut, wrap the coils in painters tape. Use an ultra fine point Sharpie to mark where to cut. Rubbing Cut Lube on the line will help the cutting blade last longer.

Step 3

It is very helpful to divide the rings into separate containers. Yes, we have a cat (actually, I think the cat has us!) and those are little cat food containers.

Play around with the rings. Lay them out in any manner you wish. The outer finished width of the rings used in the top bracelet is approximately ¾" or 19mm. The outer finished width of the rings used in the bottom bracelet is approximately ½" or 12.5mm. The larger bracelet link rings are made with the large and small side of the Wubbers Extra Large Round Mandrel Pliers. The smaller bracelet link rings are made using rings from the larger side of the Wubbers Large Round Mandrel Pliers and the larger side of the Wubbers Medium Round Mandrel Pliers.

Step 4

Close the jump rings for each of the links-see Step 11 for an additional optional ring used in the larger bracelet. Two flat nose pliers or a flat nose and chain nose pliers are usually used to close jump rings. However, it may be easier to use two inexpensive wide flat nose pliers to close the large jump rings used here. It is important that the cut ends of each jump ring are perfectly flush or the ring seams will not fuse or connect well with solder. Do not close the connecting rings at this point. Note: The larger bracelet uses 8 links and the smaller bracelet uses eleven links. The closure used may change the number of links needed or the size and shape of the connecting jump rings used.

Step 5

A torch head on a butane canister is used for all fusing/soldering in this tutorial. Argentium fuses beautifully but fusing does take practice. The rings seen here were spaced out on a Solderite board and fused.

It may be easier to solder the ring ends together. All solder used in this tutorial is silver paste solder. Because Argentium has a lower melting temperature than hard solder, medium solder should be used. If using sterling silver wire, hard solder can be used. Place a small amount of paste solder under the jump ring seam and heat until the solder flows.

Repeat the fusing/soldering process for all the bracelet link rings.

Step 6

Lightly flatten all the fused/soldered rings on a bench block. It does not matter if the hammer face is not smooth because each ring will be textured. The slight flattening helps keep the texturing hammer from sliding off the rounded top of the ring when texturing.

Step 7

The inner rings of each bracelet link are textured using the larger side of the Mini TruStrike Embossing Hammer.

Pro Tip: The bracelet may twist on the wrist and the underside will then be seen. It may be desirable to texture the back of the ring as well. Place a thin piece of plastic on the bench block, turn the ring over, and texture. The plastic will protect the original texture.

Step 8

Place a larger link ring on a bench block. Use the Mini TruStrike Sharp Designer Hammer to make random strike marks around the ring. If desired, texture the back of the ring. Hint: One side of my Mini TruStrike Sharp Designer Hammer is a bit narrower than the other side. Since I use that side most often, I marked it so I did not have to keep checking which side I wanted to use.

Step 9:

Embellishing the Rings

Embellish the rings with small silver balls. Ball 3/8" pieces of 18 gauge wire on a magnesia solder brick. Clean the back of each ball on 320 grit sandpaper on a bench block before using in this project.

Step 10:

Larger Bracelet

Work with all rings texture side facing up .

Place a small amount of medium paste solder in a flat section on each large ring of the larger bracelet. Place a ball made with 3/8" of 18 gauge round Argentium wire flat side down in the solder. Heat until the solder flows. Hint: Keep a solder pick handy to nudge a ball back into place as the force of the flame may push the bead off the wire. Add more balls in different sizes for added interest.

Step 11

Sometimes designs and ideas change during construction. There were a lot of rings made on the smaller side of the Wubbers Medium Round Mandrel Pliers still in the containers so it was decided to use them here. Place small dots of medium paste solder (use hard paste solder if using sterling silver rings) inside the smaller ring of the larger bracelet and on top of the ring one quarter the way around the ring away from the inner solder. Press the seam of the smaller ring into the paste solder and flush with the outer ring. Place a ball made with 3/8" of 18 gauge round Argentium wire flat side down in the solder on top of the ring.

Heat until the solder flows.

Step 12:

Smaller Bracelet

Work with all rings texture side facing up.
Place a small amount of medium paste solder (use hard paste solder if using sterling silver rings) inside the larger of the two rings used in the smaller bracelet. Push the smaller ring into the solder inside the larger ring. Links will connect at this point so the next bit of solder to join a ball made with 3/8" of 18 gauge round Argentium wire needs to leave room for that. The solder on every other link will be on the opposite side of where the two rings are joined. Press the ball flat side down in to solder.

Heat until the solder flows.

Step 13:

Connecting the Links

Decide how the links will be oriented and connected. If the jump rings are too small, the link edges will overlap. If this happens, the easy fix is to make the links oval after soldering. The benefit to this is that the ball embellishments will remain on one side of the connecting jump ring. In this tutorial, the larger rings were connected with jump rings made on the larger side of the Wubbers Large Round Mandrel Pliers. Jump rings made on the larger side of the Wubbers Medium Round Mandrel Pliers connect the links of the smaller bracelet. They were made oval after soldering. Note: The center rings in the larger bracelet in the following steps do not have the small ring added. That was a later design decision.

Step 14

Connect the large bracelet ring links with the desired jump ring. Here, jump rings made on the larger side of the Wubbers Large Mandrel Pliers were used. The connecting links can be fused or soldered. Shown is a third hand set up for fusing. If soldering, use easy solder. Continue to connect the links until the desired length is achieved.

You may decide you like the look of two connecting rings rather than one. Move the first ring out of the way before fusing or soldering the second ring.

Connect the smaller bracelet links using jump rings made on the larger side of the Wubbers Medium Round Mandrel Pliers. Because of how small the connecting link is, it should be soldered. Place a small amount of easy paste solder under the seam on a magnesia soldering brick and lean the assembly against a third hand as shown. Hint: The magnesia soldering brick has a rougher surface than a solderite board so the ring unit will not slip. Heat until the solder flows. Continue to connect the links until the desired length is achieved. Continue to connect the links until the desired length is achieved.

Step 15

If oval connecting rings are desired, use flat nose pliers to gently flatten the jump ring into an oval shape. Center the fused or soldered seam in the jaws of the pliers. That way, the seam will be hidden by a connecting jump ring in the finished chain. First squeeze one end slightly, turn the jump ring around and squeeze the other end. Repeat this process until an oval shape is achieved. This process puts a great deal of stress on the seam. Watch it closely and if it starts to open, re-fuse or resolder before continuing the process. Re-soldering can only be done if the opening is extremely small. The opening can be only as large as shown if re-fusing. It needs to be much smaller if heating to get the solder to reflow into the opening. Hint: Inexpensive wider flat nose pliers do not have a smooth inside surface like higher end pliers do. Because of this, they provide a bit of grip on the small jump rings making them easier to shape.

Step 16:

Extender Chain

Extender chain links for the large bracelet are made using jump rings made on the large side of the Wubbers Large Round Mandrel Pliers. Chain links for the smaller bracelet are made on the large side of the Wubbers Medium Round Mandrel Pliers. How many links needed is up to you.

The last link looks a little plain. To add a little interest to each extender chain end, ball ½" (12.5mm) of 18 gauge round Argentium wire and clean the back as in Step 9. Place a bit of medium paste solder inside and outside of the seam. Push the flat side of the ball into the solder until the ball is flush with the ring. Heat until the solder flows.

If one of the balls on a jump ring goes "wonky," just flatten it and solder on a small circle cut from sheet metal using a 1.8mm hole punch to each side.

Judy Larson's Making Chain with Wubbers and Wire - Extender Chain, Contemporary Wire Jewelry, Making Chain, Chain Making , Butane Torch, Soldering, Solder, making chain with wubbers and wire

Step 17

Solder on one jump ring at a time until there is one ring remaining. Attach the extender chain to one end of the bracelet with the remaining jump ring. Hint: After soldering, place the unit on a bench block. The block will quickly pull the heat from the chain so the next link can be added.

Step 18

Attach the clasp. A long time ago, I read somewhere that for safety a bracelet should have a link that would give way if for some reason the bracelet was pulled on very hard. Since then, when attaching a clasp, many times I will not solder the jump ring if it is of a heavy gauge hard temper. How you attach the clasp is totally up to you.

Use 320, 400, and then 600 grit sandpaper or sanding pads to clean and refine the solder joins where needed.

Pickle and rinse the bracelet. Tumble in shot, water and a drop of dish liquid for several hours.

Remove the bracelet from the tumbler and rinse. If the all the parts of each piece are still attached, the solder joins are likely permanent. If not, the old solder should be filed off and the pieces soldered together again.

Patina if desired. Removing patina from the high spots on the bracelet links may leave a matte finish. If a higher polish is desired, tumble for a nother 15 to 30 minutes. Remove and dry the bracelet.

Wear and enjoy!

A clasp can MAKE or BREAK a design. While each of the clasps attached to the bracelet links work, the round ones with the ball on the trigger work SO much better. A round toggle clasp embellished with balls would look fabulous as well.

Step 19:

Remaining Rings

There will probably be rings left. Keep designing! Some of the leftover rings made these earrings and a pendant as well as chain links not shown.

Reviews

Judy Larson

My philosophy has always been "I will never live long enough to learn everything I want to learn, go everywhere I want to go and see everything I want to see!" So, what I make and how I create it is always changing and evolving. I was born shortly after WWII to parents who grew up during the Depression. They always had a "we can do it, we can make it" attitude which rubbed off on my two younger brothers and me. My brothers are amazing and can make and do ANYTHING! When I was a little girl, my mother gave me an old carved cigar box, which I cherish, filled with pop beads, wooden beads and yarn for stringing. That was the beginning of my jewelry making journey.

On a visit to the Grand Canyon when I was a young woman, I was fortunate enough to help a Native American silversmith sand cast my first silver bracelet and bezel set a large turquoise nugget on top. I was in love, hook, line and sinker! While working full time and having a family here in northern Minnesota, my artistic endeavors slowed down but never stopped. I am an artist, scrapbooker, seamstress, woodworker and jewelry artisan. Now that I am retired, I am able to indulge in all my hobbies. However, there just never seems to be enough time in the day to do it all, but I try!

I have been teaching community education beginner and intermediate jewelry making classes since my retirement. Many of my students have been bitten so hard by the jewelry making bug that they say I have turned them into monsters-they just can't get enough. Making jewelry, seeing something take shape from small bits and pieces, is so rewarding that I hope it brings out the "monster" in you, too!