Woven Wire Arrowhead Pendant

Take the piece of 14-gauge wire and bend it in half using either round nose or the smallest step on the 6-step pliers. The bend does not have to be in the exact middle but try to get it as close to the middle as you can.

Use flat- or chain-nose pliers to squeeze the bend together.

Next, open up the bend made in the 14-gauge wire into a V shape. The point of the V may need pliers to help open it, and to help keep the point of the V straight.

Measure 2 inches from the tip of the point on the wire and make a mark using the fine tip marker. (optional) This will help the piece be more symmetrical going in the next step.

Place the 3rd biggest step of the 6-step bail (the 5mm step on the pliers or use a mandrel) making pliers right above the 2 inch mark, and bend the wire around it towards the point of the V.

Repeat on the other side of the V, the pendent should look similar to the picture.

Put the bail making pliers so the 5mm step is in the bend already made on one side of the V. Bend the end of the wire up and around the 7mm step of the bail making pliers, this can be a little tricky to get the pliers at the right angle to do this.
The 5mm bend has to be sitting right next to the next step up on that side of the pliers and the wire gets bent up on the very top of the 7mm step.

Repeat on the other side of the V. Bring the wires going up, away from the V, together - just touching.

Put the pendant on an anvil (bench block or any hard steel surface) and use a hammer to flatten the wire. Only flatten the arrowhead shape up to where the wires meet at the top, do not flatten past where the wires meet. Hammer one side lightly to get it to start flattening, then flip the shape over and hammer that side lightly. Once flattened, lightly tap any part that is bending (if bending up, turn over and tap where the bend is).

Take the 26-gauge round wire and wrap it 3 times around one of the wires going away from the point, right after the bends. Bend the two wires into a V shape for your bail. Do not make the V too dramatic, a gentle V works.

Take the weaving wire between the two wires going away from the point and wrap around the other wire twice. Repeat by going back between the two wires and wrapping around the 1st wire twice. Each time the wire switches from one wire to the other it goes between the wires, and thus switching sides (side towards you and the side away from you on the bail wires) on the wires.

Repeat this weave til the bail is as wide as desired, about a ¼ inch wide in my case. If the woven part of the bail is less then 1 inch long, bend the bail wires parallel to each other so the bail does not get any wider. Continue weaving.

Once the bail weave is about 1 ½ inches long, bend the large wires back together, taking about ¼ of an inch to meet back up. Make sure to bend the wires parallel again once they come together.

Continue the weave to where the two bail wires meet up. Wrap weaving wire around one of the bail wires 3 times to end. Cut with wire cutters and smooth the end. Cut of the beginning tail end of the wire from where the weave began and smooth with pliers.

Using the bail making pliers, bend the bail slightly to what is going to be the front of the pendant. Then bend the bail around the biggest step (9mm) of the bail making pliers around to the back side of the pendant. Bend until the end of the weave is reached. Bending to the front side of the pendant first helps keep the bail centered above the pendant so the pendant hangs nicer and the bail is not behind the pendant.

Put the pliers aside and finish bending the bail till it touches the pendant. This will decrease the size of the bail a little bit. The wires which made the bail should be sticking straight down towards the point of the arrowhead.

Bring the wires from the bail thru the arrowhead to the front and wrap around right under the bail. Cut the wires off close to where they meet themselves on the back of the pendant.

Using chain-nose pliers, tuck the cut ends of the wire right next to the wire on that side on the back of the pendant. Check for rough edges. If any rough edges try smoothing with pliers or tucking the ends in better, if need be, take a file to the ends of the wire.

Using round-nose pliers, start a loose spiral on one end of the 18-gauge wire. Slip the barrel bead on the straight end of the wire and then spiral the straight end of the wire in the opposite direction of the first spiral put in the wire.

Adjust the spirals on each side of the bead til the wire will fit into one side of the arrowhead. The spiral going on the bottom of the arrowhead will be smaller then the spiral at the top. Take your time to make sure the wire with the bead on it touches the arrowhead frame in 4 places.

Cut off a piece of 26-gauge wire about 3-4 inches long, wrap around the arrowhead frame where one of the sides of the wire with the bead on it touches twice.
Wrap the 26-gauge wire around the arrowhead frame and the wire that touches it 3 times. Then wrap the 26-gauge wire around just the frame twice, trim off the 26-gauge wire (both at the beginning of the wrapping and end) smooth down with pliers.
Repeat at different point so two points are secure, I recommend a top point and a bottom point to secure first.

Repeat securing the sides of the wire with the bead on it till all 4 points touching the arrowhead frame are secured.

Take the rest of the 26-gauge wire and wrap one end around the spiral closest to the top of the arrowhead 3 times.
Make sure the long portion of your wire is coming around to the front of the pendant toward the empty space in the top of the arrowhead (refer to the picture for how the wire is meant to be wrapped)

Put a 2mm bead on the weaving wire. Take the weaving wire to the arrowhead frame about ½ inch or a little more from where it is wrapped around the spiral.
Take the wire over the top of the frame and come up with the end of the wire in the space between where the wire goes around the spiral and where it goes around the frame. Pull the weaving wire away from the space it came up thru.
Repeat, going all the way around the empty space, putting a bead on the weaving wire then taking the weaving wire over the top of the arrowhead frame and bringing it up thru the space just created.

Once the first round of the webbing is done, push the bead on the first space done to one side (I push it to the opposite side then I am going to be coming up thru) and start the 2nd row by taking the weaving wire thru the middle of the first web wire done, after adding the bead to the weaving wire.
I find it easiest to slip the end of my weaving wire under the wire I am attaching it to and come up between where my wire is coming from and the rest of my weaving wire and pulling it from there.
Note this is the same technique used to make dream catchers.

Keep going around with this web like weave til there is no room left to go anymore. If you skip a few center wires while doing this it is fine, there has to be room for the beads to sit. Remember to push all beads to the same side when doing this weave for a more consistent look.

Once the weave is done take your weaving wire to the arrowhead frame by taking it along the wires of the web and wrapping it around all the intersections along the way to the frame. Take it along the wire segments which do not have beads on them. Wrap the weaving wire around the frame 3 times. Cut off on the back side and crimp down with pliers.