An Alternative Way to Use Your Pliers

It's a natural tendency, when holding pliers, to use it as a bending tool. When we use pliers outside of jewelry making, we do use them to increase the strength and torque of our hand. And we turn or twist the pliers to do the job.

But in jewelry making, it's sometimes better to hold your pliers completely still and use the jaws more as a mandrel. Let your fingers do the manipulating of the wire. It takes a little getting used to, to not turn the pliers themselves. Here are some photos of a perfect demonstration of this while starting a wire wrapped loop. You'll see that not once do you move the pliers.