Wireworking https://youtube/watch?v=4s3LrFiEDcE The first time I used a headpin to make an earring, I started by watching a short instructional video on Youtube. I followed the instructions and it went exactly as it should have. Little did I know what I had experienced was beginners luck. Since then, I have mangled a lot of headpins and created few earrings. Now, a customer who bought one of my necklaces at Kirks Hydro wants matching earrings, so Ive had to revisit the techniques. This time, I watched a *long* video on Youtube and was so happy I did because it covered a ton of extra information, as well as showing how to correct some common mistakes. For instance, the teacher mentioned there is a nerve cluster in the palm of the hand that gets tired if your tool handles end right at that point (which most do.) When trying to cut off an 1/8 bit of extraneous wire, I pressed extra hard and put lots of pressure right on that point and, as I was rolling around on the bed clutching my wrist and wondering if my fingers would ever work again, I thought I am going to get the more expensive flush cutters with the long, ergonomic handles that the teacher showed me. The teacher also made French-style earwires from scratch in less than five minutes. Ive bought them, so far, but they are expensive and it would be great to be able to make my own. Ah, I thought as she began. Here come the jigs. I wonder how many shell use. She used one: a large sharpie pen which had the right diameter for the top bend. I am going to try that tomorrow though I know watching her work is much like watching an expert ice skater -- it may look easy and fast but thats because an expert has practiced so much its second nature to them. Not so much so to a beginner. I only learned recently that surgical steel is out-of-style for earwires because it contains trace amounts of nickel and thats the most common metal allergy. Go figure. TierraCast now offers earwires made with something called Niobrium which is supposedly rare enough no one has had a chance to develop allergies to it. Its black but thats OK. What doesnt go with black? If I fail at making my own earwires, Ill continue to use theirs.
Posted on: Fri, 10 Oct 2014 02:06:30 +0000
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