7
Ready to try sterling? If copper is
easy going, sterling silver is tem-
peramental. So, you’ll have to work a
little harder to get an even twist. But
silver’s beauty and wearability are
worth it. The steps are basically the
same as for copper, but you will be
annealing a couple extra times.
As described for Photos 1-3, bend
20-gauge round sterling silver wire
into equal legs and twist tightly.
Anneal it along with the 8-gauge
round wire, being careful not to melt
it. Place ends in the vise and the drill
chuck and twist about 10 rotations
only. The wire will feel stiff. So, anneal
again, then twist another 10 to 12
rotations, aiming for a nice, ropy look.
Then follow the instructions with
Photo 5 to complete the cuff.
Tip: If you are getting uneven
results with sterling silver, anneal
sections of your wire that need more
twisting. Then reverse your wire-
twisting setup: the end that was in
the chuck the first time should now
be clamped into the vise; the end
that was originally in the vise should
be straightened and inserted into
the chuck. You’ll still be twisting the
wire to the right.WIRE AND TUBING
For this project, you will be working
with copper tubing from a hardware
store, not a jewelry supplier. It
has a fairly thick wall. If you want
to use sterling silver tubing later,
select thin-walled tubing for best
results. So, put on your respirator,
then position a fan in an open win-
dow to exhaust the fumes or turn on
your ventilation system. The reason
for these precautions is because
it is hard to tell what chemicals
were used when the tubing was
manufactured.
When you are set, place 1 foot of
copper tubing and 1 foot of solid
copper wire on the Solderite board.
Be sure to trim tubing with a jeweler’s
saw. Anneal with a torch fi tted with
a #1 or #2 tip or a butane torch. Youwant the surface of the copper to
turn peacock colors as the fl ame
heats it up. When done, use copper
tongs to pick up your metal and drop
it into your bucket of water.8
Now that it’s softened, bend one
end of the copper wire and slip it
inside the tubing.
Note: Hot tubing can emit a blast
of steam when placed in the quench.
Keep the end of the tube facing
away from you and your hands.9
Use some muscle to tighten the
tubing in the vise. Put the other
ends into the drill chuck and tighten
as hard as you can. You may have
to trim the tubing with a saw to get
them even. If the copper tubing
twists out of the chuck or the vise,
retighten both ends and try again.
You’re working with a lot more
metal.10
Get a good grip on your drill.
It should turn slowly and have
plenty of torque. Twist the metal
slowly and you will see the wire wrap
around the tubing. It will look very
strange — like a wet noodle being
twisted unevenly. Stop turning the
wire when the tubing begins to
fl atten out in spots. Anneal again,carefully going over every inch of
the metal. You should again see
silvery and peacock blue heat colors
fl ash along the surface. Quench and
pat dry.11
Mount the project back in
your vise and drill chuck, and
continue twisting in very short
bursts, pulling a little on the drill.
If you have annealed evenly, the
twists will be fairly uniform. Remove,
trim ends with a jeweler’s saw, and
anneal one more time to prepare for
shaping. Quench carefully, because
the tubing is still hollow. One foot of
tubing and wire yields a sturdy piece
of copper 9" inches long.12
Thin cuff s are somewhat
fl exible, and unlike a ring, are
easy to size. For a woman’s medium
cuff , I use 6" lengths of metal, leav-
ing a 1" gap for a fairly tight fi t. The
cuff is gently eased over the two
bones above the wrist. If too tight,
simply stretch the cuff open a little
more with your fi ngers. Or use a
longer length of your twisted wire.
However, the copper cuff , made of
thick-walled tubing, is much stiff er.
So, I use a cloth tape measure to size
a friend’s wrist. The thickness of his
bones above the wrist is about 1.25".try sterling? If copper is
sterling silver is tem-
you’ll have to work a
an even twist. But
wearability are
ebasically the
tyou will be
times.- 3, bend
er wire
y.
e
elt
ll
t the surface of the copper to
eacock colors as the fl ame
up. When done, use copper
pick up your metal and drop
bucket of water.it’s softened, bend one
copper wire and slip itcan emit a blast
ed in the quench.
ube facing
r hands.ghtencarefully goinggover evev ry inch of
the metal. You should again see
silvery and peacock blue heat colors
fl asasassshhalong the surface. Quench and
pat dry.Mount the project back in
your vise and drill chuc
continue twisting inve
bursts, pulling ali
If you have a
twists
triWire and
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