Tutorial - Oxalis Links

Hello everyone!

Today I thought I'd post a quick little tutorial on how I make my Oxalis links. It's a pretty straightforward method that you can use with lots of types of beads and results in a cute little component that can stand alone as a pendant or earrings or link together for a bracelet.

So what does 'oxalis' mean? The word refers to a group of plants sometimes called wood sorrels that I find very charming for their resemblance to clovers.

I have this thing for clovers. Especially four leaf clovers. Over the years I have found hundreds. I have a knack for spotting them, and have learned that where there is one four-leaf, there's a good chance that there are more close by on the same individual clover plant. I've found whole bouquets of 4-leafs in a single day (I had a job that kept me outside a lot).

I have who knows how many pressed between the pages of various notebooks, but I did attempt to mount some for display. I made three 'posters' of them by attaching them to black cardstock with puzzle saver glue.

I've found my share of 5 leafs, too, and the leafiest clover I ever found had eight leaves.

EIGHT!

Well, to get to my point, there's a variety of Oxalis called "Iron Cross", and while not a true clover, it sure as hell looks like giant four-leaf clovers! It was this specific plant that inspired my design. There is another neat variety of Oxalis I used to grow called Triangularis that is really neat, too; perhaps someday I'll modify this design as a nod to that plant :)

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Note: this tutorial is protected by an International Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike licence. This means that you are free to post this wherever you like as long as you give proper Attribution (that is, to me, Jet Kosanke, and my website, malfaitluciu.blogspot.com), it may not be used commercially (you're not allowed to make money off it, that is, sell this tutorial to other people for money), and you're free to make changes to it as long as you also share it under these same restrictions (that is, you still give Attribution to me, you don't sell it, and you allow it to be shared freely.) For more information, click the Creative Commons link at the end of the tutorial.

By the way- NonCommercial doesn't mean you can't sell works you make using this tutorial. If you make a necklace, bracelet, or whatever using this tutorial, feel free to sell it- however, you may not mass-produce it, and the Attribution part still applies, that is, you still have to attribute the design to me.

If you're unsure if what you want to do is allowed, just ask me! I'm really pretty laid back about things like this :) I'd rather share my knowledge and discoveries for free so others can learn than charge money for my tutorials. With all that said, on to the good stuff! :)

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Click on any image to view a larger version.

This tutorial uses 8mm beads and 26 gauge dead soft wire. However, you can adapt this tutorial to work with just about any size bead and any gauge wire. You will need one scrap piece of 20 gauge wire a couple inches long (4 inches or longer is best)

Step 1

First, cut four pieces of 26 gauge wire, each 11 inches long.

Step 2

Start coiling your 26 gauge wire around your scrap piece of 20 gauge wire, leaving a little tail for leverage when coiling.

Step 3

Keep coiling until your coil is one inch long. Do this with all four pieces of 26 gauge wire.

Step 4

Slide your coil off the piece of 20 gauge wire and snip off the ends of the coil with your cutters so you're left with smooth coiled ends.

Step 5

After you're done, you should have four cute little one-inch long coils like this one.

Step 6

Cut a piece of 26 gauge wire 8 inches long and string four of your beads on it (don't these look like peas? haha)

Step 7

Pass one end of the wire back through the first bead and pull it through, forming a loop, and pull tight so the beads snug up against each other. Leave a bit of a tail at the other end of the wire.

Step 8

Take one of the coils you made earlier and string it onto the long end of the wire.

Step 9

Pass the wire you strung the coil onto back through the same bead and pull all the way through so the coil loops over the bead.

Step 10

I didn't take a photo of this (oops), but the next step is to thread the wire you just pulled through the bead through the next bead in the loop. So in the photo above, the next step would be to thread the wire through the bead on the right, to set it up for the next coil to be added.

Step 11

Continue stringing on your coils and passing the wire though the beads until each bead has it's own 'leaf'. At the end, you'll end up with two wires sticking out next to each other. At this point, you want to wrap each wire end around the little 'bridge' of wire between the two beads the wire ends are coming out of a couple of times, then snip off the excess. You'll end up with something like what's shown below:

And with that, you're done! You can shape the 'leaves' a bit with your fingers a bit to get them into a pleasant looking form. From here you can add a jump ring and string it on a chain, or make another to form earrings, or do whatever you like!

If you create something using this tutorial, I'd love to see it! Email me photos of your work (with a link to your blog if you have one) to malfaitluciu@gmail.com - I'd like to create a gallery page on my blog featuring your creations made using this tutorial (or any of my tutorials) with a link back to your blog, too :) Don't be shy, let me show off your work! :)



Oxalis Links Tutorial by Jet Kosanke is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License

Hope you enjoyed this tutorial! Today I'll leave you with my mom's cat Vinnie, sleeping in what is apparently a very comfortable configuration.

'Til Next Time!

Tool Review: Convex-Flat Nose Pliers

Hello everyone!

Today I'd like to talk a little about tools. Well, perhaps not tools *plural*, but A tool. And perhaps not talk- more like gush enthusiastically.

Most jewelry artisans, and wireworkers in particular, have the traditional complement of jewelry-making tools, and of those tools, the many different varieties of pliers take center stage. There are the essentials- the general-purpose chain-nose and the loop-creating round-nose pliers perhaps getting the most use of all, and the nylon-jaw pliers that are indispensable for straightening out kinks and bends in our wire. While perhaps not true pliers, our flush-cutting wire snips are most certainly not optional no matter what you're creating. Still useful, but slightly more specialized are our flat-nosed pliers that are perfect for flattening uniform coils and pressing wire ends flush so they don't stick out and scratch or snag, but also ideal for making sharp, precise bends in wire. Some of us may even have a pair of bent chain-nose pliers, a useful general purpose tool that is particularly handy paired with regular chain-nose pliers for opening and closing jump rings smoothly and easily. Here and there you may find an artisan with a pair or two of bail-making pliers in different sizes (I personally find them to be not much more than a waste of money, but to each his/her own.)

We all know and love these familiar pliers, so I'm not going to spend any more time talking about them. This post is about a specialty type of pliers that (if you're anything like I was) you don't even know you need! These are the pliers I'm speaking of:

...Convex-Flat Nose Pliers!

You're thinking "These just look like the flat-nose pliers I already have." But take a closer look at the tips of these and you'll see what makes them very unique.

Check that out- one side of the pliers is straight and flat, just like your flat-nose pliers. The other side though is what makes these special- instead of being flat, it sports a wide, curved surface down its length.

Now perhaps you've seen these before and they're nothing new to you, but if you're anything like I was the first time I saw a pair, right now you're ooh-ing and ahh-ing and wondering where you can get your own pair (and I'm happy to tell you that you can get a nice sturdy pair for less than $9 on Amazon.)

These are something of a specialty tool- I don't use them as often as my chain-nose, round-nose, and flat-nose pliers- but when the situation arises that I do need them (usually about once per project, although occasionally there'll be a project I'll do where I'll use them extensively), they are well worth the modest price (my sweet husband got me my pair and I'm very grateful because they have become such an essential tool in my little apple box!)

Convex-Flat nose pliers allow for making beautiful, graceful curves in wire. While your round-noses make for great little curls and coils, convex-flats allow you to not only make larger diameter curves, but also smooth out any unsightly but minor kinks in a curve easily and quickly as well.

Convex-flats have a bit of a learning curve when you first get your hands on them. They take a tiny bit of practice before you get a feel for them and realize their full potential. But, they quickly prove themselves to be a valuable addition to your toolbox. They do their best work when you use them in small increments along the length of the wire you're trying to curve. Using them to make small incremental bends along the wire gives you incredible control over the shape of the curve you want to make. 

The convex side of the pliers goes on the inside of the curve you're making, and the flat side goes on the outside of the curve of wire. When using them this way, you'll notice that the wire makes contact with most of the convex side of the pliers but only touches the flat side of the pliers at one point. The bend in the wire in each increment occurs at the outside edge of the curved side of the jaws. It's this configuration that allows for making such a wide variety of shapes and curves, and this is the pliers' main and most obvious use.

However, to get the most out of your convex-flats, you'll want to experiment with working with them positioned the other way around, with the flat side on the inside curve of the wire and the convex side on the outside curve of the wire. This configuration allows for straightening out curves or kinks in your wire; and just like when you're using the pliers to put a curve in some wire, you can use them in small incremental motions down your already curved wire to straighten out a bend that bends too far or a minor kink in the wire you might come across. 

I hear you. "Hey, Jet!" you're saying. "I have flat-nose and nylon-jaw pliers for straightening kinks and curves!" And you're right! Those two tools are great for those purposes. But just think of the wire-straightening ability of the convex-flats as a kind of bonus. There you are, working with your convex-flats and making a curve, and damn! you bent your wire a little too far and now you've gotta straighten it out a bit. Not to worry! You've already got a tool that can fix your little error in your hands! No need to put the pliers down and grab a different pair; you just flip them over confidently like the skilled artisan you are and you take care of that little boo-boo in the blink of an eye. Then, you just flip them back over again and continue working on your curve.

Convex-flat nose pliers are not one of the immediate essentials when first starting out with wireworking. You can make damn near whatever you want with a pair of chain-nose, a pair of round-nose, a pair of flat-nose (and I'd argue even flat-noses aren't immediately essential, although they should eventually end up in every wire artisan's toolbox), a pair of nylon-jaws, and a good quality flush cutter in your collection. But I'd recommend to all wire artisans who work with their wire with any sort of regularity to consider investing in a pair of convex-flats and taking an hour or so with some scrap wire to just play with them and discover all that they can do for your work. They've become one of my most favorite tools; they improve the quality of my work while simultaneously making the work of creating large graceful curves and very round shapes without a mandrel faster and easier. All of that benefit for under nine bucks? I say that's money well spent. :)

And with that, I'll end today, but not without leaving you a bit of kitty-love; this time, my mom's silly cat Vinnie, lounging comfortably in the bathroom sink as though it's a perfectly normal place to curl up and relax :)

'Til Next Time!

Free Mini Tutorial - Wire Clasp Hook

Hello there!

Today while working on the anklet from this post, I came to the point when it was time to make the clasp. I decided on a simple hook and eye clasp. Because I really tend to mostly only make earrings, I really don't have much practice making clasps.

This became apparent in my first two attempts at making one:

The one on the left has an unsightly seam where the two ends of the wire meet at the wrapped part, and the one on the right, while heading in the right direction, has a badly misshapen loop and the wrap didn't catch the second wire end.

Since this piece is a commissioned piece (and for a dear friend, at that), these ugly clasps just would not do. So, I worked at it, trying different ideas, until I came upon what I think is a pretty successful design.

To save others from all the trial and error I went through coming up with a nice looking hook for a clasp, I documented the making of one so I can share it with all of you! (My apologies for some of the low photo quality - I don't have the best light in here, but I think the photos still illustrate the ideas I'm trying to put across).

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Note: this tutorial is protected by an International Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike licence. This means that you are free to post this wherever you like as long as you give proper Attribution (that is, to me, Jet Kosanke, and my website, malfaitluciu.blogspot.com), it may not be used commercially (you're not allowed to make money off it, that is, sell this tutorial to other people for money), and you're free to make changes to it as long as you also share it under these same restrictions (that is, you still give Attribution to me, you don't sell it, and you allow it to be shared freely.) For more information, click the Creative Commons link at the end of the tutorial.

By the way- NonCommercial doesn't mean you can't sell works you make using this tutorial. If you make a necklace, bracelet, or whatever using this tutorial, feel free to sell it- however, you may not mass-produce it, and the Attribution part still applies, that is, you still have to attribute the design to me.

If you're unsure if what you want to do is allowed, just ask me! I'm really pretty laid back about things like this :) I'd rather share my knowledge and discoveries for free so others can learn than charge money for my tutorials. With all that said, on to the good stuff! :)

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Click on any image to view a larger version.

This mini tutorial uses 20 gauge dead soft wire.

Step 1

First, decide how long you want your hook to be. Take that measurement (in inches), multiply it by 4, and then add 2 inches - this will be the length of 20 gauge wire you'll need to cut. For example: I wanted my hook to be an inch long, so 1 inch x 4 = 4 inches, 4 inches + 2 inches = 6 inches total.

Step 2

Next, fold your wire roughly in half - it doesn't need to be perfectly exactly half. You want to use your pliers to squeeze the wire at the bent point together as tightly and closely as you can - flat nose pliers work very well for this. Don't rush this step; squeeze the wire firmly but slowly, otherwise the wire will just flip flat in your pliers and you'll risk leaving ugly tool marks on the wire.

Step 3

Starting from the fold made in step 2, measure the wire to twice the length you want your hook to be (I wanted a 1 inch hook in this tutorial so I measured two inches from the fold). At that point you measured to, bend just one of the two ends of the wire out to the side at a 90 degree angle.

Step 4

Next, snip off the other end of the wire at the point where you bent the wire in the previous step.

Step 5

Using your round nose pliers, make a loop in the wire left sticking out at a 90 degree angle, leaving the 'tail' sticking out more or less straight out to the side.

Step 6

Grab a short piece of scrap wire (masking or painter's tape will also work, but I prefer to use scrap wire) and use it to bind the two straight parts of the wire tightly together - you want them to be bound tightly next to each other but not overlapping or twisting on top of each other. Bind them about a quarter to a half an inch below the loop.

Step 7

Now, using your round nose pliers to maintain the shape of the loop, slowly and gently bend the tail of the wire around the two pieces of wire you bound together in the last step. TAKE YOUR TIME HERE. Use your chain nose pliers to gently coax the tail around the wires if you can't do it with your fingers. Don't try to bend it in one fluid motion - make many small, gradual bends in order to ensure your wrap will be sufficiently tight around the base wires.

Step 8

After making half a wrap, use either your chain nose or flat nose pliers (I prefer my flat nose pliers for this) to SLOWLY, GENTLY, FIRMLY press the wrap you've made so far securely around the base wires.

Step 9

Repeat steps 7 and 8 for two or three more wraps; always with your round nose pliers inside the loop while coaxing the tail wire around the base wires, then using flat or chain nose pliers to firmly but carefully press each wrap snug against the core wires. I CANNOT STRESS enough how important it is to take your time and work in small controlled increments while making your wraps. Because we are working with 20 gauge wire, rushing this part will nearly always leave you with unsightly tool marks and uneven wraps. Just relax, focus, and breathe- appreciate the process instead of rushing for the finish line and you'll do great! :)

Step 10

After two or three wraps (I decided on two for this one), snip off the excess 20 gauge wire and use either your chain nose or flat nose pliers to gently but firmly press the cut end down against the rest of the wires so it doesn't stick out and scratch skin or catch on clothing (you can use a small metal file here if you like). Remove the temporary binding wire.

Step 11

Now comes the fun part :) Break out your steel block and your chasing hammer and hammer evenly down the entire length of the wire. You're not aiming to make it very flat; instead you're just trying to work-harden the wire to strengthen it because clasps of course need to be strong and hold their shape. Try to hammer as evenly as possible- hammering will distort the shape of the wire somewhat, but we want this wire to stay as straight as possible. You don't need to bang the hell out of it, either; just firm, even strikes.

Step 12

At the very tip of the wires where we made the sharp fold at the beginning, use the tips of your round nose pliers to make a little upward curl.

Step 13

Now it's time to make the main bend in the hook. I used a jump ring mandrel here, but if you don't have one of those, it's easy to improvise with a pen or pencil or other thin round object you have lying around the house. Bend the hook so that the tip of the hook just meets the wrapped wires at the loop.

And that's it! You now have a simple, classic hook-style clasp. This design can of course be modified in many ways; you can make it shorter, make the curve in the hook bigger, whatever you come up with.

If you create something using this tutorial, I'd love to see it! Email me photos of your work (with a link to your blog if you have one) to malfaitluciu@gmail.com - I'd like to create a gallery page on my blog featuring your creations made using this tutorial (or any of my tutorials) with a link back to your blog, too :) Don't be shy, let me show off your work! :)

Wire Clasp Hook Tutorial by Jet Kosanke is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License

I hope this mini tutorial ends up being helpful for someone! For now I'll leave you with sweet Neo, all sprawled out on my butt :D 'Til next time!

A Peek at my Methods

Hello there!

I thought today I'd write a little post about some of the things I use to do what I do. Not the regular stuff - everyone knows what pliers look like - but instead, the things that I pull out and set up in front of me every time I sit down to work with some beads and wire.

First is my sweet little apple box! It's actually a sewing box, and I found it for a great price at a discount store- I wasn't looking for it; it found me! I saw those cute little apples and knew it had to be mine. I am a sucker for cute fruit prints- the only way it could be better is if it were a citrus pattern instead :D At one point it actually had a handle on the top made of thick wire threaded with big apple green colored plastic beads, but sadly, the handle broke off with repeated use. I did salvage the beads though (of course!)

This little box is exactly the right size to hold all of my many pliers- I think I've got eight different pairs of pliers in there! Another thing that lives in my cute apple box is...

My cute little tape measure. It was a freebie in an order from Fusion Beads, and really it's just a cheap little measure but I prefer it over my 'real' sewing tape measure because it's retractable and compact. And the price was right! :D

No wire wrapping session can start without wire- and currently all of mine lives in this cute kitty cat trick-or-treat bag that my mom gave me last Halloween. 

She knows Halloween is my favorite holiday (I even got married on Halloween!) and of course I adore cats so she got it for me as a surprise. I just love his purple ears!

Now that the tools and the wire are out, it's time to pull out the container of scrap wire.

It's just an old fast food container (washed of course) that my Grams gave me when she realized I created a lot of bits of short wire when I worked. I use this little container and the wire in it all the time! Before I cut any wire from a spool, I dig through my scraps to see if I already have something that will serve my current purpose in there- and many times, I do! This is also where I get my 'temporary' wire from - some wireworkers use masking tape to hold wires in place as they work, but I never liked doing that; instead, I grab a short scrap of wire and use it to temporarily bind together wires I'm working on.

The bead box comes out next. What's wirework without beads? Now, keep in mind, this is just a small selection of the beads I own. I have at least five more of these boxes filled up, plus various plastic bags and cardboard boxes and assorted little containers.... actually I don't really know how many beads I have. I don't even know WHICH beads I have! :D This is a good thing though, because now and then I'll come across a box with beads in it that I forgot I had and it's like getting brand new beads!

The next item I gather is my sketch journal. It's a beautiful peacock book with metallic gold detail and a magnetic closure I found on Amazon. It seems that this particular book is no longer available on Amazon, but there are many more books with different, just as gorgeous designs by Punch Studios available. (They make beautiful nesting boxes too- I want ALL of them!)

I initially intended for this book to be my 'Happy Book' - my aim was to write down only good things that happened each day. Eventually though it morphed into my sketchbook; although I still write journal entries in it on an occasional whim.

Even the pages of it are beautiful- here's an example of some of my notes about one design I worked on awhile back:

When I'm not taking notes and measurements, I use it as a daily sketch journal- my aim is to fill one page a day with doodles and sketches, no matter how 'bad' or 'weird' - many of my favorite pieces started as ugly little scribbles in this book!

When working with wire, it is inevitable that eventually you're going to need to form a smooth curve or circular shape. There are mandrel pliers out there that can help with this, but why waste the money? I bet you're surrounded by mandrels of all different sizes if you just look around for a moment...

Here's a selection of my mandrels (I also have a real actual ring mandrel, but I really only use it to size rings, go figure). From left to right- a battery for my electronic cigarette, an actual mandrel made specifically for making jump rings (I use it often, but surprisingly enough, never for making jump rings), two slightly different sized tubes of seed beads, a mechanical pencil, a fine point Sharpie marker, a Revlon lip stain marker, and a wine cork. All have come in handy at one point or another.



Lastly, perhaps you have noticed the tan and white chevron design background in most of my photos (and in all of my shop photos). It's just a sheet of scrapbooking paper I picked up at Michaels.

It has gotten a lot of use (abuse may be the correct term) - it is full of creases and curls and ragged edges and small tears.

But, for whatever reason, this well-used piece of paper still looks great in product photos! It looks awful in person but in photos its flaws just aren't as apparent as long as I don't deliberately call attention to them :D

I actually bought a number of sheets of scrapbooking paper when I first opened my shop; some light...

...and some dark.

Ultimately after testing and holding the papers this way and that, placing different items on them, just plain staring at them, I decided the dark papers were too serious looking and I liked the tan and white chevron paper the best - it's clean and casual and friendly looking, I think. And it has served me well!

Hope you enjoyed this little look into my 'process' :) Today I'll leave you with my sweet monster Neo, all snuggled up under the covers :) 'Til next time!