As you work with wire (and this applies to any type of wire, regardless of its original hardness) it will gradually become harder. The term work hardening is exactly as it sounds. And that brings us to some additional terms that we need to define. But the beauty of the work hardening process is that you can turn almost any dead soft wire into half-hard wire with a little effort and no special tools. That’s why your weaving wire will sometimes break unexpectedly in the middle of a weave. If you are constrained by space, as I am, or if you’re just starting to build up your wire stock, I recommend buying dead soft wires first.Īs with half-hard wire, a dead soft wire will work harden as you use it. Dead soft wire is the easiest type of wire to work with, so it’s what I recommend for beginners. Dead Soft Jewelry Wireĭead soft wire is the most malleable of the three wire tempers available on the market, and this is my favorite hardness. For the rare exceptions where I do use half-hard wire in my tutorials, I also share tips for work hardening dead-soft wire so it can be substituted for half-hard. For the most part, dead-soft wire works well for my tutorials. I’ve found that dead-soft wire works for about 90% of my needs, so (with the exception of a couple of wire gauges) I no longer maintain stock of both half-hard and dead soft wires in every wire gauge. But because all wire will naturally increase in hardness as you work with it, you don’t necessarily need to maintain stock of both half-hard and dead-soft wires. It also works well for making sturdy frames that you can layer with other wirework elements. I use half-hard wire mainly for jewelry findings like clasps and ear wires. But it can be more challenging to work with - particularly for beginners. Half-hard wire works well for structural elements of wire woven jewelry. For now, you’ll want to stick with half-hard and dead-soft wire. As a wirework beginner, though, you probably won’t encounter these materials frequently. And that’s because of the manufacturing processes used to make those materials. You’ll also find that certain decorative materials like gallery wire and metal tubing have a hardness rating of hard. Generally, you don’t want to purchase hard wire for wire weaving unless you have a very specific structure in mind that requires a high degree of strength and shape retention. One example of hard wire that you’ve likely encountered along your jewelry making journey is memory wire. It’s difficult to form, but it will also retain its shape well once it is formed. Hard jewelry wire is very stiff and springy. So, let’s talk about the most common terms that you’re likely to run across. There’s a lot of lingo that relates to hardness. When you’re shopping for wire, you’ll find that you can purchase wire in three different levels of hardness: hard, half-hard, and dead soft. But in most cases, hardness is correct term. You’ll often hear the terms ‘temper’ and ‘hardness used interchangeably in reference to jewelry wire. Plated, Enameled, Anodized, or Coated Craft Wires.To learn more, please see my full disclaimer. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. If you click on a link and then make a purchase, I may earn a small commission (at no cost to you). So, by the time you’ve read through this whole post, you’ll have a solid understanding of exactly what kind of wire you should look for as you begin your wirework journey. I’ll discuss their pros and cons along with when (and when not) to use them. Then we’ll take a closer look at each of three categories of wire that I mentioned above. So, for now, we’re just going to focus on the three main wire categories that I named above.įirst, let’s define some of the terms you’re going to run across as you begin shopping for jewelry wire. And neither of those two types of wire are suitable for wire weaving. Two other types of common jewelry wire are beading wire and memory wire. I tend to rank jewelry wire in three different categories: So, it helps to narrow all those overwhelming choices down to a few simple categories. And then some! There are so many specialty wires on the market today that it’s easy to become overwhelmed. I’ve been there, and I’ve made all the mistakes. Especially if you’re new to wire weaving. Choosing the right jewelry wire for a specific project can be confusing.
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