Jewelry Beading Wire, Wire Curling Tools, Gizmo

My own take on the cover art of Winter, 2010 Jewelry Book/Zine. I used half round wire, a page from an old Bible, backed it with grunger paper for stability and added curled wire and Sepia Glossy Accents resin.

Beadalon Stringing Wires are so easy to use when making bracelets, necklaces, eyeglass leashes and so on. They are easy to use and no needle is required. You do need crimp beads and a crimping tool. We no longer carry the beading wire, but we still have the crimp beads and bead crimper tool. We also have the wire guards new as of Sept. 09- those are on the jewelry making-findings page.

Wire coiling and wire curling tools make life so much easier. We have the wire curler tool in several sizes. Wire jigs, wire curler and wire worker tool all can add a unique touch to your art project.

Use wire in rubber stamping, scrapbooking, polymer clay, doll making, jewelry making, altered books, ATC's, book making and more.

See bottom of page for a little info on the different types of wire.

Beadalon German Style Wire, 21 Gauge, Copper, 1/2 Round and Square Practice Kit~This is a less expensive way to try different wires for wire wrapping techniques. This comes with 2 different wires, both 21 gauge, both copper and 1 is called 1/2 round which is flat on one side (9.8 feet-.028 " x .014 ") and square wire (16.4 feet - .028" x .028") in medium temper. This particular combination of wires is ideal for making components and setting stones. Once you feel you have mastered the art of wire wrapping with the copper, you can move up to the sterling silver wires. I love the look of copper myself and would probably tend to stay with the copper- but it all depends on the look you are going for.

This wire also haas an anti-tarnish coating to it.

$5.99

Beadalon 19 Strand Silver Color Beading Stringing Wire~This is silver plated nylon coated beading wire. The 19 strands are a kind of all purpose use wire. If you are going to use a crimp bead with it- it uses a #1 crimp bead, #2 crimp tube and will also fit with scrimps and EZ-crimp. It is .018 in and comes 15 feet on a spool.

$4.39

Need a crimp tool for the beading wire?

We have Crimp Beads too.

Wire Curler Tool ~ This simple tool for working with wire is so easy to use, comes in medium 1/4" and large, 3/8". Just insert tip of wire into metal groove and begin to twist- makes uniform curling, tight or loose. Works well with small or large gauge wire. This is a popular item at the conventions when people see how easy it is to use. Use your wire curler to make uniform size jump rings in heavier gauge wire or colored wires.

TIP~You can really get some cool looks with wire curler if you curl 2 or more different colors of wire at a time.

The 1/4" has been discontinued by the manufacturer and is no longer available (it is in the picture as the smallest).

Wire Curler Tool, 1/4" $2.50

Wire Curler Tool, 3/8" $2.50

Tip - Use your curled wire for doll hair. Try your wire as a binding for books. For small books with a card stock cover, use eyelets at the hole binding and use your wire thru the eyelets for a great look (add beads too!) Use your wire to wrap around an embellishment you are adding to your artwork- sea glass, fancy pebbles, beads dominoes, etc.. Add it in your polymer clay. If you wish to pound coated wire flat, be sure to use a hammer made of plastic or cover your hammer so it will not remove the color. After curling your wire and sliding off the tool, flatten it in your hands and you can get some very nice free form looks with it like flowers.

Coiling Gizmo Earrings

Coiling Gizmo by Artistic Wire~Imagine the possibilities with this tool. You can make fabulous earrings like the one shown or beads for bracelets, necklaces and more. It is so simple to use for such a complicated look. You simply crank wire around the rod and you've made a coil spring. Pull spring off and insert a core wire. Then coil the spring around the larger rod in your kit to form a cylinder bead. Easy! Your kit comes with 2 crank rods, bracket frame and instructions. Use most any type or gauge of wire to make beaded jewelry and other designs.

$7.49

Thing-A-Ma-Jig~ Beginner Wire Jig Kit. Comes with plastic jig, pegs and 2 yards each of copper, silver and gold wire. Learn how to make creative designs with wire. To use you simply plot out the design with the pegs, twist your wire around the pegs. The shape possibilities are endless. It is great for creating one-of-a-kind jewelry and papercrafting designs.

$5.65

Wire Rounder, 1.8mm Cup Bur~This is a great tool you will find yourself using all the time. It is simple to use and perfect for smoothing the rough and sharp ends of cut beading wire. The cup bur is a very small cup shaped file that smooths the sharp ends. It also features a nice hardwood handle and European quality cup bur. Sold per tool

$6.70

Aluminum Jewelry Wire, Silver Tone~This aluminum wire is malleable and easy to work with and very lightweight. It comes in 12 guage and a length of 3 yards. Use it for jewelry, jump rings, embellishments etc.

$1.79

Aluminum Jewelry Wire, Black Tone~This aluminum wire is very lightweight and easy to work with. It comes in this shiny black tone in 12 guage and 3 yards.

$1.79

Aluminum Jewelry Wire, Copper Tone~This wire is made from aluminum and is easy to work with and lightweight. This copper tone wire comes in a length of 3 yards and is 12 gauge wire.

$1.79

Aluminum Jewelry Wire-Sapphire Blue~This is lightweight metal wire, same as the ones above but in this beautiful blue color. Also, when you cut the wire, the aluminum color (silver) shows on the ends. This is 12 guage aluminum and comes in a roll of 3 yards (2.74m).

$1.79

Aluminum Jewelry Wire, Gold Tone~This is a lightweight 12 gauge aluminum wire in gold tone. Same as the other wires above, very malleable and easy to work with. Comes in package of 3 yards.

$1.79

I used the wire curling tool- the largest one- to quickly and easily create this wire chain using 2 "jumprings" created by twirling a length of the aluminum wire on the curling tool, using a wire cutter to make a cut in the center and then put 2 together to form a chain. It can be easily made into a bracelet, earrings, necklace, etc.

Aluminum Jewelry Wire, Brown~This is a pretty brown, like a dark coppery brown. It is lightweight, made from aluminum and is very malleable and easy to work with. Make your own jump rings from it (using the great wire curler tool), use it on your craft projects, home decor, etc. It is 12 guage and comes in a 3 yard roll.

$1.79

I used the gold aluminum wire and folded it in half-loosely, curled the first end, opened up the center, wrapped the top with copper wire, added a piece from an old Bible, backed it with card stock for stability, added Glossy Accents in the center.

Jump Ring Mandrel-2 Piece Set~ This set has 2 mandrels in it- the first, smaller size will make jump rings 1mm, 1.5mm, 2,3,and 4 mm size. The second, larger mandrel makes rings in 5mm, 6,7,8 and 10mm size. This mandrel allows you to make jump rings in such a variety of sizes. The 1 mm is very interesting- tiny. It has a nice black sold handle. After determining what size jump ring you want, wrap the wire tightly, slide wire off and cut the wire. For years I have used the wire curlers on this page and have loved their ease of use. But if you are interested in making a variety of sizes- this is the tool for you.

$5.75

Wire Cutter~ It measures 4 1/2" long (11cm). It has pink soft, comfort grip handles. It cuts wire up to 1.6mm. Great for cutting head & eye pins and other jewelry findings. Quality carbon steel.

Don't ruin your scissors trying to cut wire.

$4.89

Italian Flush Wire Cutter~ This cuts wire up to 16 gauge. It has the soft comfrot grip handle and is made from high grade hardened tool steel. It feauters a return spring and high frictiion ergonomic cushioned handle to make repetitive use a breeze. The Italian Flush wire cutter jaws slightly bypass when cutting allowing for a flush cut and preventing damage to the cutting surface. You should always wear safety glasses or other glasses when cutting wire because it will fly. Remember too- memory wire is not recommended for these- memory wire need their own cutters.

$15.98

Important Tip!! If you like to use Memory Wire- please use the wire cutters specifically made for Memory Wire or it will quickly damage regular wire cutters. Memory Wire is thin, coiled, stainless steel wire that snaps back into shape when expanded and released. It comes in a variety of diameters and weights and is non-corrosive and tarnish resistant.

For all you Grannies out there- if you want to make a fun bracelet for your Grandkids and HATE the stretchy cord-Memory wire is a wonderful alternative and it does not break.

Stringing Wire

This is created by joining multiple strands of stainless steel wire and incorporating them within a protective, abrasion resistant nylon coating. Stringing wire comes in several different diameters ranging from .010 to heavy .036 inch. It also comes in colors, 24-karat gold and silver plate.

To determine the approprate diameter of stringing wire you need to consider the abrasion level of the beads you are stringing. The thicker the wire, the better resistance to breakage.

The 7-strand, .010 stringing wire (as sold above) is soft, flexible and kink resistant. It is useful for both peyote stitch and bead weaving. It is very strong and keeps jewelry secure.

The 19-strand, .015 stringing wire is ideal for adding beads, freshwater pearls, ceramic, glass and stone beads. It is more flexible than the 7 strand. It is also good for making earrings, bracelets and necklaces. It offers superior strength for your jewelry making projects.

The 49-strand wire offers more flexibility and superior strength. It withstands abrasive materials and designs requiring movement like watchbands, bracelets and ankle bracelets. It is also great for multi-dimensional beads and stones.

Wire Gauges

The trick with wire gauge is to remember that the higher the gauge number, the thinner the wire.

32-gauge, 34-gauge and 36-gauge are very thin wire, like your hair. They are mainly used in the quilting and textile markets.

28-gauge wire is used in crochet and wire weaving.

24-gauge, 26-gauge and 28-gauge are more versatile and can be used for a variety of projects including papercrafting.

22-gauge wire is the most versatile choice and very popular with jewelry designers and crafters.

18-gauge and 20-gauge wire will make nicely shaped eyepins, s-hooks, hook and eye clasps and jump rings.

16-gauge wire is good for threading beads and attaching wire pieces to create bracelets, chokers, necklaces, ankle bracelets and more. This gauge is very thick and durable. It doesn't loose its shape if it is pulled on which makes it so useful for clasps.

10-gauge, 12-gauge and 14-gauge wires are quite thick and more difficult to manipulate. They are assocaited more with home decor or outside items.

Different Wire Types

Galvanized- This is a good practice wire. It is dull silver in color and it is harder than most wires you might be used to. Because of this you should get it in a thinner gauge. Available in most hardware stores.

Copper - This is also available in most hardware stores. It is a good practice wire and looks good in projects using earthtone colors. Copper will age over time becoming darker and discolored, this is called patina. To keep you copper shiny bright, just polish it.

Coated Color Wire - To create some of the beautiful wire colors that are on the market, they are coated with enamel. Due to this coating you will want to use wire tools coated with plastic. Regular wire pliers will mar the coating on the wire. This type of wire is available in may craft stores.

Sterling Silver - Sterling means it is 92.5 pure silver. The other 7.5% is made up of alloys such as copper or zinc. This provides strength to the silver. As you know, sterling does tarnish- just a matter of how long it will take for this process (oxidation) to occur. If you are not planning on using your sterlig silver jewelry for a long period of time, you might consider keeping it in a container such as zip lock baggy, or a sealed container to prevent the air getting to it and help to slow down the oxidation process. Cleaning silver is easy, you can use polishing kits, magnetic polisher or tumbler or an ionic cleaner.

Dead Soft SS Wire is extremely pliable and can easily be bent into countless shapes but it does not hold its shape in stress situations such as clasps.

Full Hard SS Wire will hold its shape for wire-wrapping. Its tempered nature holds intricate designs well.

Hard SS Wire although malleable, it will maintain an intricate shape under stress. It can be used for almost all of your bead prjects.

Gold-Filled - Don't be confused or misled, this is not pure gold. Although it has many layers of gold, it is not pure gold. The greatest benefit to this wire is that if cared for properly, it lasts a very long time. It is a better quality than gold plated wire. Plated gold only has one layer of gold. It is a wonderful cost effective alternative to real gold wire.

Fine Silver - This is made up of 99.9% pure silver. It is softer than sterling silver and since it has fewer alloys, it does not tarnish as quickly. Although I have never worked with it, I hear it is very nice to work with.

Gold - If you've got the money and are daring enough - you just might want to try this. It is offered in various karat weights and different colors.

Using wire, I used round nose pliers to turn it into the "s" shape on the lid of this thrift store recycled tin. I also pounded it flat using a hammer. I also used the Ranger White Pen to add more definition around the swirly wire.

ATTN: MAC Users & Ipod Phone Users~

For some reason Mac/Ipods & Paypal do not work well together. For some Mac & Ipod users, the Paypal cart will dump after several things are added to the cart. I might suggest you write the item numbers down that come up when you "add to cart". If it does dump, you can call -740-477-1238 or email your order c_byers1@msn.com. Sorry for the inconvenience. I have notified Paypal of this problem, but so far it has not been fixed.

~ATTENTION-Just a Little Slower NOTICE~

I had surgery on my left wrist & arm February 13th.

I will be like a one arm bandit for 6 weeks with a brace on left arm to keep it immobile- so the going will be a little slow during that time.

Thanks so much for your patience during this time.

PLEASE make sure your Paypal ADDRESS is CORRECT before placing your order. Thanks! It also helps to have a correct email address if I need to contact you re your order. Thanks.

Articus Studio, 8341 Old Tarlton Pike, Stoutsville, Oh 43154, 740-477-1238