Newsletter - February 20, 2008

The Jewelry Crafter

A newsletter for the home jeweler

This newsletter will be published every 2 weeks, and will include hints and tips for your jewelry business. Any feedback or comments about the topics presented here are always appreciated. Click here to e-mail us.

If you have an idea for an upcoming article, or would like to submit an article for the newsletter, please contact us. Anyone who submits an article will receive a permanent link to their website in a special section of our link pages.

New Stock Update

We have added lots of new items to the store this week:

• Jewelrymaking DVD’s and books, including beading, ring making and chain maille
• New tool sets
• Mini tool sets for traveling
• We have restocked speciality pliers and cutters
• Many fired porcelain cameos are back in stock
• New dichroic cabochons coming soon...

Wire Hardness Explained

by

Mary Harvey

When buying wire for your jewelry making, you have many choices - sterling, gold filled, Argentium, copper, etc. On top of that, you have to decide which temper of wire you need - dead soft, half hard, full hard, etc. What do these terms mean, and which one do you need for your jewelry making? In this issue, we will go through these terms and explain exactly what they mean.

Wire hardness, also called temper, is the measure of malleability of the wire, or how easy or hard the wire is to manipulate. The common hardnesses of wire are depicted by a number system, 0 to 8. Here is the breakdown:

• #0 or Dead soft - this wire is the most malleable. It is very soft and perfect for sculpting, but not for stress situations where the wire is required to hold it’s shape well. Generally, the wire is soft enough that the wire can be manipulated by hand.
• #2 or Half-hard - this wire has been drawn through a draw plate 2 times, and is slightly harder than dead soft. It will maintain it’s shape under moderate stress conditions, and is good for bails or jump rings. It’s soft enough that it can be bent without tools, but for intricate shapes, tools may be required
• #4 or Full Hard - this wire has been drawn through a draw plate 4 times, and is quite hard. It holds it’s shape extremely well in more stressful situations. It is good for clasps or other high stress findings. Tools are usually required when manipulating full hard wire.
• #8 or Spring Hard - this wire has been drawn through a draw plate 8 times and is extremely hard. It is good for making pin backs, brooch converters, or any other finding that is likely to endure high stress. Tools are defiantly required when working with this wire.

Most wire used for jewelry making is available in the above tempers, although #8 may be harder to find. Some softer wire, like copper, fine silver or craft wire are only available in the softer tempers, so care must be taken when using these materials for stress bearing findings.

One thing to remember with wire hardness is that the harder the wire, the more brittle it becomes. Dead soft wire can be work-hardened by pulling it through a polishing cloth, or merely bending it. It takes a lot of bending before it will break. Full hard or spring hard, being rather hard already, will take less bending before it breaks. Repeatedly bending the wire back and forth can cause this wire to snap much more quickly than dead soft or half hard.