“You’re only as good as your tools”. If you’re the “McGiver” type, then anything will do in a pinch. My husband is great with “McGiver-isms” and I’ve even used some of his gizmos in my work. However, if you are serious about Wire Working – the best tools are those designed for the job.
Depending upon where you purchase your tools from, will dictate just how much you pay for them – I once purchased a Ring Mandrel from a local jewelry design shop and paid $34 for it. I could have easily bought an inexpensive $9 plastic mandrel but the extra that I spent garnered me a mandrel that not only is heavy enough that I could probably break a few bones in my foot if it ever fell on it, but it also stands up exceptionally well to wire and mallet work.
Your wire working is something that you’ll be doing a lot of and hopefully for a long time, so spending the extra for quality tools is an investment that will result in better productivity and longevity in the long run.
Connie Fox, a professional Wire & Metal Jewelry educator and designer, provides us with a detailed group of videos that explains the types and uses of tools she uses in her studio. Excellent information for the beginning Wire & Metal enthusiast. You’ll want to check out her home page as well, which provides several tutorials including wire winding, burnishing, caring for tools in harsh weather, and more.
Although I’ve never used this company’s products, WigJig certainly has plenty of information to get you started with their tools. One section they offer is about Tools for wire jewelry making which applies across the board, not only to their particular product. Once you’ve checked out the tools and tips on how they are used, you just might want to take a look at the vast repository of tutorials this site also carries – I know it made me want to run out and get the WigJig!
In upcoming posts, I’ll see if I can dig up some of the newest tools on the market – there’s always something else you “just need to have” isn’t there?
Enjoy,
Akaiya
