Making jump rings…. Why???? Number of reason ~ you just need one. It’s pretty lame to wait for the mail for just one jump ring. Next reason… You make an awesome focal pendant and you add an $10 cord or machine made chain? Ugh! I can’t even stand the thought of it. It happens, but sometimes you just need that handmade look to finish it off just right.
Cut about 3 feet of whatever gauge you want to use. If you want flat jump rings run a piece of wire through a rolling mill or use rectangular or square wire that you can purchase.
If you have flat/square wire: coil it like this or it will turn on its side and get all wonky… especially square wire, it turns on its side easily.
Round wire: does not matter just hold with your fingers.
Cut the coils off the mandrel. You can use almost anything round for a mandrel ~ like a pencil. I use Pepe brand jump ringer and there are several brands out there to choose from. These coils are 14g and 16g sterling silver.
This is a saw blade. It fits in a safety housing. I hate the thing because it’s dangerous, it’s expensive to replace, it has to be loaded correctly or it breaks. I’ve had students smoke several of them up in one day at $12 a piece. If you use it properly it’s fine. I’ve had the same three blades for a few years. That being said I don’t use this. Don’t use it… There’s an easier, cheaper way.
You need need this thing. It holds the coil perfectly. It keeps the cut perfect. What’s it called? I don’t know… I’ll call it a Gizmo…
Anneal you coils before you cut them… That makes for nice pliable rings without tension in them. It’s much easier now, than when you have a hundred separate rings. Pickle them as well.
Use this… Cut off wheels available at Home Depot. Put a coil in the Gizmo. Oil oil oil 🙂 or the blade will break and so would the dangerous metal blade. You’ll know if you forget this step… Smoke and breaking blades. I use mineral oil available at your grocery store in the laxative section..(nice, huh?)
Tighten Gizmo lid… Firm not too loose and not squashing the coil. Cut coil with fast flexshaft motor speed and slow steady hand speed.
Open up Gizmo: All nice and perfect… Wash with dawn dish soap and hot water rubbing in your hands.
Now, go make some awesome chain…..
See you you all soon at Artigras in Green Bay Wisconsin. It’s the first weekend in March and gets us all out of hibernation. Winter has been good to us this year though…. I hope my friend Roni in New Jersey is ok and not snowed in. Being snowed in isn’t all bad though….. Once in awhile. Hope you’re ok Roni!!!!
New Instagram pics, fun app…. #wildprairiesilver
Wild Prairie Silver 
January 27th, 2015 at 6:51 pm
nice i need one of those,did you solder the jump rings together on the chain or you just left them open?thanks jane
January 27th, 2015 at 11:42 pm
I do solder all the jump rings. In the last picture you can see a length of stick solder. I use hard stick solder and just barely touch the seem. I timed myself once and it took me one minute 20 seconds to solder a bracelet chain with these same links. It’s just practice. An entire necklace take me about 15 minutes but I do it almost everyday.
January 27th, 2015 at 7:06 pm
They lied we only got 6″.
However I left early for my trip to Florida to beat the snow so until the 10th we are visiting friends and safe.
Stay warm! !!
January 27th, 2015 at 11:40 pm
I am so glad you are gone!!!!!!!!!!!!! Enjoy the Sunshine State!!!!! and stay longer!!!!! why not! 🙂 🙂 🙂
January 27th, 2015 at 7:10 pm
Thank you Joy!! I hate the metal blade and never use it either! I am so glad to see that I can still use the ‘gizmo’ with a foredom and cut off wheel. Thanks for the tip about the oil. Can’t wait to try!!!!
January 27th, 2015 at 8:18 pm
Thanks Joy! I must ask you, is the “gizmo” the coil holder that comes w the Pepe jumpringer? I have that devise but hate the blade. What are you using instead? You said cut off blades?? What are those? Separating discs or what? Available you say at Home Depot?? Please clarify? Thanks A Loyal lover of your work, Susan
Thank you , Susan Wachler 404-325-4584
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January 27th, 2015 at 11:39 pm
yes, the Gizmo comes with the Pepe jump ringer…. and I think the same kind of Gizmo comes with the other sets of jump ring makers that are similar… The cutting wheels are separating discs and I did purchase these at home depot by the dremel supplies. I have heard you can purchase reinforced separating discs that are practically indestructible. I have seen them in Rio Grande so I am sure they have many to choose from but these were super cheap. They do break or need to be replaced after cutting about two coils.
January 28th, 2015 at 3:17 pm
What a great idea! Thank you… How does it work though with a finer gauge of wire.. 20g on up? Also, I didn’t know that Home Depot sold cut off wheels
January 28th, 2015 at 4:20 pm
Works great with 20G.. when I make coils in 22 and 24G wire the jump rings are often 3mm in size… they are very small. It still works but I leave the coils as an entire coil and I only snip off the rings I need as I need them since I won’t be making an entire chain from 3mm – 24G jump rings. I use those small jump rings for attaching tags, lobster clasps, etc… I leave the coil whole sitting right on my bench. I just snip the one jump ring off with a french shears (scissors) and that way I do not have 100 loose tiny jump rings to put in some box somewhere. Does that make sense? That small gauge snips easily with very little gap.
January 29th, 2015 at 3:34 pm
Love the idea. Do you have any more information on what the ‘Gizmo’ might be and where I could purchase one. I use way too many jump rings to keep purchasing them.
Thanks.
January 29th, 2015 at 3:44 pm
The gizmo comes with the jump ring making tool/set. You can purchase at contetti tools or possibly rio grande.
November 2nd, 2015 at 3:33 pm
In the picture of the finished jump rings it looks like the cutting process leaves a substantial gap big enough to dustort your jump rings. Do you still end up with round jump rings using the separating disk?
November 3rd, 2015 at 3:21 pm
Norma ~ Absolutely no distortion…. but use the dedco separating discs that are reinforced. They are expensive but well worth it. If the photo looks like they are distorted it’s just the photo being a little wonky. Jump rings are perfect every time. I must have a box of thousands of them to prove it that I have made by hand. Hope this helps!