Hardening wire

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Work Room chat:
You've probably heard about an anvil and metal block. So do you use and anvil or metal block for your wire jewellery?
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I came to know about wire hardening through wire shaping, actually.

It was when I was playing with wire shaping using a wig-jig and later on a round nose plier that I realize that the new shape formed is a bit 'bulky' and not flat.




In my eyes, they were just unacceptable but yet I couldn't figure the way around it until I came across a small discussion on this topic through some random surfing on the internet.

So basically, what I read is that you need to hammer it to harden the wire and keep its shape.

At that time, I didn't get myself proper chasing hammer and bench block yet, so what I did was this.

I placed the piece on a flat surface, covered it with a piece of cloth because I wouldn't want to scratch or marred the wire, and the hammer it with ordinary toolbox hammer.

Well, while I think it did helped a little I don't think it really did much. For one, I was rather hesitant in hammering too hard since it was not jewellery hammer and I was worried at the same time that it might spoil my piece.

Eventually however, I did end up getting a proper chasing hammer and a stainless steel bench block.

I got mine from beading.com.my. I paid RM25 for the hammer and and RM45 for the block.

My first impression when I got them was how light the hammer was and how freaking heavy the block is! Totally now what I was expecting! I was expecting the hammer to be heavy and I certainly not expecting the bench block to be THAT heavy considering its size of only 2½" X 2½"! 0_0

I would definitely recommend you to use a proper jewellery hammer if you are serious about the 'hammering business' though. LOL..... Well, for the simple reason that they do a much better job. :P

It's probably not that obvious from the pic, but then because so many of the wires were overlapping that I really can't overdo it.



And......they are also great for creating texture. :)

The wire ends of the dangles of this pair of earrings I made were hammered for texture.



Having said all that, there are nevertheless some dos and don'ts about wire hammereing that I've learned.

• For one, don't overdo it. Hammering can be quite fun and you tend to get carried away with the hammering but you will weaken the wire if you hammer it too much. What you will get thereafter is broken pieces of wire. Trust me, I've broken many a pieces of wire to learn this golden rule!



• It gets a bit tricky when you have two wires overlap. It's a bit difficult to hammer the intersection in the sense that you risk not only distorting the carefully formed shape and even possible breakage. In such instances, you can still hammer it but just be more careful and remember not to overdo it. In any event, you can still reshape it after hardening, although it's generally a bit difficult to do and may cause breakage if you are not careful.



• Hammer on a steel block which is clean, smooth and dent-free. The wire will pick up the irregularities on the surface. Even if you don't pick up any surprises, your hammering will not be as effective. Also, another reason to be careful about your hammering surface is that you could damage it. I'm sure you wouldn't want to damage the surface of your coffee table or what not with all the ugly indentations!



• One more tip which I personally haven't tried but read from is about hammering coloured wires. One precaution is that you might nick the colour coat. Yes! Even if it's permanently coloured! If you really want to hammer coloured wires, it might be a better idea to get one of those rubber head hammer or you may try covering your hammer head with a masking tape.


Alright, that's on wire hardening for strength through hammering. Another way you can harden wire is through pulling.

This is basically how you do it.

Pulling wire many times through a nylon jawed pliers, polishing cloth, or even just your fingers will harden it. Be careful however, as this method will heat the wire with friction!

Bear in mind also that pulling will break down the pliability of the wire. If it's straightened too many times, it will become brittle and break. To pull wire, firmly grasp the wire at one end with a pliers so it doesn't slip, and using a nylon jawed pliers or polishing cloth, pull the remainder of the wire away from the gripped end. Repeat several times until wire is springy and holds it's shape.

Over time, most pieces will become work hardened anyway, simply by the virtue of 'being worked.' If you find a component of your piece has become stiff and unpliable while creating, use caution so that it doesn't break as you are finishing your work.

There's this other thing about wire shaping that I want to make a mention of here.

When I first got to know about wire shaping, I thought a wig-jig is essential towards shaping the wire which is how I ended up searching frantically for a wig-jig.

It was hard initially because the jewellery making scene in Malaysia then was not as hot as it is now. So, naturally, searching for the required tools and materials was quite a headache.

It's no longer such a great big headache for me now as it was back then! :D

Anyway, I found a second hand Thing-A-Ma Jig on eBay Malaysia.




But guess what? I don't really like using the jig. I find them to be terribly troublesome and bulky and in the way.

Maybe I haven't been giving it enough try to work around it or what, I don't know. I think I only tried it out once or twice only.

But the thing is this. If I'm not liking it already in the first few try, I don't see why I should be so bothered and worked up over it lor. Especially when it's not like thats's THE only means to the end and even more so when I've got other alternative.

The round nose plier. Yes. :)





Indeed, this method requires more practising that the jig but I find it more convenient. If you have worked with a jig before, it's basically just shaping around cylinder pegs which you can also easily do with the round nose plier.

The only problem however is in the sizing. Undoubtedly, wire shaping with a round nose plier would require more meticulous sizing estimation than a jig.

So, wire shaping with a round nose plier is strictly for non-beginners! Unless you've got sufficient amount of patience to rival the Pacific Ocean! LOL.... :P