crowforged.com

Sep

2024

Wire Wrapping Concepts: Frames

Wire Wrapping Concepts: Framing

One thing that almost all complex wire wraps have in common is that they’re based on a frame. This frame makes up the structural part of the weave and allows for both locking in primary gemstones and serves as a base for tying on other components. It’s a pretty easy process, but a lot of people don’t like showing the backs of their pieces so it’s not something that every beginning wire wrapper will see.

I, however, don’t have any such hang ups. Let’s take a look at how to create a frame, lock things in, and get yourself started on something a bit more complicated than a simple wrap.

What You’ll Need

This is just how I do my frames, there are plenty of ways to do it. In actuality, I prefer to solder my frames together at a couple of points, but the end result is going to be pretty much the same either way.

You’ll need the following materials to follow along:

18g Square Wire- 20 gauge is also acceptable. Round wire can be used, but it’s a headache since your attachments will tend to move around a lot more and you’ll need to squish them down.

22-24g Half Round Wire- I generally use 24g for the bail. If you don’t have it on hand, you can use any weave you’d like for the bail of the piece, I often use a figure-8 weave with 28g wire for instance.

20-22g Round Wire- This is going to be used to lock in the main cabochon. I’ll show you a stylized way to do it, but a single wire can also be used.

28g Round Wire- We’re going to use this to secure the back of the cabochon.

A Cabochon- Any cabochon will work, but generally you’ll use something larger for this style of frame. You’re not going to have a good time using this to secure a 10mm round cabochon for instance.

Any Accent Gems- You don’t need to use accents, although I generally do. Settings for this accent gems are beyond the scope of this article, but YouTube has plenty of great tutorials until I get around to posting one.

When it comes to wire a lot of people will recommend half-hard wire for the frame itself (the 18 gauge). Personally, I don’t like having to fuss with different wire tempers and only use dead soft material. It only takes a few seconds to harden wire, after all, making dead soft ideal as a starting point since annealing requires a heat source like a torch and more time.

You’ll want the following tools:

Bail Making Pliers or a Mandrel- Just something stepped and round for when we bring the bail around the back of the piece.

Mallet- We’ll need to harden the frame after initial construction. Any kind of non-metallic mallet will work fine for this. A steel block is ideal, but any decently hard surface will work fine if you don’t mind a bit of marring.

Flush Cutters- Flush cutters are necessary for… well, almost any kind of wire work unless you really like using files to smooth clipped ends.

That’s just for the frame, of course. You’ll also want to make sure that you have your normal tools on hand for finishing the rest of the piece once the frame is constructed.

Step 1: Form the Outline

Place your cabochon on a flat surface and cut a length of 18g wire to get started. I find that oval and teardrop cuts are the easiest for this kind of thing, but any shape will work.

You don’t need a whole plan to start this, many of my pieces come about after I’ve locked in the main cabochon and are developed as I cover up any visible parts of the frame with weaves and other embellishments.

I tend to form most of my more basic frames around the cab itself. You don’t want to go too tight on this, since you’ll need room to tie on your embellishments as you complete the piece even if it’s only relatively minor.

So get a rough idea of how much metalwork you want to add, then form the frame roughly around the same shape as the cabochon. You’ll want ~3” left on either side of the initial shape for the best results.

Don’t worry about tying it together just yet, just get the basic shape that you’re looking for and ensure that it lays flat. If the wire twisted while you were forming it then twist it back into a flat shape with pliers, I tend to use curved nose pliers but chain nose or nylon jaws will work fine as well.

Step 2: Forming the Bail

We’re going to form the bail before we do anything else. Take a length of your half round wire and just wrap it up around the two straight up pieces tightly. If you’re unsure of how far to go, then try taking a piece of scrap wire and using your bail forming pliers to form the size you’d like and use that as a guide.

You’ll want another 1” or so of unwrapped wire on the end of it.

If you don’t have half-round, you can also use pretty much any weave with smaller wire. The idea is just to bind the two bits together in a way you find pleasing. I often form a wider bail with a figure-8 weave with five wraps between each cross-over.

If you leave some distance between the wires it’s a good idea to give it a couple whacks with a mallet before wrapping to minimize distortion but an 18 gauge square wire should hold its shape well even if it’s dead soft.

Once you’ve finished the wrapping. Take your bail-forming or round pliers and curl the ends of the wire. Snip cleanly with flush cutters afterward to make sure there are no sharp edges. The curls are going behind the frame, and will serve as an anchoring point.

Step 3: Backing the Cabochon

Putting a backing behind the cabochon is our next step. Cut a length of 28 gauge wire, a foot or so should be good for most frames.

To start with, we’re going to come up from the inside of the frame and wrap around three times, leaving ~½ to 1” of tail. Then pass it under the frame and across to the other side, wrap three times, and continue until you’re near the bottom. They don’t need to be super tight, but

Then snip the excess and squish down each series of wraps individually until the wire is flat against the frame. Test them with your thumb nail, as long as the bulk of them don’t move freely you’ll be fine.

It doesn’t take a ton of wire to hold the cabochon in, but you want at least 3-4 wires under the cab itself. I generally just zig-zag the whole back of the frame in case things slip during final construction.

Another way to do it is to use half-round wire, generally 20-22 gauge and cut smaller lengths that will run side to side across the bail in a ladder pattern. Wrap three times, pass under, then wrap three times on the opposite side and clip the excess before squishing the wraps.

Step 4: Work Harden the Frame

Now, we’ll want to harden the frame.

Grab your mallet and a hard surface, and get to tapping. Larger rubber and rawhide mallets can often cover the whole surface at once, otherwise just tap around the perimeter of the frame. With smaller mallets, try not to hit directly on the squished wraps too much as it can cause them to become overly brittle.

Check the toughness after each time around the frame or every 5-6 swings with a larger mallet.

Do not strike the bail at this time. You want that soft for when we pull it over and form it.

Just get it nice and stiff so that you don’t have to deal with any deformation farther down the line.

Step 5: Lock in the Cabochon

Now we’re going to lock the cabochon in.

The simplest way to do this is to cut two pieces of roughly 3-4” of your 22g wire and run them across the cab. Lock them in place by twisting around 2-3 times (which is why square wire is so much better for a frame) and then snip the ends and crush them in.

While you can go over, in this case I recommend bringing the ends down inside the frame and then bringing them back over to tie them in.

Two pieces of wire should be plenty, you can shape them however you’d like as long as it securely locks in the cabochon. For this teardrop I’ve brought them in a small curve from the sides and tied them off on the same side but it is simpler to actually pass over the piece entirely.

You’ll see that I’ve used a simple weave for the pieces I’m using. I generally do this because I don’t like leaving unadorned wire hanging out over the cabochon. That’s a personal thing, I feel that they look unfinished when you do that.

The weave I use is a 5-and-3, which is just five wraps around the first wire, three over both wires, and then repeated until I reach the desired length. The actual weave can be a pain to twist around the outside of the frame, so I figure out how much length I’ll need by by taking a bit of scrap wire and gauging the size then folding it up at each end and comparing them.

You can also incorporate accent gems using this weave, but you’ll want to attach those embellishments first and then work around them. The scrap wire method is awesome for figuring out how much length you’ll need if there are any curves or swoops in this part of the design.

That’s one of the main things I end up using my scrap 22g for, so I always have a 6” or so piece lying around my workbench.

Step 6: Finish the Bail

Now, take your bail forming pliers or mandrel and make your bail. I generally aim for 5-6mm to accommodate chains or cords of various sizes, but you can make it whatever side you want.

After forming the initial curve, I like to pinch it together at the base of the bail then round it around the pliers or mandrel again. This gives a sturdy base for attachment if any of your

Your little loops from earlier should either be touching or almost touching the edge of the frame from the inside. Cut a couple of 3-5” bits of your 28 gauge wire and use them to wrap the loops to the frame properly.

Use pliers to make sure they’re roughly flush with the back of the frame, you don’t want them poking into the back at an angle or it can disrupt your later work.

Step 7: Attach Remaining Gem Settings

If you’re using accent gems, you can now begin attaching the settings. Most settings are their own distinct components, so you can attach them to the frame however you like once you’ve finished.

While I generally attach my main prong settings before locking in the cabochon, anything like a channel setting or whatever can wait until this step.

As with any embellishment, you just need to get the end wires wrapped around starting from the inside, but it’s fine to go over the outside at this stage. 2-3 times around should do it, but more complex settings like channel sets can have quite a few ends and with a bit of patience it’s often possible to finish them up with just a single full twist due to the added friction.

Step 8: Finish Up and Structure Testing

At this point, you’ve got a solid frame with everything locked in.

From here, my goal is to cover the frame from the front and sides so that it’s visible in as few places as possible.

Depending on the size of your frame, you may be able to do this with just one or two weaves, but it’s really at this point that you can just let your creativity take over. You can make it symmetrical, asymmetrical, use spirals or loops, coils and coiled coils, weaves, or whatever you’d like!

The frame itself is ideal, but the bail also serves as a good anchoring place. The one thing to make sure you don’t do is try to tie off on the pieces holding the cabochon in.

Once done, you can manipulate the pieces into their optimal positions and tap lightly with a mallet to work harden and lock even spindly bits into place. Don’t hit too hard here, more taps will do just much as a few strong taps but doesn’t risk damaging the stone.

With each component added, the final piece will become more sturdy. I recommend tweezer nose and curved pliers at this point, which often aren’t available in the most basic kits, because things can get really tight. Especially if you’re just following your inspiration and not a solid plan.

Check for any pokey bits. These can be trimmed or pressed into the frame itself to prevent it from scratching while wearing. I generally drag the piece along my forearm to see if there’s anything sticking out.

Depending on the individual attachment, you may need to use a file or sandpaper (120-220 grit will work fine) to

Once it’s all tied together and smoothed out I generally test my pieces in a two step process:

I spike the piece as hard as I can onto my mattress and check for structural damage. I don’t think a finished piece has ever failed this test, but it will pop out any accent gems in loose settings.

I take the piece over a hardwood floor and toss it out 4-5’ from where I’m standing underhanded and check for deformation. Don’t spike it or anything, a light toss does the trick and will show you if you really messed up anywhere.

If it passes those tests, then it’s good to go.

At this point all that’s left is oxidation and final polishing.

And here’s what I turned this one into in the end:

Now You’ve Been Framed

It’s likely you’ll stray from this guide, I do all the time, but the basic concepts are all here for creating more complex pieces of wire work. I’ve always found that learning how and why you do certain things during the creation of wire jewelry is one of the most important parts of progressing rather than following a tutorial blindly.

Make sure to follow me on Facebook and TikTok, where you’ll also find video versions of my tutorials and smaller tips and tricks that aren’t really big enough for a dedicated article. I’m always open for questions, and I’d love to see anything you’ve created following my guides!

Aug

2024

Oxidation With Liver of Sulfur

Oxidizing your jewelry is an important part of working with bare copper or sterling silver. It’s just a bit of extra work at the end of the piece, but the advantages are both aesthetic and practical. It’s a lot simpler than many people make it out to be, so let’s dive in and I’ll show you how to oxidize with LoS, where to get it, and explain a little bit about why you should be doing it with every piece.

Should I Oxidize?

Yes.

I know that some people love the look of bare copper, and that’s awesome! It does look great for some pieces.

However, I recommend using 14k rose gold-fill if you’re trying to keep that coloration. You can also use non-tarnish wire, but I find that it brings its own host of problems in the long term. Namely, the non-tarnish coating will wear off with regular wear, and cheaper coatings can even be removed while you’re creating the piece. It also prevents you from using heat (ie: annealing wire) during the creation process.

The biggest thing that you need to be aware of is pretty simple: copper and sterling silver will oxidize over time but it’s not going to be nearly as pretty. Natural oxidation is going to leave a spotty surface with uneven coloration, so we just take the natural process into our own hands and control how the piece looks from the start.

I don’t know about the weather in the area you live, but where I’m at in Maryland pieces begin to oxidize within hours of creation. Often the entire outer roll of my wire is already oxidized to some degree as I’m working. Anything I actually wear ends up with verdigris (a green corrosion, think the Statue of Liberty but spottier) within days. Trying to prevent bare copper from oxidizing in this climate would be a fool’s errand.

While there are ways to protect your metal from natural oxidation, none of them are permanent. So it’s best just to take control from the start, especially if you plan to sell the piece. While I package my pieces after being treated with Renaissance Wax and try to include a scrap of polishing cloth, it shouldn’t be on the client to have to maintain their piece.

As far as aesthetics go, I find that oxidation provides a much deeper look to a piece, especially if weaving has been incorporated. It makes colored accent stones pop better.

The only real drawback is having to oxidize the material in the first place.

Breaking it down into pros and cons might make it simpler.

Advantages of Oxidizing

Bare metals are going to oxidize anyways, this allows you to control the process.

Your customers won’t be surprised that the piece changes color, we can’t expect them to be up to par on metallurgy. That’s our job.

It protects the piece from actual corrosion in humid, salty climates.

It looks great on the vast majority of pieces.

Disadvantages

Not everyone has the skills and knowledge to do it properly, which is probably why you’re here in the first place.

It’ll take around 20 extra minutes per treatment.

Each batch of liver of sulfur adds a few cents to the cost of a piece.

The latter two problems can largely be mitigated by batching your pieces, which I’ll be describing as we go on.

That said, let’s get to the more practical instructions!

What About the Stones?

Not all stones are suitable for dipping in your liver of sulfur.

The main problem is porosity rather than hardness. While pumice, for instance, is actually a 7 on the Moh’s scale, it’s going to absorb a ton of the liver of sulfur solution and discolor and smell terrible afterward.

As a general rule, agates, jaspers, quartz, and the majority of gemstones used as accents (ie: tourmaline, garnet) are going to be fine even with a prolonged dip. The main exception you’ll run into is opal.

Any copper-bearing stone also needs to have care taken in treatment as well, including things like malachite and turquoise.

Now, you can still oxidize pieces with these stones but there is some risk.

I’ve personally dipped opal dozens of times and have only ever screwed one up when I was doing an actual test to see what would happen. The way that I proceed is by doing short dips in a moderate strength solution, roughly 10-15 seconds at a time, and wiping down the stone in between dips.

But a better solution would be to remove the stone from the setting before oxidation and replace it after but before polishing. If you proceed with using copper-bearing or porous stones then you’re doing so at your own risk, and it may not be a bad idea to take a less valuable piece and mess with it to determine what your margin of error is.

What You’ll Need

You don’t need a whole lot to get this set up. Just make sure you have the following:

Liver of Sulfur- I prefer gels like the one in the link. These tend to keep better for longer, but the solid form can be cheaper if you have climate controlled storage for it and use it frequently.

A Jar or Two- I use sauce jars from normal cooking. Dedicated mason jars aren’t a bad idea either, but I wouldn’t trust them with food after using them for this process.

Scrap Wire- I use a bit of 24g or 28g for batches.

Latex or Nitrile Gloves- Liver of sulfur isn’t super toxic, but it’s better to not come into contact with it if you can avoid it. Latex or nitrile gloves make it easier.

Polishing Cloth- We’ll be using this to touch up the high spots on the piece. You can also use high grit rubber wheels on a rotary or flex-shaft(generally 2000+ grit), or felt pads with some kind of polish which will speed things up.

Your Work- I prefer to batch 5-6 pendants or rings together at the same time to save money/materials. You can do pieces singly if you’d like.

Dish Soap- Since we need to ensure there are no surface oils on the pieces.

First Things First: Wash Your Work

As we work with our materials, our hands leave a barely perceptible coat of oil on the surface of the metal. We need to remove this in order to get the reaction working evenly across the piece.

This is particularly important with wire wrapping and weaving since the material is handled a lot while the piece is being assembled.

The good news is this part is simple: just wash it with dish soap and a sponge.

It’s not a bad idea to wear gloves during this part of the process, since it will prevent you from getting more oil on the piece. It’s not required though, just try to handle them minimally once you’ve given them a good scrubbing.

Heat Your Water

Now, take one of your jars and fill it with water. It doesn’t have to be completely full, but it has to be able to cover the piece.

I use the microwave for this. Generally, I heat my water in 30-second intervals until it’s steaming, generally in 2-3 cycles depending on the amount of water that I’m using.

The heat of your solution is one of two factors that will have a serious effect on how your reaction goes, the hotter the water the more quickly things will act.

It’s important not to get it too hot, as the oxidation can become thick and flaky if the reaction happens too quickly. You also don’t want to burn your hand while setting up.

While the water is heating, string your work on a piece of scrap wire and leave 12-18” of extra wire above where you’ve looped the pieces.

I tend to just twist the wire back in on itself after stringing, leaving myself with a considerable tail like so:

Create Your Solution

Take the hot water somewhere with good ventilation. If you’ve never used liver of sulfur before, you’re in for a treat. It smells like rotten eggs.

I generally just perform the reaction on the deck to avoid having to smell it indoors.

While the water is still hot, squeeze a bit of your liver of sulfur gel into the solution. Use it sparingly, it doesn’t take much at all and you can judge the strength of the solution by it’s color. You’ll want something disposable to mix it with, plastic spoons work well but I generally just grab a stick from the yard.

Aim for a yellow but transparent color like that pictured above, if the solution is steaming hot and you aim for that strength you shouldn’t have any problems with over-oxidation. The strength of your solution is the second part of controlling the speed of the reaction.

Time to Dip!

You’re now going to dip your pieces in the solution.

There are a few ways to go about it, but I tend to just grab a stick and wrap the wire around it several times. Then I kick back and mess with TikTok for five minutes, check on the progress, and put it back in. Just repeat until you have the desired result

With my normal strength of solution and heat it usually takes about 10 minutes to form a deep black layer on the copper. Check all of your pieces each time you pull it, sometimes one will have more trouble than the others and an extra 5 minutes isn’t going to hurt anything.

With sensitive stones you’ll have to take a more active approach, I generally dip for a 30-count at a time and wipe off the stone in between dips. Keep in mind this is risky, there are safer ways to do it if you’re not used to working with liver of sulfur.

Once the pieces have reached the proper coloration, I drop them in a second jar of regular water. Be careful if you have a particularly hot solution and do this, since thermal shock can occur and crack some stones.

Another Wash, Then Time to Polish

I then take the stones back inside and run water over them. You can also use a few tablespoons of baking soda in a bowl of water to completely neutralize the liver of sulfur, particularly if the water where you live isn’t very alkaline (ie: hard).

I dry them off with a dish towel afterward, or you can let them sit for a few minutes for the water to evaporate.

Then you’ll need to bring the pieces back to your workspace and polish them up. I use Sunshine Cloths for this most of the time, but I’ll use a felt wheel on my Dremel with Zam if I have quite a few of them to work through.

One thing to note: you may want some tweezers (or tweezer nose pliers) if using polishing cloth or felt on a piece that has complex weaving. On occasion, you’ll get some stray fibers caught in the piece and a pair of tweezers will make for easy removal.

At this point, you’ll want to let your artistic abilities take over. There’s no exact science to this, but I will note pure black will tend to flake off over time if exposed. You can get away with, say, a black piece underneath a coil but exposed black will flake.

At this point, you can either treat with a protectant (I use Renaissance Wax) or you can just put it in a jewelry bag to prevent further oxidation before shipping.

As you can see below, the use of oxidation added a lot of depth to this piece, highlighting the weaving and making sure the client receives what they’re actually looking at.

So give it a go!