All the tools are here
Tensionser, drill, mandrel, holder
Categories: Instruction and information; Projects and equipment
Word count/read time: 486 words; 2 minutes
While this isn't the first thing that can ruin a batch of jump rings,
gremlins have many opportunities to ply their trade here. Any error will be amplified
untold times in the final product. All steps are important.
Precision is not a word that describes hardware store mandrels - stay away from them.
They are often ovalized, loaded with surface imperfections, and spiraled.
Suitable for craft or novelty items, it's difficult to make jewelry with them.
Mandrels should be machined and polished. Hardenable tool
steel or drill blanks will last forever with proper care. Complete collections
include 1/64" increments up to 1/2", or 0.5mm increments
up to 13mm. Larger sizes can use 1/32" or 1mm increments but should go up to about
1" (25mm). Longer is better; making rings in small batches wastes time and material.
Consistency becomes a problem, too.
Wire mills are fairly reliable so any wire issues likely happen after leaving the factory.
Freshly made wire might need to chillax for a few hours to dissipate hidden stresses.
Coils might need time to settle.
Metals have a temper rating from dead soft to
hardened spring state. Many work-harden, too. Hardness affects
the ferocity of springback or windup. Annealed wire is more likely
to match the mandrel diameter.
A paltry 3% oversize can kill a Jens Pind Linkage (JPL) so size does matter.
Pulling wire over the edge of the spool introduces
a very unpredictable twist
that will express itself in detestable ways.
Avoid this by unrolling the spool like a roll of toilet paper.
To reduce springback and ensure a tight coil, the wire must be under tension
and have no space between the individual wraps.
Without consistent tension,
jump rings from the same coil can be vastly different.
Applying tension by holding the wire is not advised.
Shards and splinters will slice and embed painfully and deeply into unsuspecting flesh,
not even slowed by gloves. The solution is a tensioning device.
Wire can be secured to the mandrel several ways. A hole or slot is convenient and virtually
failsafe. A drill bit depth stopper work great. Some people jam it into the drill chuck.
Pliers or large clamps are bulky and dangerous when spinning.
Manual winding is not recommended but it can work.
For production or serious hobbyist use, a coil winding machine is indispensable.
Round wire is still round when it twists, more or less. Profiled wire is more moody.
Square, diamond, or half-round will be unusable.
It must be handled with the utmost care to keep it square and straight.
Putting it all together - The tensioning device guides the wire.
The mandrel rotates freely inside a plastic bushing.
The wire is secured to the end of the mandrel.
Micromaille will throw every convention out the window.
Not the typical micromaille, but rings under 1/16" I.D. (0.06", 1.59mm) using 26ga
(0.4mm, 0.016") or thinner wire. Some might call it nanomaille.
Posted by M: May 8, 2019
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