Someone asked me a question today that reminded me…I need to write an article about wire. So, here goes!

When it comes to wire, things can get really confusing. There are things that make no sense unless you know what all those crazy words mean, so, I’ll start with a glossary. How’s that?

Gauge – This refers to the size of the wire. The larger the number, the smaller the wire. Perfectly confusing, right? This is used in the American Wire Gauge standard, which is the most common used in jewelry wire, I think.

0g wire is about the size of a sharpie marker and 28g wire is about the size of thick sewing thread

 

Full Hard, Half Hard, Dead Soft – These are all terms describing the hardness of the wire. Full hard will be very springy and dead soft will be very, well, soft. :)

Those are the two things you’ll need to know when buying wire. There is a third thing, shape. These days, wire comes in all kinds of shapes. Round, square, triangle, half round, twisted, and more! I only ever use round, but that’s just my preference. If i want my wire flat, I hammer it with a chasing hammer on my bench block.

A chasing hammer is a special type of hammer with a large flat surface on one side and the other side of the head is a smooth rounded surface. The flat side is useful for flattening wire shapes to strengthen them. The round side gives a lovely hammered texture that reflects the light beautifully.

A bench block is a block of hardened steel that is polished smooth.  The block is used for all hammering with the chasing hammer when the desired result is flat. :) I use mine for handmade clasps, ear wires, and charms.

Ok, I’m getting off track here. Wire, back to wire. What, when and where.

The most common wire I use?

• 18g or larger dead soft – I use this for clasps, bails, and various soldering experiments.
• 20g half hard – I use this for jump rings, clasps, links, and large beads.
• 22g half hard – I use this most often. It works for wraps, links, jump rings, and ear wires.
• 24g half hard – I use this on gemstone beads with small holes, and pearls.
• 24g dead soft – I use this on gemstone briolettes where the holes are close to the top of the stone and I’m worried about breakage. I also use this for wrapping on rings and bead frames.
• Hardness is generally not noted on copper wire. It compares closely to dead soft.

In general, use the largest wire that will fit through your beads without overpowering them, or breaking them.

Up next: Wire working tools!

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