Have you ever had a cord necklace that is a little too long? I have. Rather than cutting off the cord ends and starting again, here is a quick solution - tie a simple knot close to the cord tip. Heck, you can even tie two or more knots in a row if you really overshot the length and it'll still look like it was part of the design!Debbie (my friend and co-instructor) taught me this trick. She in turn picked it up from a non-jewelry artisan who learned how to solve that problem as she didn't know how to change cord ends!
If, as I did, you discovered while you were tying the knot that the jump ring you used was not closed properly, this nifty loop closing tool will help you close it when other pliers can't.
First make sure the ends of the wire are perfectly aligned even if there is still a gap that you cannot close. The loop closing pliers has grooves on both jaws which are placed over the delinquent ring. Make sure the gap in the jump ring is still visible before closing the pliers firmly so you can see if it is working. If you don't have alignment, the ends will slip past each other!
I've found it doesn't always work. It works best for soft metals like sterling silver. Stainless steel - forget it! I've also tried using it on my chain maille but I found I couldn't use it with some weaves and ring sizes as there wasn't enough space to place the pliers over the rings.
For tutorials check out my Jewelry Making Tips
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5 comments:
Cool trick with the knots! Plus macrame is so in now. Could just use the knots as deliberate design elements!
I like the tip about the knots. Really looks like part of the design.
I like your tool too. It sort of does exactly what I tell my chain maille students NOT to do. Closing slightly open rings in chain maille is a %^&* after the fact. When learning something new, it is hard to remember to close each ring perfectly. Besides the most perfect ring is always the one you need to open again.
Bev - you're absolutely right about chain maille ring closing! But I am not perfect and I have noticed the odd ring I have missed making a perfect closure AFTER I finish the whole darn thing!
Great knot tip Pearl...I'll remember that!
I don't do chain maille, but I find sometimes I've closed the rings nicely and will be looking at the piece sometime later and the ring is no longer closed properly???
Cheers
This is a great tip and I too have found closing jump ring can be a pain -AND I've also pinched them past each other and ruined the ring! It would be a great tool if it was more universal.
-Stephanie
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