M.A.I.L. :: View topic

Saradamon · Joined: February 24, 2010 Posts: 551 Submissions: 4

heh, well organization isn't exactly my forte either. I can do all the preparations fine, but then I just end up forgetting about the organization methods I was using and start piling files directly next to a filing cabinet instead of in it Razz

and i wont even say anything about my first attempt at a turk's head ring other than that I tried to make it with the ring mandrel as a pool cue (i though: hey, i can just slide it up to size it once it's done, and that should work harden it, so i wont need to worry about it breaking when i take it off) and made it from 16 swg copper -_-

i could only get it under the prior lead ONCE and it was a 3 lead XD

2nd attempt was with 18 swg copper, and got it 2 strands, but messed up the pattern of it by missing 2 underlaps.

3rd and 4th were in 20 awg ( 0.032", essentially the size that you stated as the thinnest wire to safely use in a single strand ring), both single strand, 8 bight, but one 3 lead, and one 5 lead. messed up the overlaps on both of them Razz

(and the bronze was 1/2 hard, btw. the prior copper was dead soft... though it hardened slightly when i was stripping it XD)

5th attempt was with 22 awg (0.025") dead soft fine silver in a 5 lead 8 bight tripple stranded ring (the one in question in for this thread)

i messed up an overlap on the 3rd lead, as noticed when i reached the 4th lead, and untied it back to there, but one of the wires broke and the other 2 were close to that point, so i completely untied it and put the wires to the side (even the broken one seems to have one half that is still long enough for a smaller (like size 5/6 ish) 5 lead ring, so i'm saving those for when i'm able to anneal wire (or, as why i keep any silver scraps, for when I can cast a billet of it and draw my own wire)

6th attempt was the same, with fresh wire, and finished it without a hitch... heh...

it was in the 6th attempt that I finally got it into my thick skull how it was that you would tell when to go under or over Razz

(before i was just going over or under the first wire that it passed, then the opposite for the 2nd, etc... yea... um... Razz

though i was still going off the instructions for a 3 lead, so i was basically teaching myself 5 lead from a 3 lead and your pics of 5 lead rings XD)

then 7th and 8th were single strand steel rings, both 8 bight, but one 5 lead and the other 7 lead.

though i made one more of the 7 leads yesterday and might tie in more steel wire to try and make it more than single strand. hardest part with the steel is that when it's drawn under a lead, the scraping against itself does to the wire that hasnt been tied in yet (what your pulling out) what a straight edge does to paper when dragged across it's surface (ie. it starts curling up quickly XD)

and heh, loosing pathways must be more likely in bracelets Razz