Chainmaking tools ordered

I think it would be extremely satisfying to turn a length of plain silver wire into a beautiful bracelet, so it's time to try making my own silver jump rings. I've ordered a Jeweller's saw, blades and (for fashion reasons only) a clip on loupe from TickInTime. Tickintime has been great so far, he quickly answered my question about combined shipping costs and invoiced me about 2 minutes after I asked for a total price. If they arrive safely, he definitely gets my vote as a top EBay seller.

I'll hopefully be able to find some silver wire in town and will take Daws' suggestion of using knitting needles as mandrels. 144 blades should keep me going for a while, but I really have no idea how often these extremely thin blades will break.

I didn't order any files yet, and I suspect there will be burrs on all the cuts which will need to be removed - I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.

Having looked at the price of silver wire online, it looks like I'm not going to save any money by making my own links but I am really looking forward to making everything from basic materials.

I'm off to sit by the letterbox an wait for the postie.

Update: 09:33 11/07/09 Items have been shipped - more great service!

Update: 10:00 13/07/09 Items arrived safely! - thanks Tickintime!

Comments #

Daws: You'll need some beeswax to lubricate the blades when cutting through silver. I just chopped the bottom off a candle, but it has to be beeswax, normal paraffin wax is no good for silver, although it's perfect for aluminium. Hit up your local charity shop for a cheap and plentiful supply of knitting needles. Cut the pointy end off, drill a hole through perpendicular to the axis (to hold the wire) and bend it into a crank shape for easy winding! That Loupe is seriously trick! .-= Daws´s last blog ..Tools =-.

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