Basic Tools for Beginner

Hi there,
as a beginner to wire jewelry making, you may be a little overwhelmed by the huge variety of tools available for jewelry makers. Many get a bit intimidated when it comes to the world of tools. Let me share what I know for basic tools.

- Round Nose Plier: good for bending and forming loops.
- Chain Nose Plier: use for opening and closing small loops, getting into tight space. Chain nose plier has NO teeth.
- Flush Cutters: before you buy, cut a piece of wire with them. Look at cut ends. A "flush cut", is one where the wire, after cut, is not left burred. You need a good flush cut for making proper jump rings, or for making any kind of chain from rings. The wire needs to have as flat a surface where you have just made the cut as possible.

- Wires: round, half-round, square. For some first project, I use round wire. It is easier, cheaper and available at mostly beads shops. It is size of the wires called wire-gauge. The smaller the number, the thicker the wire. You can watch complete size here http://www.wire-to-jewelry.com/wire-gauge-chart.html
Mostly we use 26ga, 22ga, 20ga and 16ga.


Look at bead-shop near you to find basic tools and wires. There are plenty online shop too. Like here:
www.firemountaingems.com
www.LimaBeads.com
www.riogrande.com
or other shop as Mr.Google guides you ;-)

xx