Here’s our first post by Jewelry Designer Eva Sherman- the first of many great posts to help you make stunning jewelry!
Working with wire just happens to be one of my favorite forms of creative expression so the Coiling Gizmo is the perfect place to start my review of jewelry related products! 
The box contains 12 and 7 gauge mandrels for making 2 different size coils, a bracket that can be screw mounted, clamped to your work space or held in your hand, and a set of instructions. The mandrels are machined in such a way that one end becomes a crank handle and the other is used for coiling the wire on. The instructions are easy to follow and there is not a lengthy learning curve.
Other tools needed:
I started by mounting the bracket to my table with a clamp (not included) and following the instructions for anchoring the end of a coil of wire to the eye of the cranking handle; basically just wrap it around a few times. If it slips off, wrap it a few more times until it stays put.
I let the coil of wire fall in my lap as I began cranking. It was fairly easy to get into a rhythm and it took less than a minute to make a 6″ length of coil. If the coils spread apart I just pushed them against the bracket to tighten them back up. If the wire began to overlap I reversed the cranking direction until I got back to where the mistake began, and then continued on. When the mandrel falls out the other end, you’re done.
Cut the end of the wire at both ends and remove the coil. One thing you have to watch out for is that you don’t apply too much tension while you are coiling as this will make the coil a bit difficult to remove from the mandrel.
And voila!!!
You have a 6″ length of coil that you can slip over wire as part of a bracelet or necklace. You can also use this coil to make a coiled wire bead but that my friend, is a lesson for another day!
Tue, Jun 29, 2010
Jewelry