Top Tip Tuesday ~ Jewellery Basics Tutorial ~ Turning Loops

Jewellery Basics Techniques

I will be adding a number of Jewellery Basics to my blog along with other techniques in wirework.

 

In this tutorial I will show you how to make a turned loop using both methods, I have used one single bead to show how to do it with a bead in place.  I recommend that you try a few times on some spare, old or cheap headpins to practice before making a pair of earrings, for instance.

 

A Turned Loop

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. On a headpin place on beads in desired pattern/design.  

 

 

 

2. Trim headpin down to approx. 1cm above the last bead.

 

 

 

3. Take the round nosed pliers, grasp the end of the headpin between the blades at the very tip.

Tip:

Ensure the tip of the pin does not protrude above the blades of the pliers, run your finger across the top of the blades ~ you shouldn't be able to feel the tip of the pin.



4.  Turn the pin around the blade pushing down with your thumb to form the loop, until you can't go any further.

                                 




5. Reposition your blades to continue with the loop until it closes, straighten you hands to allow you to continue comfortably

         

                                                           

 

this should resemble a ‘p’ or ‘q’ shape 



                                           



6.  To finish the loop, place blade of pliers into the back of the loop

       

 

NB:  take careful note of the position of the blades in the loop

  

7.  Bend back the wire to centralise the loop above the bead  

     

You may need to ‘tweak’ the loop as the bending can cause the loop to open a little, to close it up, just place your blades into the front of the loop again and just pull around to remove the gap, making sure you have fully inserted the blade into the loop, otherwise the loop can distort.    

You could also squeeze the loop together using flat nosed pliers, very slowly and carefully ~ too much pressure could end up completely distorting the loop and destroying the circular shape of the loop.

 

 

                                         A Turned Loop

 

 

Turned Loop – Alternative Method

1.  Place beads onto a headpin, bend the pin back at 90° angle just above the bead

2.  Trim headpin to 1cm.  Grasp pin with round nosed pliers at the very tip.

 

 

 

3. Bend the pin around the blade to form the loop in the opposite direction to the bend        

                                          

Tip:

Use your other thumb to help guide the wire around the blade as before.

 

 

NB:

 

If the end of the wire sits above the bead, too high, then you can trim the wire and carry the loop round to close it once again.  This shortens the wire so bringing it down lower, nearer to the bead.

 

 

 

 

That's it all done!


Next time ~~

I will show you how to make a Wrapped Loop ~  a little more complex than the turned loop but definitely worth the effort to master this technique as it has many uses and is a very fundamental wirework technique.


Til next time

E x