All About Making Chains with Jump Rings
Marilyn Gardiner Design
Bead Oasis - Fall 2008 Marilyn Gardiner Design Seminar Summary • Types of Chain Mail • Where to learn more – books and on-line • About Jump Rings • Tools you will need • Supplies you might want • How to finish your work • How to evaluate a kit or book
Bead Oasis - Fall 2008 Marilyn Gardiner Design How to get these notes • Join our e-mailing list – Book is going around – Please print clearly! – We will send you a PDF set of notes of this presentation. • If you can’t wait.. – Send us an e-mail asking! – [email protected]
Bead Oasis - Fall 2008 Marilyn Gardiner Design Types of Chain Mail
European Weave • traditionally used for armour and jewellery • from Europe and the Middle East • typically have a grain that only runs in one direction • two sets of rings that lie in opposite planes
Bead Oasis - Fall 2008 Marilyn Gardiner Design Types of Chain Mail
European •Boxchain
Bead Oasis - Fall 2008 Marilyn Gardiner Design Types of Chain Mail
European •Byzantine
Bead Oasis - Fall 2008 Marilyn Gardiner Design Types of Chain Mail Japanese Weave • traditionally used in Japan armour • numerous ring connections • horizontal rings joined by vertical "connector" rings
Bead Oasis - Fall 2008 Marilyn Gardiner Design Types of Chain Mail
Japanese •Flower
Bead Oasis - Fall 2008 Marilyn Gardiner Design Types of Chain Mail
Japanese • Origami
Bead Oasis - Fall 2008 Marilyn Gardiner Design Types of Chain Mail
Persian Weave • very similar to European • based on a "stacked" ring orientation • most Persian weaves are modern •not used as armour • most have both left and right handed versions • rings become stacked and form pairs, produces a thicker, tighter weave
Bead Oasis - Fall 2008 Marilyn Gardiner Design Types of Chain Mail
Persian Weave
Bead Oasis - Fall 2008 Marilyn Gardiner Design Types of Chain Mail
Persian Weave •Viper Scale
Bead Oasis - Fall 2008 Marilyn Gardiner Design Types of Chain Mail Other • newer weaves or patterns • hybrids of other patterns •combined with other techniques, including beads
Bead Oasis - Fall 2008 Marilyn Gardiner Design Types of Chain Mail
Other • Mobius Ball
Bead Oasis - Fall 2008 Marilyn Gardiner Design Types of Chain Mail
Other • Barrel Weave
Bead Oasis - Fall 2008 Marilyn Gardiner Design On-line Resources
Marilyn Gardiner Booth 2348 www.marilyngardiner.com • Canadian, based in Waterloo • Teaches in Toronto at BeadFX and Bead- Junction and conferences • Chain Mail kits, rings, tools, and all supplies • Free tutorials
Bead Oasis - Fall 2008 Marilyn Gardiner Design Website
M.A.I.L. (Maille Artisans International League) • www.mailleartisans.org • International group of artisans promoting all aspects of chain mail • Amazing resource – History, techniques, patterns and more
Bead Oasis - Fall 2008 Marilyn Gardiner Design Book & Website
• Anne Mitchell • www.annemitchell.net • author and chain mail designer
Bead Oasis - Fall 2008 Marilyn Gardiner Design Book & Website
Dylon Whyte • www.artofchainmail.com • Canadian author and chain mail designer
Bead Oasis - Fall 2008 Marilyn Gardiner Design Books
Chains by Becky – Canadian Publication – Not widely available – By Helen & Becky Goga Spiral bound: 70 pages Publisher: HGSJ, 2006
Bead Oasis - Fall 2008 Marilyn Gardiner Design Magazines
• Step-by-Step Wirework • Art Jewelry • Jewelry Artist • Bead & Button • Beadwork – Quarterly or – every two months
Bead Oasis - Fall 2008 Marilyn Gardiner Design Rings Where to get them? –In the kit! or – Buy rings according to pattern or weave directions or – Make the rings!
Bead Oasis - Fall 2008 Marilyn Gardiner Design Making Rings What kind of wire is used? • base metals, precious metals, alloys – gold (red, yellow, pink, green, white) –gold plate – platinum – silver - fine, sterling, Argentium – copper & enamelled copper –brass –bronze
Bead Oasis - Fall 2008 Marilyn Gardiner Design Making Rings
– niobium & anodized niobium – titanium & anodized titanium – steel variations –aluminium (anodized, bright, etched, plain); – nickel –rubber
Bead Oasis - Fall 2008 Marilyn Gardiner Design Making Rings
Shapes of wire? •Round – first choice • square wire • half-round wire •twisted wire • patterned wire
Bead Oasis - Fall 2008 Marilyn Gardiner Design Making Rings Sizes of Rings? TWO measurements 1. Thickness of wire – measured in mm or Gauge 2. Size of ring is measured by inside diameter of hole in ring (ID-Inside Diameter) Example: Sterling Silver Ring - 0.80 mm (20 gauge) 3.5 mm ID the wire is 0.80 mm or 20 gauge thick the inside diameter (ID) of this ring is 3.5 mm In Canada we use metric measurements Wire in jump rings is measured in mm
Bead Oasis - Fall 2008 Marilyn Gardiner Design Making Rings
• U.S. uses gauge, not mm • 18 gauge wire is 1.024 mm thick • US wire uses American Wire Gauge (AWG), also called Brown & Sharpe. • British system called Imperial Standard Wire Gauge (SWG).
Bead Oasis - Fall 2008 Marilyn Gardiner Design Making Rings
Remember the higher the gauge number - the thinner the wire.
Bead Oasis - Fall 2008 Marilyn Gardiner Design Making Rings
Size Matters! Rings are too big – finished piece is floppy Rings are too small – rings won’t fit inside another as required by pattern
Bead Oasis - Fall 2008 Marilyn Gardiner Design Making Rings
• How to keep track of the measurements? www.convert-me.com
• Measure it with Calipers
Bead Oasis - Fall 2008 Marilyn Gardiner Design Making Rings
• Wire temper – How hard is the wire? •Three general tempers –hard –half-hard – dead soft • Most rings are half-hard
Bead Oasis - Fall 2008 Marilyn Gardiner Design Making Rings Wrap wire tightly around a mandrel – Knitting needles are good and in a variety of specific sizes – Carefully cut coil • With saw or snips Takes Practice!
Bead Oasis - Fall 2008 Marilyn Gardiner Design Making Rings
Better method! More consistent , less painful!
Bead Oasis - Fall 2008 Marilyn Gardiner Design Or… Buy Rings! Packaged rings available in many: •Sizes •Metals • Shapes • Quantities, –by the dozen, – or by the ounce
Bead Oasis - Fall 2008 Marilyn Gardiner Design Tools
Pliers – 2 sets – Flat surface with no teeth – Teeth will mar or mark the metal – Metal or nail file
Bead Oasis - Fall 2008 Marilyn Gardiner Design Tools
• Flush cutters to cut wire
Bead Oasis - Fall 2008 Marilyn Gardiner Design Tools
Crimpers for crimping wire jewellery
Bead Oasis - Fall 2008 Marilyn Gardiner Design Tools
• Round nose for wire wrapping
Bead Oasis - Fall 2008 Marilyn Gardiner Design Tools
How to choose tools: Try them! They need to feel good in your hands. Consider: • Padding on grip • Length of handles •Tension in tool
Bead Oasis - Fall 2008 Marilyn Gardiner Design To start - you need
•Pattern • Rings •Tools • Good light • Comfortable work surface
You are ready!
Bead Oasis - Fall 2008 Marilyn Gardiner Design How to open a ring Hold the jump ring between 2 pairs of pliers, with the jump ring opening at the top. The pliers should be angled in a “tent” shape, with the pliers’ tips below the opening. Rotate your wrists. Rotate your dominant hand towards you, and the non-dominant hand away from you.
Bead Oasis - Fall 2008 Marilyn Gardiner Design How to open a ring
Bead Oasis - Fall 2008 Marilyn Gardiner Design Repeat as needed!
Bead Oasis - Fall 2008 Marilyn Gardiner Design Finishing touches
Clasps •Toggle •Box •Others
Bead Oasis - Fall 2008 Marilyn Gardiner Design Instructions & kits Evaluate the instructions • Are they suited to how YOU learn best? • Diagrams or photos? • Overview to tell you how the instructions are organized? • Broken up into sections or chunks? • Lots of step-by-step details? • Cues to tell you what to look at in the photos or diagrams? • Simple, clear language?
Bead Oasis - Fall 2008 Marilyn Gardiner Design Keys to success
• Have the tools appropriate for the task • Excellent lighting • Good workspace – table or work surface • Magnifiers if needed • Work carefully, paying attention to closure of each ring; check each ring closure for sharp edges & file if needed (superfine emery board, nail file)
Bead Oasis - Fall 2008 Marilyn Gardiner Design Thanks!
Sue Henry For Marilyn Gardiner Design Kits, tools, supplies, books, patterns, rings for Chain Mail www.marilyngardiner.com
Bead Oasis - Fall 2008 Marilyn Gardiner Design