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Ok for those woman that have used jump rings how do you close em so nothing falls thru them? seems like i can't get mine closed enough and stuff just falls right thru the gap. I am thinking there must be some trick to those little buggers...
You need to open it by twisting each end in opposite directions, as opposed to pulling them apart. If you are looking at the jump ring as an "o" - you pull one side towards you and the other away from you. Then to close, you just twist the ends back til they meet. Hope that makes sense!
I used to have this same problem - but I realized I just needed to practice opening it by pulling the two sides in opposite directions and using my pliers to close it in the same manner - it just took practice.
And yeah - I still mess up at times.
DOn't give up -keep trying. I do know that if you go to a Bead Shop - you can usually find Soudered (sp?) O rings or Jump Rings - I like these as well when I can use them.
If they are made out of a stronger metal I have had to use two needlenose pliers, one in each hand to get them closed tight. If that doesn't work get different jump rings. I have rarely had that problem.
Be sure you don't "pull them apart." I did this and had a terible time. You must twist the two ends away from each other, so when you are ready to close it you just twist the ends back to where you started. Very easy to do!
If you follow the tips above and still have the same problem, try using a lower gauge of wire (thicker wire). I have also found that hammering the jumpring prior to bending it (see posts above regarding 'o' reference) may harden the wire a bit for you. HTH!
Usually, after securing my jump ring to a card project, I will place a tiny drop of Crystal Effects where the ends of the jump ring meet. Dries clear and, seems to work well for that.
I wonder if that would also work for jewelry? Possibly? Keep things from slipping out? Or, I suppose you could use double jump rings, but, man, those are a pain to open and I've given up. There's probably some cool trick I don't know of for opening and closing them easily and I'm just a jump ring moron . . .
What do you think, Cindy? You are the jewelry maker extraordinaire . . . I haven't practice my soldering since my dismal attempt at Christmas . . . sigh . . . so, I don't know much . . .
__________________ Julie Ebersole (JulieHRR once upon a time . . . )julieebersole.com"So shines a good deed in a weary world." -Willy Wonka
Soldering works, yes. But I end up wearing a mask & goggles to file the rough edge(s) with my Dremel or metal file. Pain in the butt!
If you don't manipulate the split ring just right, they split, and 'uncoil', and do not stay close together to secure your item. Also, if you go this route of utilizing split rings I recommend a pair of split ring pliers.
Jewelry Making question
