Wire woven/braided(?) rings

[CWaltrip]

Hi everyone!  I have a question that I assume someone will be able to help me with '>  I've seen rings before that look like two or three strands of wire braided together and then turned into a ring...I've been sitting here at home for the past few hours of today staring at the wire I ordered trying to figure something out...Ideally my goal is to make two rings:  one with two strands of gold wire and one silver wire braided together, and then one with one strand of gold and two strands of silver braided together.  One of these being for me and the other for my girlfriend.  Anyone have any idea as to the best way to go about this?  Also, what thickness wire would you recommend?  Thanks for the help everyone!!

//Chris

[Metalman]

On projects like this, I like to start out with copper wire, so I can work out the bends and the details before I get into the $$ stuff.  You can also check out several gauges [ that what the metals people call wire thickness] of wire to see which combination you like best.
Once you have braided the wire, you may want to hammer it to flatten the rings a bit. This is also something you will want to experiment with before you use the gold and silver. Sizing will be affected by hammering as well as the stretch of the braid.

[Polly]

2 things that might be useful:
A vise to grip the other end of the wire, so you can pull the braid tight as you're working.  Any bench vise should do (but expect it to damage that far end of your wire).

And, one of the reasons to hammer the wire a bit, is to work-harden it.
As Kurt noted, hammering it can change the size/length of the braid.
We've just added a tool (it will be in stock in June 2007) designed to help with that problem.  Don't laugh! -- It's call the Wire Whacker.  It's actually pretty nice (and simple), but if you're just making one set of rings you don't need it.  Take a look at the link and find some nice smooth boards to do the same thing with.  They'll get a little beat up fairly fast, which is why someone came up with these nifty little plastic boards.

[Pixel.Pixie]

I am fairly new to wire work, and appreciate all the help ya'll give.  I was wondering, how would you go about closing the braid into a ring without making a mess of it?    

Thanks ya'll.

[Polly]

Hi PixelPixie,

I haven't tried it, so can't give you a proper answer from personal experience. I'll get some tips from the wireworkers around me and post them -- I should have their answers to post by Tuesday.

Beautiful Wire Jewelry for Beaders: Creative Wirework Projects for all Levels, by Irina Miech looks like it might be a good resource (I've read glowing reviews for it), but I'm not sure if it specifically addresses braided wire rings.  (I'll double-check the book and post the results.)

[Polly]

I haven't yet found anyone who has tried making a ring like this.  One suggestion is:
"... make your braid longer than you need, hammer it flat, then saw the ends to length matching up the wires and solder.  Soldering would need to be done with a jewelers torch."