Clasps for braided leather 5mm

[marsha1208]

I've got some bradied leather cord that I want to make into a bracelet.  The end of the cord is 5mm wide.  What is the best kind of clasp to use?  Thanks.

[marym]

I would suggest using 5 to 7mm bullet ends.   You can attach almost any clasp you choose to the loop of a bullet end.

You can use the kind with a hole for wire (wrapping your end with wire then "threading" the wire through the bullet end hole to form a loop).

Or you can get the kind of bullets with a loop end, and attach it to your cord with a (very) strong adhesive.  

I prefer the wire wrapping method... it just seems to be a stronger hold.  Bracelets do tend to get pulled and the clasps you choose are likely to get "tested" so whatever you choose, make sure it’s going to be durable.

Good luck, hope this helps!

-Mary
Rings & Things Marketing staff.

[Luann Udell]

I've done some wrapping on leather cord, and it's HARD!!  There's nothing stiff to wrap around, like when you make a wrapped loop in wire.  Do you have any tips for wrapping leather ends?  My fingertips would thank you....!!
Luann

[marym]

Hi Luann I'm glad you asked this one!!  For the longest time I tried in vain to "get great" at wire wrapping.  I finally found one of the best kept wire wrapping secrets... use your fingers as little as possible!!  With two pairs of pliers you can get the grip you need to create a tight wrap.  I will usually clamp my cord across an open workspace so I can get to it easily.  I don't try to begin the wrap at the very tip end of the wire... I just get a good hold of the wire one or two inches from the end with my pliers (I clip off the excess later) and use another set of needle nose pliers to grip the other end - then start wrapping!!  Give this method a try… and let me know if you have any other questions.  

-Mary
Rings & Things Marketing Staff

[Luann Udell]

Okay, I'd figured out the trick of not trying to start or end right at the ends of the wire.  I actually use ultra fine head pins, wrap, squash wire flat & trim ends.
But what do you mean about clamping?  If I'm trying to wrap to create a loop in the leather cord at one end, I'd clamp....where?  (The loop is about 10mm from end to end, with about 5mm of wrapping.)
waiting with 'bated breath,
Luann

[marym]

Ahh I see what your question is now... I use standard clamps and create a sort of "power line" with my cord, clamping at the "ends" above my work table (I have two wooden dowels on either side of my table for this purpose).  This holds the cord tight so I can wrap with out too much give. I then coil the wire, and finish by clipping the cord and excess wire.  But this won't work for what you need unless you make your loop big enough to be clamped and clamp a double strand rather than just one strand.  

There was another method I thought about last night that might work a little better for you.  It's only a slight variation of the above method.... but you'll need a longer piece of wire... And for this I do recommend using a gauged round wire that is bigger than your standard head pin (you'll want this to be tough).  First, make a u shaped bend in the first inch of about four inches of wire, take one set of pliers and hold both your looped end of the cord and the 'short' end of the wire firmly in the jaws.  Then bend the other end of your wire in an L shape (is this a 45 degree angle??  I'm bad with angles... '>. Cross over the wire that should now be held parallel to your cord.   If you have a tight grip on both the cord and the wire you should be able to use your second pair of pliers (or your fingers) to coil the wire around both the cord AND the extended bit of straight wire.  This gives you a coil that has a solid middle to wrap around.    

Of course you could make or purchase a few large mm coil ends too... although they are not often tight and can sometimes look unsightly when you flatten them, they would solve the entire problem.  Wire wrapping... it's a beautiful headache {{sigh}}.

Good luck Luann!!  Let me know if this works for you.

-Mary
Rings & Things Marketing staff

[Luann Udell]

Boy, Mary, that was some heavy-duty thinking!  '>  Thanks so much for the suggestions and as soon as I clear off my work table, I'll try it out.  (hahahahaha)  Fortunately, I have an open studio coming up in mid-November, so I HAVE to clear off my work table....

If it's not one too many questions, what do you mean by having dowels set up on either end of your table?  I know you're stretching/clamping the leather between the two dowels somehow, but what does that set-up look like?? (My table is 8 feet long.)

Don't you wish you could draw pictures on the internet?  '>
Luann

[marym]

LOL... I actually can scan a drawing and have it posted but it's easier to just try to explain.  I had a long piece of wood turned into a workbench for myself.  I knew there were times when I needed a bracing method, and I find table clamps to be too limiting with the angle I need to be able to wire wrap.  Basically, I had two dowels placed in drilled holes in my table.  Its totally rigged... '> but, I purchased the long dowels so the ends would rest on the floor after being 'inserted' into the holes in the bench.  How far apart you space them is up to you.  I chose to place them on either end of the center of my workspace (but if I could go back I would probably just have them on the far left side of the table, about two and a half to three feet apart).  If you have a wood worker handy (or if you are one) ask them to fashion two pegs made from dowels about two and a half feet apart at some point on your bench.  Regular heavy-duty clamps will hold any cord to those dowels, suspending the cord in a workable angle.  Whew... my brain hurts now.  '>

My suggestion to every one reading this is: It's far easier and faster to work/create after you have made your bench work for your needs... don't try to work your needs around your bench's limits if at all possible. With a few power tools, you can customize your bench by creating simple additions geared toward your specialty.... what ever that may be.  '>

-Mary
Rings & Things marketing staff

[Metalman]

Jumping back to the fittings part of this discussion.  When you are up for it, Art Clay can be great for designing and fabricating your own end and hooks, etc.

The bench discussion has been excellant!

[Luann Udell]

I thought the low-fired silver clays weren't strong enough to form clasps and such working parts.  Something about the porosity of the finished silver or the purity...??  Has that changed?  That would be good news!
Luann
P.S.  Thanks Mary for the extensive posting on the wrapping.  I'm not a real metalworker, so my workbench is one of those folding conference tables from Staples.  Not to amenable to holes & modifications...
However, I bet I could rig up something that might work just as well, now that I can visualize your set-up.  Thank you for taking the time to explain it so thoroughly.

[Metalman]

Let's see - there are a couple of issues you have referred to:
1) The metal clays all run at 99.9% pure silver.  This is the standard in the metals industry - you will rarely find any of the metal refiners calling their silver 100% pure - I am not sure on why.
2) Porosity - well true, the metal clays have a certain level of porousity but there several ways to work with that. The metal clays respond well to burnishing which compresses the molecular structure. This hardens and strengthens the metal. A way to 'treat' a number of pieces is to tumble them with stainless steel shot. This burnishes [or micro-hammers] the pieces as well as giving you a soft luster polish.
Two further notes: One is the size or diameter of the pieces made.  In a location where you might use wire to make a finding, you can't substitute metal clay of the same diameter - here there will not be the strength. BUT you can take the metal clay and use it to ornament over a wire fitting or a plain fitting - giving you a personalized custom touch to what otherwise might be just a purchased finding.  This way you have strength combined with the design versatility of the clay
Lastly - I usually make up a piece using a new approach or method and wear it for a while, you know -product testing. This way I can confirm that I am making a quality piece of work that I can stand behind as a product I am selling to the public.

So - nothing has 'changed', we are all learning how to work with these great new products better and better.

[Luann Udell]

Re: silver purity, I thought other metals were added to silver to add strength, like gold.  And that these metals were not safe to fire in a home situation.  I don't remember where I read this, so can't vouch for veracity....  Hence, I thought pure silver, like pure gold, was slightly weaker because it didn't have the strengthening alloy metals.  
I didn't know about the burnishing to compress the molecular structure, that's a good thing to know.
Don't get me wrong re: PMC--I was speaking at an Arts Business Conference in TN this week, and actively defended PMC to a professional jeweler/silversmith!   I THINK successfully... '>
Luann

[beady girl]

i am a new member here ,i want to ask about jewellery projects only made with  sequin ,or free instruction sites for sequin jewellery:laugh: