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Solid Copper Eye Pins
Copper is a soft, easy to work with metal, which makes these solid copper eye pins great for making wrapped loops and other wire manipulations.
22-gauge eye pins are thin, making them good for stringing beads with small holes. 20-gauge eye pins offer a great all-purpose width that is sturdy but still bendable.
Lengths range from 1.5" to 2", and wholesale price breaks are listed. The warmth of copper makes beautiful artisan jewelry.
Basic Loops
The loop size will depend on how much wire you leave past the end of your beads, and around which part of your pliers you bend the loop. A good loop size is usually about 1/3 of the way from the tip of your pliers, with about 8mm of wire.
Use round needle-nose pliers.
If using an eye pin, decide which way you want the loop to go - the same direction as the premade loop on the other end, or 90º off. Keep this direction in mind as you bend the rest of the wire.
Cut off any excess wire (we suggest retaining 8mm above the top of your beads).
Grip the pin just above the top bead (at the arrow above), and bend the wire sharply toward you.
Grasp the tip of the wire with pliers, and bend smoothly away from you, around the pliers.
Wrapped Loops
Use chain-nose pliers to grasp the wire just above the top of the bead.
Use your fingers to bend the wire sharply over the top of the pliers, at a 90° angle. You should have 2-3mm of straight wire between the bead and the bend.
Use round-nose pliers to grasp a spot just above the bend, and use your fingers to smoothly bend the wire all the way around the tip of the pliers.
Now use pliers to grasp the wire firmly across the loop. Use your fingers or chain-nose pliers to carefully wrap the wire around the stem. For best control, experts recommend you break this step into a series of half wraps.
