MY  TOOLS

A
b
o
u
t

m
y

A
d
d
i
c
t
i
o
n
 

I love tools.

I love working with my hands.

I am somewhat of a tool addict. Love to go shopping for it.

Below I am showing you just some few but major tools I use. Those are for making jump rings.
One can buy them finished but I enjoy making them myself. It is fun and satisfying.

Please note, this is not a tutorial !!

 
Here are some even, beautiful, round and clean tumbled sterling silver jump rings.

How to get there? See below !!

 

  
Once I decide what I want to make and know the size of the jump ring I need, I select the proper mandrel.
As you can see to the right, I have plenty of different sized mandrels.
 

 
The mandrel is placed in the Koil Winder.
And the Koil Winder is mounted on a vice.

I attach one end of the wire into the slot of the mandrel and start winding or coiling the wire onto the mandrel.
To the right you can see a little handle with which I am operating the Koil Winder.

 

  

Close up
 

 
This is how it looks. Isn't that beautifully round? It takes some practice but you may get a feeling for it quickly. To practice first, I would suggest to use a cheap wire like bright aluminum before making sterling silver or gold jump rings.

Before I cut the coiled wire, I place it onto a strip of tape. So I won't end up having the rings all over after cutting them.
 		  

 

  
The coiled wire goes into the coil holder. I put the cutter guide on top and fasten the screws.
The cutter guide helps me to cut safely in a clean straight line.

 

  
Tattaaaaaaaaaa....and this is my Koil Kutter. Mounted on a motor tool. Ready for use.
 

 
Very sharp blade.
This particular blade is supposed to keep for a very long time. To maintain it, I smear a bit of oil over the coiled wire before I cut.

The blade is in a device to protect my fingers and to cut safely and easily. It fits right onto the cutter guide.

Just recently I saw somebody demonstrating this on TV without this protective device !!
Please people, if you need your nose, invest some money into this safety and get this Koil Kutter set. E-mail me if you would like to know how I got mine.
There is only one person who makes this particular one, which is for a smaller motor tool like mine.
Dave Arens (USA) is his name. Thank you for creating this very useful and safe set.

 

  
Very important. Wear safety goggles !!
They are not just there to look sexy.
To get a metal piece into the eye can be very nasty.
While cutting, I also wear a mask. I like to keep my lungs dust free. Especially when it comes to metal dust.
 

 
After cutting, the rings are greasy from the oil and little metal particles. The rings have to be cleaned and also de-burred. For that I use my tumbler.

Finished sterling silver pieces are also going into my tumbler. The jewelry comes out very shiny.
 		  
And here you see some few examples I made with my jump rings.
Isn't that fascinating how one can turn an ordinary wire into an astonishing piece of body ornament ?!