How to Make Woven Silver Foxtail Chain
A woven sterling silver foxtail chain is created from many individual jump rings. Jump rings are small, metal rings made from wire that has been wound around a wooden dowel or a metal rod to create a coil. The diameter of the dowel or rod dictates the inside diameter of each jump ring. Your can wind and cut your own jump rings, but it's much easier to purchase them ready-made.
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Things You'll Need
- Non-asbestos soldering pad
- 3/8-inch diameter sterling silver jump rings
- Torch
- Bow-opening pliers
- Round-nose pliers
- Flat needle-nose pliers
- Awl
- Clasp and Jump ring
- Rock tumbler
- Steel shot
- Polishing compound
Instructions
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Fusing
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1
Set a piece of non-asbestos soldering pad on your work surface. Lay each jump ring flat on the pad with the cut in each one facing down. Leave a 1/8-inch space on either side of each jump ring. Leave a 1/4-inch space between each row. Make sure the two ends of each jump ring meet perfectly. If they don't, they won't fuse properly.
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2
Light the torch and cut it back to half the normal size used to do soldering. Fuse one jump ring at a time. Start heating up the first jump ring by moving the flame in a circular motion. Start at the top of the jump ring and work towards the bottom outside of the slit in the jump ring. When the whole jump ring glows a dull red, focus the flame where the two ends of the jump ring meet.
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3
Watch for the two ends of the jump ring to become brighter and more reflective. This is a sign the jump ring wire is becoming molten and ready to fuse. As soon as you see the jump ring fuse, immediately pull the torch away from the ring and move on to the next. Repeat until all jump rings are fused.
Forming
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4
Hold a pair of bow-opening pliers in your non-dominant hand. The jaws of a bow-opening pliers opens, rather then closes, when the handles are squeezed. Slide a jump ring on to the nose of the pliers.
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5
Squeeze the handles to elongate the jump ring until the top and bottom wires of the jump ring are parallel to each other.
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6
Holding round-nose pliers in the dominant hand, pinch the top and bottom wires together to form a propeller-like shape.
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7
Reposition the needle-nose pliers and pinch down on the center of the flat, side-by-side wires of the jump ring. Release the bow-opening pliers from the jump ring. Use the thumb and index finger of the non-dominant hand to bend the jump ring up on either side of the round nose pliers to create a U-shape.
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8
Repeat Steps 1 through 4 for all remaining jump rings.
Assemble
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9
Hold one of the U-shaped jump rings between the thumb and index finger of the non-dominant hand. Pick up another U-shaped jump rings with a pair of flat needle-nose pliers. Thread the jump ring through the jump ring being held with the non-dominant hand.
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10
Position the jump rings so the pinched, narrow part of one jump ring is linked to the two broad, rounded portions of the adjoining jump ring. Repeat Steps 1 and 2 until the chain reaches the desired length.
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11
Finish the look of the chain. Take an awl and insert it into each link from four directions. This will round out each of the links so the chain looks more uniform. Each time the awl is inserted, rotate it against the wire to round out the jump ring.
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12
Add a clasp and round jump ring to each end of the chain. Polish the chain by putting it in a tumbler with steel shot and polishing compound. Run the tumbler for one hour. Pull out the chain and rinse it off. Check for a roughness still remaining from the fusing process. Re-tumble for another hour if the chain requires it.
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1
Tips & Warnings
Wear magnifying glasses while fusing to see better.
Dimming the lights while fusing the jump rings will help you to recognize when each jump ring reaches the dull red stage right before fusing is about to take place.
Overheating the jump rings during fusing can cause the wire to melt completely. Pull the torch away as soon as the two ends of each jump ring have fused.
