How to Use Memory Wire to Make Pendants and Connectors

SKU VID-1220
Designer: Alexandra Smith
In this video, you will learn how to bend ring size flat memory wire into shapes for use as pendants and connectors in jewelry making. You will see how to use memory wire cutters and pliers to cut sections, make loops, and wire wrap craft wire to create wrapped memory wire components.
Audio Transcript
Note: This audio transcript is auto-generated and may not be completely accurate.
hi this is Alexandra at beadaholique to show you how to use memory wire to make pendants and connectors so what I have here is some ring sized flat memory wire in the gold plate I've got some 22 gauge hematite artistic wire and you can see that I've used these in this inner earth necklace piece where I've made a pendant frame and some matching connectors and wire wrapped them with the craft wire so I'd like to show you how to do that for that I'm going to use these tools I've got my memory wire cutters and some regular flush cutters my round and flat pliers I'm going to start by taking a bow to round and a quarter of the memory wire this is for the pendant and then I'm gonna wrap an outward facing loop on each side here and I'll grip kind of at the center of my tool right at the tip of the wire bending outward on either side go and squeeze these flush now if I were putting it on to my chain I would go ahead and do that before I close to them and I'll go ahead and cut it 12 inches actually more more like 15 inches for the pendant 15 inches 22 gauge wire and I'll begin it about the same point I did on the necklace it's it's your choice where you want to wrap from and how much of the memory wire you want to cover so I'll get that tight on and I'm gonna grip it with my flat plier to give myself a good hold and this can be tough on the fingers when you're gripping especially with the flat memory wire so it's nice to have the tool to help you go ahead and cover the frame need my coils nice and tight together I find that this craft wire is good for the project because of the coating on it gives a nice stick keeps it form it's good to find a creative alternative use for memory wire - I was excited to discover a way to make forms without needing hardwire that I had to hammer it keeps its shape really well and it's also pretty inexpensive economical you could also do this with the different sizes of the memory wire I could use bracelet size if you wanted to make a larger pendant and this is designers choice here I'm gonna go back over my first wrap with a looser one to create kind of a natural relaxed look I'm evenly spacing those wraps around and in this case down here on the necklace I left a little bit of an opening at intervals on these bottom portion of the loop and strung on my wraps so that's another design idea for creating dangles once I'm done I'm gonna clip and tuck there you have your pendant and for the connector now I'm gonna cut about 3/4 of a loop and I'm going to do that again with my memory wire cutter and again I'll grip along the edge of the wire with the middle of my tool creating an outward facing loop same technique just with a different size of the wire squeezing flush and for this size I'm going to cut 8 inches from the wire craft wire and like I did here for the design I'll start the wrap right up top to get the whole thing covered leave a bit of a tail and that way it gives me a nice grip you know I'll coil tight and then come back over like I did another design idea here might be as you bring each round over put a bead on and then coil a bead on and then coil you could create a nice line of beads around the edge it's one idea I have you could use the silver memory wire if you wanted with a different tone of craft wire on top that looks like I didn't quite leave enough wire I mean I left enough for a couple wraps but not as many as I might want so here's an opportunity to add more wire and I'll cut a longer length for myself to use so here's how you can add extra wire if you need to I'm going to tuck the edge the first one tight and here's where this craft wire is really good is because it it definitely just sticks itself on there and keeps its shape nicely I'm not worried it's gonna come off so I'll start my next round same way I did before leave a little tail for grip and come back over once I've got my links on there I will tuck and clip each side no that's how to make pendant and connector out of the ring sized flat memory wire and find all these materials at beadaholique.com thanks for watching you

Customer Reviews

Be one of the first to leave a review! Write a review

You recently viewed

Clear recently viewed