Jatayu: Basic Wire Skills - Double Eye Pins

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Basic Wire Skills - Double Eye Pins

"Learning from books and teachers is like traveling by carriage, so we are told in the Veda. The thought goes on, 'but the carriage will serve only while one is on the highroad. He who reaches the end of the highroad will leave the carriage and walk a foot." Johannes Itten, The Art of Color

This utilitarian double eye pin will allow you to link beads together. And a challenge you will face each time is, "How in the world do I get these two loops the same blithering size?" A little advanced planning will help and the instructions will be explained below. Please don't get yourself into a dither (now that's a word from the Stone Ages) trying to make these eyes E-X-A-C-T-L-Y the same size. You will drive yourself nuts. Notice in my example that the eyes are not perfectly the same. I made the eyes imperfect on purpose. Just kidding.......

What You Need:

12"-24" of 16 gauge copper wire
Sharpie or other permanent marker pen
Round nose pliers
Chain nose pliers
Wire cutters
Plastic mallet
Anvil
A bead

Click on thumbnails below to see an enlargement.

Step 1.

Mark your pliers with a Sharpie which will guide how large the loop of your eye pin will be.

Step 2.

With 16 gauge copper wire you will make a sample that will help you determine the size of your eyes. Make the loop of your eye pin. Mark the the joint with your Sharpie.

Step 3.

Unravel the loop with your round nose pliers, flatten with the plastic mallet, and measure the length of the wire to the guideline you marked with your Sharpie. This measurement is how much wire you will need to make the second eye the same size as the first one. Remember, both eyes have to be made according to the Sharpie guideline on your round nose pliers.

Step 4.

Cut a piece of silver or copper wire 12" to 18" long. This will allow you to make a number of double eye pins. Begin by making a single eye pin using the guide on your round nose pliers. Insert the bead from the other end, and measure how long the tail needs to be in order to make a second eye pin of the same size.

Comprendo?

Step 5.

Grasp the end of the wire lining it up with your Sharpie guideline and with just a little bit of the end peeking through. I like to line up the wire so that when I make the eye it will be formed in the same direction as the first eye.

Step 6.

Make and eye pin as described in previous instructions.

Previous Page - Wrapped Eye Pins

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Printing info:

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Install this on your machine and then you'll have no problem.

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