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Page 1: Twisted heart bracelet - FacetJewelry.com · Twisted heart bracelet Make this bracelet in steel or copper. To finish the copper version, patinate using liver of sulfur. c f b e h

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©2014 Kalmbach Publishing Co. This material may not be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher.

Learn the twists and turns of making a framed heart-shaped link.

By Tracy Bell

Twisted heart bracelet

Make this bracelet in steel or copper. To finish the copper version, patinate using liver of sulfur.

Page 2: Twisted heart bracelet - FacetJewelry.com · Twisted heart bracelet Make this bracelet in steel or copper. To finish the copper version, patinate using liver of sulfur. c f b e h

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Jig setup1 Download the TwistedHeart template at www.now-thats-a-jig.com, and print it on vellum paper. Place the pattern on the jig bed, aligning the corner holes. Punch through the corner holes with the PatternPunchr, and insert CornerTaks.

2 Use the PatternPunchr to punch holes for the HeartLink as indicated on the pattern, and screw in the appropriate pegs (a). Punch holes for the SwiveLok as indicated on the pattern, and partially screw it in (b). (You will reposition the pegs and SwiveLok for the hooks and jump rings later.)

Link components3 Flush-cut an 11-in. (27.9 cm) piece of 18-gauge wire. Place the wire between the SwiveLok and the adjacent 1⁄8-in. (3 mm) peg, leaving a 3-in. (76 mm) tail extending toward the top of the jig as shown (c). Turn the SwiveLok clock-wise to trap the wire, and then tighten the screw.

Difficulty level

MaterialsBracelet 71⁄4 in. (18.4 mm)• 5 ft. (1.5 m) 18-gauge (1.0 mm) dark

annealed steel wire• Flush cutters strong enough to cut

18-gauge (1.0 mm) wire• Now That’s a Jig! Starter Kit

(www.riogrande.com)• Now That’s a Jig! accessories

(www.now-thats-a-jig.com) TwistedHeart template pattern PatternPunchr and CornerTaks SwiveLok WireLiftr

3⁄16-in. (5 mm) round peg 1⁄6-in. (1.5 mm) MicroPeg

BigRound or BangleSizr Puck• Vellum paper• White charcoal pencil• Steel bench block or anvil• 4–6 oz. utility or ball-peen hammer• Steel wool (fine, #00) or wire brush• Renaissance Wax and soft cloth• Metal file• Candle or lighter (optional)• If cutting jump rings with a saw: bench

pin, jeweler’s saw, and 2/0 blade• If using copper wire and patinating:

ProPolish pads, liver of sulfur, brass brush, and soapy water

easy hard

4 Following the wire path on the pattern, wrap the long wire end clockwise around the link, wrapping clockwise around each corner peg as you go. Bring the wire around the center 1⁄16-in. (1.5 mm) MicroPeg, and then wrap the wire counterclockwise around the left 1⁄4-in. (6.5 mm) peg (d).

5 Loosen the SwiveLok, and turn it away from the trapped wire and starting peg. Wrap the tail counterclockwise around the adjacent 1⁄8-in. (3 mm) peg, bring it around the center 1⁄16-in. (1.5 mm) MicroPeg, and wrap it clockwise around the right 1⁄4-in. (6.5 mm) peg (e).

6 Use a white charcoal pencil to mark each end of the wire just before it meets the intersecting wire below it (f).

7 Lift the link off the pegs with a WireLiftr. Flush-cut the wire ends at the marks made in step 6 (g). 8 Place the link on a bench block or

Page 3: Twisted heart bracelet - FacetJewelry.com · Twisted heart bracelet Make this bracelet in steel or copper. To finish the copper version, patinate using liver of sulfur. c f b e h

anvil. Use a utility or ball-peen hammer to work-harden and texture the compo-nent, being careful to only lightly strike the areas where the wire overlaps (h).

9 Interconnect the two heart-halves so that they lock (i). Clean the link with steel wool. To seal, apply Renaissance Wax sparingly, and buff with a soft cloth.

10 Use your fingers to gently curve the top and bottom of the link around a BigRound or BangleSizr Puck (j).

11 Make a total of four link components.

Hooks12 Reposition the pegs and SwiveLok for the hooks. Cut a 4-in. (10.2 cm) piece of wire. Hammer a 1⁄2-in. (13 mm) section on one end of the wire. File the hammered end.

13 Place the hammered end of the wire between the SwiveLok and the center 1⁄8-in. (3 mm) peg, leaving a short tail

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extending just to the edge of the bottom peg as shown (k). Tighten the SwiveLok.

14 Following the wire path on the pat-tern, wrap the long wire end around the topmost peg, and then bring the wire down between the center and bottom-most pegs. Wrap the wire counterclock-wise around the bottommost peg (l).

15 Flush-cut the wire end 1 in. (25.5 mm) from the bottommost peg. Tightly wrap the wire tail once around the intersection from step 14 (m).

16 Loosen the SwiveLok, and lift the hook off the pegs with a WireLiftr. Wrap the tail once or twice more around the intersection, and then trim and tuck the excess wire (How-Tos) (n). Hammer the top of the hook, and use roundnose pli-ers to slightly bend the tip. Clean with steel wool.

17 Make a total of two hooks.

Jump rings18 Position a 3⁄16-in. (5 mm) peg in the jig. Coil a length of wire tightly around the peg to make a total of 22 jump rings. Note: You will need to make two or three coils to accomplish this (o).

19 Saw or double flush-cut each ring (Basics), and file any burrs. If desired, hammer the rings and clean with steel wool.

Bracelet assembly20 To make a three-ring connector: Open a jump ring (How-Tos), and attach two closed jump rings. Close the open jump ring. Make six three-ring connectors.

21 Use one or two jump rings to attach a hook to the top left-corner of a link component. Repeat to attach the second hook to the bottom-left corner of the link.

22 Use two three-ring connectors to attach the remaining corners of the link to a second link. Note: Attach the links so that the heart shape alternates top-to-bottom. Use three-ring connectors to attach the remaining links.

23 Apply Renaissance Wax to the entire bracelet, and buff with a soft cloth.

Tracy Bell loves giving new life to discarded wire. She sells her handcrafted jewelry at shows throughout Michigan, teaches

at the Kalamazoo Institute of Art, and designs for Now That’s a Jig! Contact Tracy at [email protected], or visit www.tracybell.etsy.com or www.copperglassandrecycledtrash.blogspot.com.


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