Hello Andrew! Thanks for this demonstration it does work well. I use this method for longer wires. I use another method for shorter wires and it doesn't flatten or crimp the ends. After annealing the wire I place it on a hard flat surface (I use an oak cutting board) then place a hard flat plate, such as a steel bench block or another piece of oak on it, then roll it back and forth under the plate. You get a nice straight wire without damaging the ends. No waste.
Great vid... I used this approach many many times ... I do wire inlays... one thing I did to make this easier is, that I turned those pliers into small slidehammer pliers ... if you remove adjustment bolt out of the locking pliers and replace it with 12-18 inch long matching allthreaded rod, .... find small round object size of soda can SOLID (Aluminum) , drill bigger hole in center so it can slide on the rod... put two nuts on end of the allthread rod as stop and you have yourself locking pliers slide hammer.. When done just unscrew rod and screw back original adjustment bolt... this tool can produce light taps and pulls in sometime without losing balance.
Positioning of feet on the floor is pretty important whilst using upper arm muscle only. The longer the piece of wire, the easier it is to draw and the less waste from the damaged ends. Also, I find a "draw tongs" invaluable for doing this which has much more control and it only cost £10-£12 in England. That's a lot less than a genuine Vise Grip. It's easy to set a Vise grips' incorrectly and either have the wire break at the Grip's end or slip off due to lack of grip. You're a great tutor Andrew. Thanks.
For heavier wire the same technique can be used with a drawplate and drawbench. Melt one end of the annealled wire into a ball, pass it through the drawplate in a hole just a bit too large for the wire and too small for the balled end. Pull on drawbench.
Will this technique work with plated or enamelled wire (such as ParaWire)? I would think not, and if I'm correct, is there another technique for straightening that wire?
This youtube channel is a real blessing. Thank you a lot! I have one question, if I may...I saw there were the cooper jaw liners on your vice. Not long ago I also read that you have to use copper jaw liners when clamping steel tools. Would you be so kind to explain why is that? Thank you! Lucy
Thanks for sharing this -- such a useful bit of insight. This sparks a question though: In the same vein of getting things perfectly straight, is there a technique for getting cut metal perfectly flat? I use shears to cut copper sheet and then hammer with a rawhide hammer and steel block to flatten it, but I can never seem to get it *perfect* flat, which can make it harder to create perfect soldering connections. Any tips appreciated, and thanks!
Thank you for the tutorials. I am new to metalsmithing and love it! At some point, in all of my excitement of purchasing tools and wire, I bought black, already annealed wire but have not used it yet. Will it stay soft if I’ve had the wire a year ago? I have no idea what type of metal it is, but it is black and leaves my fingers with black marks. How do I know what type of metal it is and is it for making jewelry? Thanks for your help.
If it stains, you shouldn't use it in jewelry without giving it a coat of shellac or some kind of varnish. In general, metal should stay soft for as long as you leave it alone, if it's not subject to mechanical or heat changes. I have no idea what kind of metal could it be, black and soft, from a jewellery provider. Black, hardish and very very thin could be iron wire, used to tie pieces when soldering. If it's iron or steel it should be magnetic. Mild steel wire is also black, and stains. I know there is copper with different varnish colors, and anodized aluminium, but those should not stain.
Thanks for sharing! Well, pulling the wire through the draw plate will also do the trick. If the wire isn't crooked too much, the same hole (1,5 mm) will be enough, otherwise you'll have to go one size down - if that is acceptable...
Does this technique work only on fine metals, e.g., .925 silver, 18K gold, etc., or will it work with ordinary colored craft wire? I'm afraid that annealing colored craft wire will ruin its finish.
If its round wire you can use a drill to straighten thicker wire. They used that technique on steel wire for a suspended ceiling. For obvious reasons it wouldn't work on square wire
He used a torch, a vice, and a pair or vice grip pliers to do this. Nothing about those tools screams decked out studio, lol. They are super basic tools. Just because it was done in a studio that has other tools doesn't mean he had to be in THAT studio to accomplish this. What are you even talking about??
You could see it lengthen. Interesting. You knew exactly when it was going to relax. Thanks Andrew.
You actually COULD see it lengthen a tiny bit! Thanks Andrew!
Hello Andrew! Thanks for this demonstration it does work well. I use this method for longer wires. I use another method for shorter wires and it doesn't flatten or crimp the ends. After annealing the wire I place it on a hard flat surface (I use an oak cutting board) then place a hard flat plate, such as a steel bench block or another piece of oak on it, then roll it back and forth under the plate. You get a nice straight wire without damaging the ends. No waste.
Thank you once again Andrew. This is tremendously helpful in the simplest of ways.
This is exactly what I need to learn, thank you!
Great vid... I used this approach many many times ... I do wire inlays... one thing I did to make this easier is, that I turned those pliers into small slidehammer pliers ... if you remove adjustment bolt out of the locking pliers and replace it with 12-18 inch long matching allthreaded rod, .... find small round object size of soda can SOLID (Aluminum) , drill bigger hole in center so it can slide on the rod... put two nuts on end of the allthread rod as stop and you have yourself locking pliers slide hammer.. When done just unscrew rod and screw back original adjustment bolt... this tool can produce light taps and pulls in sometime without losing balance.
this is a great video series. Thanks for all the great information!
Wow, smart technique! I've always struggled with not perfectly straight wire.
Thanks Andrew just wonderful and to the point
Thanks so much Andrew for this video. I'm going to try this technique and I wonder if my wire will make the same relaxing sound !
cdom17, I knew I wasn't the only one who heard it.
Thank you Andrew, I've taken classes before but this was a new and different way to straighten wire.,
Positioning of feet on the floor is pretty important whilst using upper arm muscle only.
The longer the piece of wire, the easier it is to draw and the less waste from the damaged ends.
Also, I find a "draw tongs" invaluable for doing this which has much more control and it only cost £10-£12 in England. That's a lot less than a genuine Vise Grip. It's easy to set a Vise grips' incorrectly and either have the wire break at the Grip's end or slip off due to lack of grip.
You're a great tutor Andrew. Thanks.
?Mr.Berry have you ever try the silver soldering for soldering stainless steel
For heavier wire the same technique can be used with a drawplate and drawbench.
Melt one end of the annealled wire into a ball, pass it through the drawplate in a hole just a bit too large for the wire and too small for the balled end.
Pull on drawbench.
What's the relative cost of a drawbench v. the regular bench + vise?
What name liquid into blue botle, for what it ?
I Just love all of your videos!!
So useful to know, thank you!
Can this work on 8 and 10 gauge wire?? How would you recommend straightening those?
Will this technique work with plated or enamelled wire (such as ParaWire)? I would think not, and if I'm correct, is there another technique for straightening that wire?
Where are those draw tongs from? I can't seem to find a decent one
This youtube channel is a real blessing. Thank you a lot! I have one question, if I may...I saw there were the cooper jaw liners on your vice. Not long ago I also read that you have to use copper jaw liners when clamping steel tools. Would you be so kind to explain why is that? Thank you! Lucy
Thanks for sharing this -- such a useful bit of insight. This sparks a question though: In the same vein of getting things perfectly straight, is there a technique for getting cut metal perfectly flat? I use shears to cut copper sheet and then hammer with a rawhide hammer and steel block to flatten it, but I can never seem to get it *perfect* flat, which can make it harder to create perfect soldering connections. Any tips appreciated, and thanks!
can l do the same with piano wire
many thanks
this is great. thank you Andrew!
🤔 when you have pulled the wire in the wise ,will it still be 1,5mm ?
Thank you so much for video.
Thank you for the tutorials. I am new to metalsmithing and love it! At some point, in all of my excitement of purchasing tools and wire, I bought black, already annealed wire but have not used it yet. Will it stay soft if I’ve had the wire a year ago? I have no idea what type of metal it is, but it is black and leaves my fingers with black marks. How do I know what type of metal it is and is it for making jewelry? Thanks for your help.
If it stains, you shouldn't use it in jewelry without giving it a coat of shellac or some kind of varnish.
In general, metal should stay soft for as long as you leave it alone, if it's not subject to mechanical or heat changes.
I have no idea what kind of metal could it be, black and soft, from a jewellery provider. Black, hardish and very very thin could be iron wire, used to tie pieces when soldering. If it's iron or steel it should be magnetic. Mild steel wire is also black, and stains.
I know there is copper with different varnish colors, and anodized aluminium, but those should not stain.
Great video thank you
another great vlog
what is the big torch you are using. I can't find that one anywhere.
Thank you!
Thanks for sharing!
Well, pulling the wire through the draw plate will also do the trick.
If the wire isn't crooked too much, the same hole (1,5 mm) will be enough, otherwise you'll have to go one size down - if that is acceptable...
That never seems to get it perfectly straight for me
One question, will this also harden your wire and make it more difficult to work with?
Yes it does harden the wire a bit but you can still work with it, no problem.
How to give strength to gold when unfortunately it get annealed while soldering
Does this technique work only on fine metals, e.g., .925 silver, 18K gold, etc., or will it work with ordinary colored craft wire? I'm afraid that annealing colored craft wire will ruin its finish.
Ari Cohn you shouldn’t anneal coloured wire it will burn off the colour
That rolling mill looks nice and shiny, must be a new addition
pijnto Yes, its Durston's new Agile C130. Awesome piece of kit for the price. D section, square and flat rolls with geared reduction too. 👍🏻
Why does the wire sound like any truck stop bathroom? Nice sound effects
I was awaiting the wire's 'sigh'... (despite being fully aware it wasn't possible), and then it actually lengthened which shocked the hell out of me.
If its round wire you can use a drill to straighten thicker wire. They used that technique on steel wire for a suspended ceiling. For obvious reasons it wouldn't
work on square wire
The ring dinger for a wire
Hey sir
Good tutorial but could be shorter
So you need to have a fully decked out studio to do beginner stuff? Wow, thanks
He used a torch, a vice, and a pair or vice grip pliers to do this. Nothing about those tools screams decked out studio, lol. They are super basic tools. Just because it was done in a studio that has other tools doesn't mean he had to be in THAT studio to accomplish this. What are you even talking about??
And none of those tools are specifically jewelers tools..home depot, Bunnings or whatever.
Dude, you're so long winded! Thanks for the tip though.
He's like the Tom Hiddleston of jewelery