silver wire

[turnedlight]

I have been using silver wire, and like the way it looks, but others seem to get the silver into tiny dots, wheras my silver goes into big blobs! I'm using 0.5mm pure silver.. any advice?

[Caroline]

thinner wire or turning the bead quicker while your applying it

i've never used it myself

[bubblefizz]

I think they use silver mesh, ive tried it and if you heat it in "well", it will form tiny dots 

[turnedlight]

Thanks- I'm still learning with it.. got some nice dots today, but nasty yellowing around the silver.. 

[bubblefizz]

i get the yellow aswell not sure if its supposed to happen or not

[Buzzybead]

What gauge of wire do you use/ I've tried 24ga. but it burns my fingers as it travels up the wire 

[Mary]

You'll get yellowing on certain colours, that react with the silver. Pinks and purples particularly. Try testing by putting silver leaf on the colour, you'll see the yellowing more clearly and learn what to avoid.

[littlegiggles]

silver is such a good conductor of heat you really need to use tweezers to put it on...

heat the glass and the end of the wire and secure it.... wrap the silver around the bead out of the flame then melt in

[Buzzybead]

Ahh - thanks for that advice Julie. Just in time before I erase my finger prints!!

[turnedlight]

Think I might have cracked it- thanks for the advice! 

[Ilona]

I am also wanting to get some silver wire, I want it for melting in and also for wrapping, do I need different sizes and what gauge do I need.

[turnedlight]

I buy it from Palmer Metals- 0.5mm fine silver (sterling etc will not work) but they sell it in 0.3mm in spools. I like the mesh when well melted in, Tuffnells sells that.

[Billie]

I have the 0.3mm fine silver from Palmer Metals and it's great for melting in.

[Ilona]

Great! if I order 0.3 fine silver wire for melting in, what grade do I buy for wire wrapping, is it 0.6 round? I need to order this today, so any help with what grades are best used for, would be a help.

Ilona

[Lush!]

Yep, 0.6 mm works well for wrapping, and 0.8 is a useful size too, nice and sturdy for making dangly bits.  I'd go for sterling rather than fine silver for jewellery making though - maybe that'll keep the cost down a bit?