Chain maille advice needed.

[ruth]

My holiday project is a chain maille bracelet in box chain. I dipped my tools in ToolMagic and let them dry for 3 hours. Unfortunately the Magic is wearing and tearing very quickly. Am I doing something wrong?

I am working with 4 pairs of pliers and the magic has wrapped on all of them in 2 inches of maille.

Ruth
Sewnthings

[justjules]

I usually dip mine twice (I leave about 2 hours between dips) & let them dry at least 12 hours before use; I can generally complete several projects before they need dipping again

[Glassy Lou]

I had no idea this stuff existed. I wish I'd known before.
Hope you manage to get it working properly for you.

[ruth]

Thank you Jules for your advice, I have tried your technique and double dipping seems to work.

Lou.. I got my ToolMagic from Beadsisters. Very speedy delivery.

[Glassy Lou]

Thanks Ruth. It's going on my list. X

[mizgeorge]

I realise I'm a bit late, but you'd be better off dressing your pliers by gently polishing the faces and smoothing the sharp edges away with some micromesh or wet and dry paper (work through the grades). This will leave you with pliers that will no longer mark wire and will still get into small spaces (which they simply won't when dipped).

It's worth mention that most problems come from gripping too hard - try to relax a little and both tools and rings will thank you

[ruth]

Does the quality of the pliers matter? Mine are cheap and all pliers look the same on the webpages.

Will cheap pliers dress as well as expensive ones (this sounds like Primark v Debenhams) or should I be looking at better quality tools?  If so can anyone recommend a brand or supplier ?  What are people's experiences?

[JanieD]

I have to agree with George - I only used Tool Magic once or twice as it does bulk up your pliers, and I like to do micromaille bracelets to put beads on. You couldn't do that with dipped pliers. Much better to dress your pliers as she says.

You should always try to buy the best pliers you can afford. Cheap ones don't last and they can be awkward to use after a while (make your hands ache). They often don't align well.

I am using the same set of student pliers I started my silversmithing degree with 30 odd years ago, and they'll probably last longer than I will! If you have the money then Lindstrom pliers and cutters are good  - Christmas is coming so may be good to ask for as a present. If I had to replace mine that's what I would go for. 
Palmer Metals sell them, and you can probably get them on ebay. Not cheap, but good quality.


Jane

[ruth]

Hi folks,
Thanks for the advice, I have looked at Lindstrom and they are definitely Christmas pressie prices! In the meantime I have taken George's advice and tried not to grip so hard. My first chain maille bracelet is finished and I am quite pleased with it but it took nearly 12 hours to make. I now understand why chain maille is so expensive.

If I can get the technology to work I will post a picture in gallery which will be a first for me.

Ruth
Sewnthings.