[Jewelry making - Article 00219] - Re: [Orchid] Drawing 18K wire

[LSHancock]

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Susan,

    The star shaped draw plates do have their limitations.  It's best to
    roll the metal carefully, looking for any cracks or distortions, and
    then to draw the wire down in a regular round drawplate until you
    reach a size just above the ultimate size of wire you need before
    moving to the star shaped drawplate. If you go directly from a
    squared shape to the star shape, a lot of stress will be placed on
    thickest part of the metal and none on the thinnest parts.  The
    slightest misalignment will break off the points. If the star has
    deep grooves, like say a traditional pentagram, you will need to be
    very careful in your alignment so as to keep the grooves lined up as
    well as possible. I hope that helps. 

Larry

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