[Jewelry making - Article 01424] - Re: [Orchid] How do you bend silver tubing?

[Belle Barer]

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    I make tube bails for LOTS of pieces. I have tried everything, even
    the springs. After trial and tribulation, I pioneered my own method. 

    Here's how it goes 

    1. First cut your tube from the straight stock. The tube length
    should be about 10-12mm longer than you want the actual bail to be.
    You will be cutting this extra off at the end. 

    2. Anneal 

    3. Find something that fits snuggly into the tube, I use the handles
    of needle files. 

    4. I use a large oval shaped bracelet mandrel to bend the
    tubing.........you can use whatever you want, but I would go for a
    more gentle curve otherwise you risk making an uneven bend. I
    support the mandrel on my bench pan and put the end in my lap. You
    want to have the larger end farthest from you. Insert the file
    handles into the ends of the tube, just enough to get a good hold on
    it. Put your thumbs on top of the tube and push down to bend the
    tube over the mandrel. 

    5. Now you have a nicely curved tube bail. There are probably some
    bumps from the file handles, just cut them off and you have a nice
    bail ready to attach. 

Good Luck!

Brooke
www.bellebrookedesigns.net
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