CREATING LARGE JUMP RINGS

CREATING LARGE JUMP RINGS

I use large jump rings for connecting conchos to make a belt.
The jump rings are wrapped around a ½ inch wood dowel.

Larger jump rings can be spun on a wood dowel mounted in a drill. If the dowel is larger in diameter than the drill chuck can handle the end of the dowel can be shaved. Shaving the ends of much larger dowels will not work. The wood will break before any coil can be wrapped.
To solve this problem I tightened 4 nuts on a number 8 screw so that all the flat edges of the nuts matched. Coated the nuts with crazy glue. Drill a hole slightly smaller in diameter than the screw in one end of the larger dowel. Make sure the hole is centered on the center of the dowel. Place some epoxy or gorilla glue in the hole. Place a flat washer on the screw and screw it into the hole until the washer bottoms on the dowel. I wrapped soft wire around the end of the dowel to insure the screw would not break out during the wire turning process.
Let cure.
Cut a slot the width of the wire diameter in the end of the dowel . Cut it about twice the wire diameters into the end of the dowel.
Bend a 90 degree tab in the wire that will be used for the jump rings. The tab should be shorter than the diameter of the dowel. A wire sticking out of the dowel on the side opposite the wire bend will tear a finger during the turning process.
Place the screw into the chuck of a variable speed drill. Slip the wire tab into the slot in the dowel. Put a glove on the hand that will be used to control the wire on the dowel. Place your gloved hand on the wire and hold the wire tight against the dowel. Turn the drill on a very slow speed. The gloved hand will guide the wire onto the dowel as it forms a coil. Caution: Do not wrap the wire to the very end of the wire. The last part of the wire will not bend down onto the dowel and will remain a sharp vertical tab that can cut the gloved hand.
I slide the coil onto another dowel. I use a jewelers saw to cut the jump rings while they are on the dowel. The jump rings are cut by the saw which is held at an angle to the dowel so that the top of one ring is cut at a time. The remaining portion of the coil can be slid into the saw as rings are cut off.