Jump Ring Mandrel For Drill

When i worked in a factory in pforzheim we would use a specialized jump ring winding tool which was essentially a kind of fancy hand drill with gearing and a jacobs chuck.

Jump ring mandrel for drill.

This creates a superior jump ring that closes smoothly and neatly. You can make a jump ring coil by using an old fashioned hand drill to hold the mandrel. Kink the end of the wire to a right angle and slip it into the jaws of the chuck. Cut the rod if using 1 4 inch round rod your end jump rings will be equivalent in size to the 6mm jump rings found in craft stores.

These can be used to attach charms to bracelets build chains for jewelry or simply to attach clasps. Take a mandrel in the correct diameter for the size of jump ring you want to create and your chosen wire. Each full loop will create one jump ring so continue until you ve created enough loops for the number of jump rings you need. Carefully feed the wire onto the mandrel while slowly and steadily cranking the drill.

Clamp the drill handle into a vice and chuck the mandrel into its jaws. Stretch the mandrel either by clamping one end in a vise and hold the other end in a pair of draw tongs and give a quick and firm jerk or stretch it in the draw bench and voila the coil of oval jump rings comes off like butter. The wire is wrapped around a mandrel to make spring like coils. The resulting coils are then cut using a jeweler s saw.

You want it affixed to something as you need two hands to operate the mandrel once it is in use. Your only real material needed is your round rod to serve as your mandrel. Drill a hole in your piece of wood that is exactly the size of your mandrel 1 4 in the picture. Drill two pilot holes into your base about 1 inch in from either side.

If you don t have a drill bit that is exactly the size of your mandrel drill a slightly smaller hole and enlarge it to the right size with a file. Wrap your wire around the mandrel keeping each loop close to the previous one. To get the rings off the mandrel anneal the rings on the mandrel and here comes the real trick. We used copper and brass mandrels in the cross section of the required jump ring ovals rounds and so on.

Then secure your new jump ring mandrel to your work table or wherever else you plan for it to live. When i worked in a factory in pforzheim we would use a specialized jump ring winding tool which was essentially a kind of fancy hand drill with gearing and a jacobs chuck. Pound your little nail into the wood just to one side of the hole. These mandrels are zinc plated to prevent corrosion and last for years.

We used copper and brass mandrels in the cross section of the required jump ring ovals rounds and so on.