Monday's Methods: Time to Get Wired!

Left Back: Plastic Coated Practice Wires, Right back: Copper Wires, Left front: Gold Filled Wires, Right Front: Sterling Silver Wires.

In this installment of Monday's Methods, we'll be talking about wire. Wire comes in many forms, colors and types, but we'll be dealing with pretty standard fare here.

First, wire comes in different shapes (when looking at it from a cross-section). You can get round (like a circle), half-round (like a half circle), or square (obvious). You can get it straight or twisted to give it a diamond-like look. Here we'll be dealing with round wire for several reasons:

1. I find it useful for almost every type of wire working,

2. It is usually the least expensive, especially compared to square,

3. It is the most easily available, from bead suppliers to wholesalers, to tiny country bead shops, you can find round wire pretty much everywhere.

Different Wire Gauges, From top: 18 ga., 20ga., 22ga., 24ga. (copper), 26ga., 28ga. (gold filled)

You can also get wires in different hardnesses: full-hard, half-hard and dead-soft. For most wire working, full-hard is pretty much useless - any more than one bend and it snaps. Half hard is the wire I use most, as it is flexible and bendy, but will hold its shape. It doesn't snap easily (unless you REALLY bend it back and forth in the same place for a while), and, again, is the most readily available wire. Dead-soft is very useful for intensive wire wrapping applications and I really only use it for that, as it bends like butter on a hot day.

Wire comes in different gauges (ga. for short). For beginners, I recommend getting wire in sizes 18, 20, 22, and either 24, or 26. I use a range from 12 gauge, all the way to 28 in almost all of my wires: practice, sterling, copper and 14karat gold filled. I also have a range of sizes in non tarnish silver plate wire for making things like key chains and zipper pulls.

But wait, what kind of wire should you get first? When first starting out, or when trying new designs, go for the 'practice wire'. Just about every supplier will carry what they call practice wire. It will usually be copper core (or nickel, so be careful when wearing it or giving it to potentially allergic people), and will usually have a colored plastic coating. These are the least expensive, and usually are somewhere between the half-hard and dead-soft range in hardness. Plus, they are CHEAP. You can often buy a few spools of practice wire for the same price as one spool of sterling silver wire. Once you are comfortable with the practice wire, move on the the copper and plated wires, and then up to the sterling silver and 14karat gold filled wire (don't use pure gold wire for wire work, as it is WAY too bendy...plus it is about $8 per INCH).

Wire in a Bag: Always Use Resealable Bags with Anti Tarnish Paper for Uncoated Metal Wires

Of course, as you move up the quality scale, you'll be moving up the price scale as well. When shopping for precious metal wires, search out the best deal. Many stores will have quantity discounts (for when you know you really want to do this more than just once). Most precious metal wire is sold by the Troy Ounce. Some sell it by the half Troy Ounce (usually for gold filled as it is so expensive). Look around, and you'll see some astonishing differences in price. Just keep in mind, there may be shipping on top of that price as well so I always try to find the best shipping rates as well, especially if they don't have free shipping with minimum order amounts.

Organized and Tarnish Free: Stackable, Clear, Resealable Containers Are the Best Way to Store Your Wires

Once you have brought your wire home, you need to think about how to store it. Some stores give you a piece of wire and send you on your way (I HATE that, and try not to buy from them if I can avoid it). Some stores give you wire all coiled up in a resealable bag (the most common). And some will give you your wire on a spool (the most efficient and practical), which is then put in a resealable bag. Regardless of how I get my wire, I always put it in a resealable bag with a small piece of anti tarnish paper. You only need about a 1/4" square per bag to keep everything nice and shiny. You don't need it with coated wires, obviously, and you may not need it with gold wire, but hey, I paid good money for this stuff, I want it looking perfect for as long as I can possibly have it looking that way! It may seem expensive when you first buy it, but anti tarnish paper is going to save you hours of elbow grease, trying to get stubborn tarnish off of your wires.

Once I've got the wire in its own bag, I label it with the size, supplier, and price per foot and then put it in a resealable container with other wire of its kind (sterling with sterling, gold with gold, etc) so that every thing is organized and ready to go. I usually use containers that have been taken of kitchen duty due to a small crack or other nuisance and patch them up with clear duct tape to keep them airtight. Reduce, reuse, recycle, and my wires are all organized!

I hope you have found this useful, until next week, happy experimenting!

Tune in tomorrow for a great Tuesday's Treasures.

Thoughts on Having My 3-Year 'Fibro'versary

~My Faithful Fibro Companion, Arwen~

Today is the three year anniversary of when I first got sick with Fibromyalgia. I didn't know it at the time, however. I went to bed the night before a little more tired than usual, thinking I might be coming down with a cold, but happy that the next day I was off work and would be able to sleep in, work out, tidy the house, and work on my photography. That fateful morning I woke up and felt like I had run face-first into a brick wall: my entire body hurt - bones, joints, skin, hair, nails, everything. My head felt foggy, like lead in a bucket of water, I just couldn't think or make sense of anything. I was definitely coming down with something, probably the flu. I rested and went back to work the day after, thinking I felt pretty horrible, but I needed the money.
I collapsed at work, began shaking uncontrollably and ended up in the emergency room with doctors scratching their heads not knowing what was wrong. After almost 2 years of going through test after test after test, not knowing if I had cancer, ectopic pregnancies, endometriosis, cysts, fibroids, allergies (YES I do), asthma (I always have, but not bad), and many more terrifying things, (including mental illness and wondering if I was, in fact, going crazy...I wasn't) I finally had an answer: Fibromyalgia. I hurt all the time, I'm exhausted all the time, I feel weak, get dizzy, get grumpy (who wouldn't when you don't sleep and hurt??), and many more not-so-fun (!) things, and there is no cure. I've tried over $1500 of medications in the last year alone that have done nothing but make me very, very ill. I've lost friends, jobs, had to stop going to school for accounting, which I loved, and had to give up many other very enjoyable pastimes.
Why do I bring up all of this yuckiness, you ask? I'll tell you.
I have learned so much in these last three years, grown so much, that I have to share.
1. I have learned that being sick is very frustrating and annoying, but not the end of the world. I don't have cancer, AIDS, Ebola, or many much worse diseases that kill. I will not die, despite saying on occasion that I would like to after the pain gets really, really bad. I will not die. That is important.
2. I have learned that real friends are the ones who keep calling and understand when you don't always call them back. They don't just call when they need something. They understand that you are sick but still care about them. That is wonderful.
3. I have learned that not everyone believes in fibromyalgia, many people think that because I look 'normal' (minus the huge bags under my eyes from lack of sleep and my hobbling around in pain), I must be fine and am therefore faking it. I am not faking it. I am very, very sick, but if they don't want to understand after my educating them politely, I am not going to take it personally, or try to make them understand. Life is too short and important to waste it on people who don't/won't bother to understand. You can't see diabetes....are they 'faking' it?
4. A good husband, family and good friends are so vital, even if you don't always see eye-to-eye or meet face-to-face every day. Support is so crucial. A kind word, email, or very gentle hug can make all the difference between bottomless depression and feeling like there is hope
5. Everyone has problems, and we need to LISTEN. If you see someone and ask "How are you?" Mean it. Listen to their answer. If they just say "Fine," they are not 'fine', and something has to be going on. In this day and age of electronic impersonality we lose contact with important human connections. Reconnect. Care. You'll be surprised how much it means to you and the other person.
6. A happy dog's wagging tail, or a cat on your lap can melt away almost every bad thing for a while. Animals are instant stress relievers and the more stressed you are, the more attention you need to pay to your dog, cat, fish, rat, etc. They really do help. Plus, they like the attention - wouldn't you?
7. Distractions are great. Hobbies are essential no matter how healthy or busy you are. Teach yourself to knit, crochet, paint, make tables, anything you like to do. It is also a great stress reliever, and you never know, you might find something you are really passionate about.
8. Talking or blogging is so great. You can vent, cry, laugh, say almost anything and you'll feel better. And you meet really cool people, often sharing your experiences.
Thank you for joining me on this reflective day. I hope it makes an impression on you - it certainly has on me.
My love and positive thoughts to you all, I wish you a healthy, happy and prosperous future :)
Meghann