Welcome back to All About Jewelry Wire! There are so many important factors to cover with regard to wire basics that I thought it best to break it up into smaller chunks. Yesterday we delved into different wire gauge measuring systems and how to be wary of gauge size discrepancies when shopping for your jewelry wire. I also included tons of great size and conversion charts which are a handy reference to have!
Today we’re going to cover what wire hardness means and how it can affect your jewelry designs. This will help you when shopping for jewelry wire and for knowing which wire to use for which projects. If you’re having trouble working with wire and are getting frustrated, it could be because you’re working with the wrong hardness of wire for what you’re trying to accomplish. This will help, so let’s dive in!
Wire Hardnesses
Jewelry wire is typically offered in three hardnesses: Dead Soft, Half Hard, and Full Hard. A metal’s hardness is basically a measure of how much it resists bending, so you can see how that is an important factor in making wire jewelry.
The first important thing to keep in mind is that these terms are relative to the particular metal or alloy which they are describing. So, dead soft sterling silver will not feel the same to work with as dead soft 14k white gold, for example. Also, not all wires, like artistic wire (craft wire) and aluminum wire, will be offered in different hardnesses – they are most often just soft.
‘Dead soft’ (or just ‘soft’) means the metal offers little or no resistance – it’s very easy to bend. Now that might sound like a good thing, but it actually can work against you in most cases. Dead soft wire doesn’t form hard angles- it’s nearly impossible to form a nice sharp bend. It doesn’t hold its shape very well, so it should not be used for anything structural, but you can use it to coil around another object or piece of wire. It is great for forming spirals and other soft bends, as long as they can be work hardened or are not structural. In my opinion, dead soft wire has limited use unless you plan to spend a lot of time work hardening it (more on that in a minute), but in most applications, it’s simply not possible to work harden the wire enough after the project is complete which means all your hard work will go to waste!
‘Full hard’ means there is a lot of resistance – it is very difficult to bend but any shape you can manage to form it into will be retained very well. However, it is also very brittle and has less workability before it will break – which means it is not forgiving at all if you make a mistake. Full hard wire will not be able to form spirals or many other tight shapes.
‘Half hard’ is like the Goldilocks wire – the perfect middle between the two. It is soft enough to bend easily but is hard enough to hold its shape afterwards. It can also be used for wrapping and coiling wire, as well as some structural work, depending on the gauge of the wire. Half hard wire is great for making ear wires, jump rings, hoop earrings, and other shapes. It will also retain a sharp bend very nicely and has a good ‘springiness’ factor, which is good for latched hoops, kidney earwires, and clasps, and it works great for making spirals. In some cases, half hard wire may require minimal work hardening but hardening half-hard wire is a breeze compared to dead soft wire!
Work Hardening Wire
‘Work hardening’ is the term used for a variety of techniques which serve to harden up softer metal.
Some ways to ‘work harden’ your metal include tumbling it with steel shot, hammering or pounding it with a rubber mallet against a steel bench block, twisting the wire, pulling it through a drawing plate or even pulling it through a polishing cloth. In fact, simply working with the wire and the process of wrapping or coiling it will tend to harden it up a bit as well.
As I mentioned before, the softer the wire, the more work hardening it will require to ensure it will retain its shape.
Read What is Work Hardening? for more info!
Half Hard Wire Wins my Vote
While in many cases, the hardness of jewelry wire is very much a personal preference and varies from project to project, I would just like to add that I have personally never used full hard wire. I have always found work hardening half-hard wire or using a larger gauge to be enough to achieve the strength I need for certain applications instead of buying another material.
Likewise, I never buy dead soft wire unless it’s my only option. For example, I have been unable to find half hard 14 gauge gold filled wire anywhere! But it turns out that that larger size in the dead soft is still not too soft to hold its shape and requires about as much work hardening as the half hard in smaller sizes, in my opinion.
I have never felt limited by using only half-hard wire – I’ve never found a situation where I couldn’t make the wire do what I wanted it to do, so if you’re just beginning, I would suggest half-hard wire is a great way to go across the board when you’re buying your first supplies. I highly recommend investing in a variety of different gauges rather than spend your money across several hardnesses of wire when it’s really not necessary. You can always branch out later if you feel like you’re missing something or want to explore further, but I am confident you won’t miss it when you’re just starting out!
I have a question for you about the hardness of wire does the wire say if it’s half hard or is that just based on the gauge of the wire.
you work is beautiful
Thanks
Becky
Hi Becky! Thanks so much for your question, and for your kind words!
If it’s jewelry wire and it’s half-hard, it should say half-hard. The gauge of the wire is separate, but it can be a little confusing though, because 1.) not all gauge sizes are offered in a range of hardnesses, and 2.) not all materials are offered in a range of hardnesses. Typically with the larger size wires, like 12 gauge or 10 gauge, you might not have the option for half-hard because the thickness of the wire would make it too difficult to work with. Likewise, with the tiny tiny wires (28-32 gauge), hardness doesn’t really have much meaning since the wire is basically like thread!
Another confusing point is that there is a difference between jewelry wire and craft wire. You can find copper and brass ‘craft wire’ (artistic wire), which is always dead soft, from what I understand. But you can find copper, brass, silver, and gold wire in half-hard as ‘jewelry wire’. You can certainly use craft wire for making jewelry, as long as the project is appropriate for the dead soft wire. I guess the main difference is that one is offered in a range of hardnesses and the other isn’t.
I hope I’ve answered your question, but if not, tell me what kind of material (and gauge size) you’re wanting to work with and I can try to be more specific! (I think I just confused myself, lol!)
Jessica,
I have purchased quite a few very small 5-9mm beads (moonstone, garnet, aquamarine, etc.) from etsy. In most cases, the seller notes that 28 gauge should be the largest wire used.
I’m new to this craft and have just purchased 28 gauge “enameled coated copper” wire in a silver and a gold color. The seller rates it as 1/4 hard. I’m wanting to make bracelets, drop earrings and necklaces. What do you do when you have such small beads? I couldn’t find half hard wire in a 28 gauge.
Am I in trouble????
Marianne
Hi Marianne!
That’s a tough one. It is possible to ‘work harden’ the wire a little bit more before you use it. The easiest way to do so is to pull the wire through a pair of nylon jawed flat-nosed pliers (http://amzn.to/1eiLYmk) before you use it. You could also pull it through a polishing cloth. Either of these will stiffen up the metal a little bit more. However, with such a small gauge the issue is more just that the size is so delicate it can break easily, not so much the hardness of the wire.
For earrings, the 28 gauge wire shouldn’t be a problem. But if you are wanting to make wire-wrapped link necklaces and bracelets, the strength of the finished product will be an issue. You can still use your tiny beads as dangles on necklaces and bracelets, but it is probably best to try to avoid using wire-wrapped links with such a delicate wire. A lot of times though, a batch of beads may have some that are drilled slightly larger than others – maybe go through and see if you can fit a 26 gauge headpin through any of the beads, and if so, set them aside. 26 gauge is still pretty delicate for a wire-wrapped necklaces and bracelets (wire wrapped links, not dangles) but I have done it. I just warn people they are quite delicate and expect a few requests for repairs here and there.
I hope that helps!
Jessica,
I’m really a small gem kind of girl and, yes, I’m very happy with using the stones as dangles as opposed to wire-wrapped links. And I’ll go through the stones and see if a larger gauge will fit any of them. I’m also practicing wire wrapping my briolettes with double and triple bails so that should help with structural integrity too.
Thank you so much – you’ve eased my mind and encouraged me! Self-teaching oneself is so much more fun with folks like you!
Marianne
Does the hardness matter if you’re planning on soldering the wire anyway? Meaning, is it worth seeking out half hard wire, or will it become dead soft after heating?
Hi Vivian- you are absolutely right! Heating the wire during soldering anneals it to the point where it is dead soft again, so if the wire is solely for soldering then it’s not worth it to seek out the 1/2 hard wire.
However if you are wanting to do some wire work where you might use 1/2 hard wire, then you can use it for both and avoid doubling up on materials. (That’s what I do).
Thanks for visiting!
Hi I’m having a really hard time finding aluminum wire that is half hard. Can you please recommend a company that carries it? Thanks
Hi Jennifer!
If you try doing a search for ‘medium stiff aluminum wire’ you should be able to find what you’re looking for. I found this one, Whimsie.com and it looks like there are a few options on Etsy under those search terms as well. Good luck!
~ Jessica
I have read 2 of your articles now & already learnt so much! I am desperate to get into making my own wire wrap jewellery but know I need to do a course so I know how to. Where I live in south of UK, it’s hard to find such a course.
What a shame this is from a few years ago as I think, even without a course, I would learn many of the basics, standing me in good stead.
I am not a “reading” learner but a “visual” & “hands on” learner.
Thank you for helping me realise even more, this is what I want to do. I will of course go to your main site & see what else I can glean.
Apologies for such a rambling comment, I am just passionate & frustrated in the same measure. Ty! C
Hi Caroline,
Just wanted to say thanks so much for visiting! I’m happy to hear these articles were helpful for you at the beginning of your wire wrapping journey!
If you are still interested in a visual and hands on course, I think my Wire Wrapping for Beginners self-paced video course would be perfect for you. You can watch from anywhere in the world and the course is interactive so you can ask for help or clarification any time you need it! I go over all of this info (and more) in video format along with showing you all the techniques close-up and step-by-step.
Best of luck!
~ Jessica
Hi Jessica
Just wondering which is best wire for making heart shapes and words etc. I just can’t get the heart to,stop bending and when I add a hanger at the top it pulls heart out of shape .
Thanks for your help
Hi Betheny!
It sounds like you are using wire that is either too thin or too soft, or maybe even both! For example, if you’re using artistic wire or craft wire, that means it’s dead soft and will easily bend out of shape. I would recommend a wire that is half-hard in temper and at least 22 gauge in diameter. 20 gauge would be better for holding its shape, but it will be more difficult to make words with, so I’d suggest trying the 22 gauge first to see if that fixes your problem.
Good luck!
~ Jessica
Do you know a place where they sell half-hard Fine Silver wire? I haven’t seen anywhere but I much prefer working with Fine Silver partly because jewelry made with it seems to sell more than sterling. I want to make some hoop earrings with half hard as the dead soft Fine Silver usually comes in takes alot of extra time getting it to hold its shape when hammering it. The dead soft tends to get out of round when making hoops with it once you start to work harden it.
Thanks,
Pippit
Hi Pippit,
So sorry for the hugely delayed reply – I seem to have missed a ton of comments :(
Unfortunately I don’t think you can find fine silver half-hard in many places, but I have seen it at OttoFrei.
Please keep in mind that the hardness scale only serves to compare a type of material to itself in different tempers. So half-hard fine silver wire is still going to be much softer than half-hard sterling silver! Still, it will save you that much work in hardening and hopefully not distort so much in the process. Would love to hear how it works out for you if you try it!
Hi Jessica,
Do you have a blog about where you prefer to buy your wire? Or could you let me know where you recommend? I’ve tried craft stores and Amazon but never find a good variety. I’ve sold quite a bit of jewelry using basic coated copper Artistic wire, but I want to try some better quality wires too and I’m not sure where to look.
Thank you!
Kate
Hi Kate! I’m so sorry for the huge delay in replying! I missed a bunch of comments when I switched over to my new site! If you’re still looking for this info, I recently updated my resources page with lots of great options for where to buy supplies. Hope that helps :)
~ Jessica