BEADING Recycled yarn wt   7 Comments 2 min read

2 Free and Easy Wire Projects

Join us at Maker Festivals Colorado, the ultimate crafting extravaganza in Loveland from April 10-13, 2024, where the beloved Yarn Fest evolves with an exciting addition of beads and jewelry artists!

Hook and eye clasp is hardware chic!
Rubber tubing called “spline” is one of my favorite hardware store materials. Commonly used to press around a screen door panel, it’s cheap, easy to cut, comes in a few gauges and shades of gray or black, and (most important) is hollow–perfect for threading wire or beading cord through it. I use it often as a cord by threading it with flexible beading wire and crimping clasps at the ends.

But while playing around with 20-gauge craft wire I saw how easily it fit into the spline, and how the spline held different shapes with the heavier wire inside. This hook-and-eye clasp is one of my results. If you can make a wire wrapped loop with a pair of pliers, you’re good to go!
 
wire_hook_eye_clasp

      What You Need:

  • 12”  of 20-gauge copper craft wire
  • 14” rubber tube (hollow spline) 
  • 2 pair round-nose pliers or round-and chain-nose
  • wire snips
  • craft knife to cut spline 
  • ruler

Cut your materials
1: Use the wire snips to cut a 4” piece of the wire for the eye, leaving 8” for the hook.

2: Hold your tube alongside a ruler on a cutting board. Use your craft knife to cut the tube in two pieces, keeping the ends as straight across as possible: 1 piece 2” for the eye, 1 piece 4” for the hook.

Make the eye
3: Thread the 4” piece of wire through the 2” piece of tube so the wire protrudes evenly out both ends. Make a wire wrapped loop on both ends, keeping the wrapped loops snug against the rubber. Bend the wired tube into a simple U shape for the “eye." 

Make the hook
4:
Thread the 8" piece of wire through the 4" tube, and make wire wrapped loops at each end as in Step 3. Bend this piece into a U shape, (this one will be longer than the first one) then bend the middle over to make a hook shape.

You can now attach a piece of jewelry in any way you desire—jump rings, crimped wire, linked wrapped loops. Of course, you can make this hook-and-eye without the tube, using 20 or 18 gauge wire for sturdiness. For some great inspiration on ways to try this clasp technique on other designs, the 2009 issue of Easy Wire is a must-have for your library. Enjoy!

Caramel_Swirl_200_braceletFREE Easy Wire project!
The style of my clasp may not be your cup of tea, but you'll find plenty of other styles among the 45 projects in the new issue of Easy Wire–like this gorgeous copper wire and lampwork bead Caramel Swirl Bracelet, for instance. Spiral copper wire in a unique pattern, and pair it with delectable lampwork beads.

Download this free Easy Wire project here!

Have you played with wire in rubber tubing? Tell us about it in our comment boxes below!

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