| Mistake | Correct | |
 Loops Not consistent |
One of the more common problems for people
who are new to working with jigs is that the loops are not consistent.
In the figure at left, one can see that the loops on the sides of this
piece are different sizes. This can happen for one of a couple of
reasons. The best way to be consistent when making components on a
jig is first to only position the pegs that you are using at that time in
the jig and add pegs as you progress. In the component shown here,
there are 6 pegs in the final pattern, but one should start making this
component with only two pegs in the jig. Second, it will be much
easier to be consistent if you push the wire with your fingers as close to
the pegs in the jig as possible. Soft wire tends to want to make
larger, more rounded loops when used making the component here. In
order to keep the loops in this component the same size, push the wire
with your fingers as close to the pegs of the jig as possible.
Frequently it is easier to hold and guide the wire in your dominant hand
while your move the jig with your non-dominant hand.
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 Doesn't Lay Flat |
Another common problem is that a wire
component that doesn't lay as flat as it could. In the component on
the left the piece was made wrapping the wire around the pegs in turn
without removing it from the jig. In the component on the left,
after every loop was added, the wire was removed from the jig and flipped
over. This way the loops around the pegs were always made on the
same side of the jig. The end result is that the component on the
right has only two layers of wire, while in the component on the left each
succeeding loop is built on top of the prior loop.
The piece on the right could also be improved by hand finishing. Hand finishing is the process of using your fingers and your eye to manipulate a wire component after removing it from the jig. Hand finishing is preformed after the piece is flattened or squeezed in the jaws of your nylon jaw pliers. Hand finishing is a technique that is learned by experience. |
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