Corrugated Designs
by Michelle
(Boston, Ma. USA)
Hi Stacy I wanted to know what gauge silver and copper do you use for your corrugated earrings? Are the metals work hardened first? They look like they would be thin and easy to bend. I love the look and would like to try to make a pair. Do you have a tutorial for how to corrugate metals? I have a tube wringer but never used it to do metals. If you can provide some tips I would be so so grateful. :o). Thank you
Stacy's Answer:
Hi Michelle!
I'll send you the little mini-tut I give out when folks buy a Tube-Wringer® from me. It's more of a quick picture guide, but gives you a good idea how to use the tool. Are you sure that the metal corrugator you have is a metal Tube-Wringer® ? There are many plastic and plastic/metal combos out there for scrap-booking that work well for paper, but will not corrugate metal properly or perhaps I should say, deeply.
The metals need to be super soft BEFORE running through the gadget. Anneal prior to each pass of the metal. The corrugating process really strengthens the metal making it very hard! Hard or too thick of a metal will damage the rollers. 24 gauge is the thickest metal the small hand-held tool can handle. You'll have to check the specs on your wringer if you've got a different model.
With thinner metal gauges, you can fold it and pass through again and again, creating some really cool patterns. Thinner metal also allows you to carefully tap out any areas you wish to be flat again by using a small Plexiglas block (any block, metal or wood will also work, but the clear Plexiglas allows you to see exactly the area you wish to flatten).
You can pinch, hammer, repoussé, solder and rivet the Corrugated textured pieces. You can also punch discs from the textured metal for a perfectly round shape vs. the distortion you get from rolling the metal through the tool. It's a fun little tool! Rio Grande Jewelry Supply carries some larger versions of the tool that allow you to texture larger pieces of metal. Let your imagination soar!
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