As a wire wrapper, you’ll learn that it is essential to achieve the right tension. Too much tension, and your work will be kinked or break; too little tension, and your wraps will come undone. Choose a manageable length of 21- or 22-gauge wire, and a smooth, rounded bead (the size of a pea works well). Anchor one end of the wire by making a simple 90-degree bend against the bead’s surface. Begin to wrap the working end around the bead, tucking each wrap snugly next to the one before. Don’t leave a gap between wraps, and don’t overlap them, either.
Squeeze the wire into place with your fingers, rather than pulling it into place with the pliers. Hold the bead in one hand, and use your other hand to hold the wire, wrapping it around the bead. A common mistake people make is using too much force when they squeeze the wraps with chain nose pliers, leaving deep marks or flattening the wire unevenly. If you squeeze each new wrap gently with the flat edge of the pliers, and then release the pliers to go back and wrap again, you won’t damage the wire and flatten it. It’s best to practice making wraps in short segments, such as 15 minutes.
Sit down at a table, where there is good light, and make sure that you have ten or twelve short pieces of wire and a few beads to work with. Then wrap one bead. Pick it up, and hold it up to the light. Are the wraps evenly spaced? Are there any places where the wraps are a bit stretched out, or loose? If so, go back and re-wrap. Repeat this process several times.
As you do so, you’ll begin to “feel” the right amount of tension. As your tension improves, the wraps will lie closer to the bead without distorting, and the overall piece will be more rigid when you bend it gently. Getting the right tension is important, because eventually you will be using these wraps in other pieces, such as a stone pendant, or a multi-strand chain. In a chain, if one side of the wraps is looser than the other side, the links will not lie properly.
At some point, try tightening one side of your wraps a bit more than the other, and see how that looks. But then go back to tightening the wraps evenly. Even when you’ve learned to make more complex projects, go back and make a few simple wraps from time to time. Getting the right amount of tension is one of the hallmarks of beautiful wire work, and it will help you to produce pieces that are not flimsy and weak.