Headpins are an expensive finding to buy when you are making dozens or hundreds of dangles for a piece of jewellery. Not to mention the frustration of locating a head pin the exact shape or style that is required for the specific bead in the right metal. Especially when working with fine holed beads, what a nightmare!
With a wire cutter, round needle pliers and some continuous wire, a head pin can be made in under a minute for a fraction of the cost, especially if using silver, gold filled or gold wire.
Basic head pins out of continuous wire still have a small hole at the bottom. It's a half basic loop that has been pinched closed. It isn't a well formed eye pin, though. An eye pin should resemble a lollipop with a perfect circle at the end, not a wonky oval.
The head pin above is the starting point of how to do a spiral as well so a good starting point for practicing first.
I really like to use spirals as a head pin, and just use spirals in my design in general. The extra little glitz of metal uses up space and is a cost effective way to emulate another metal bead. Spirals also make interesting dangles off hinges and clasp connections.
The next instructable I've created starts off with a basic spiral and then shows how to make them into head pins.
Happy Wiring!
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| A tight spiral makes a great dangle by itself. |
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| Spiral with space between the coils. |
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| Open spirals give spaces to fill up with beads. |
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| Spirals here hide where two main components (bail and bottom coil bead) are twisted together and tidy up loose ends. |
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| Spiral in action being used as a fibular pin head. |
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