22g round HH sterling silver filled wire 32' high qual

The wire:

22 gauge round, half-hard, sterling silver filled wire, 32.5 feet long, 0.6mm in diameter.

This high quality, tarnish-resistant wire is made in Germany expressly for the jewelry making industry. It is regarded by many to be second only to solid sterling. This is an attractive, affordable wire that works and wears well.

SS/40 wire has excellent sterling color and sheen, giving the appearance of solid sterling silver at a fraction of the price. It is made by bonding an outer tube-like portion - 1/40th sterling silver by weight - to a pure copper core.

This wire is well suited for use in wire-wrapping and more. Oxidize it. Hammer it, roll it, solder it. Braid it, crochet with it, knit with it. Use it for earwires and clasps. Make headpins that end in a scroll or tiny loop. Use it to make bracelets, necklaces, earrings, pendants, and chain maille. Make bookmarks and paperclips.

SS/40 is not a electroplated wire.

Electroplated wire has only a microscopic application of precious metal on top of non precious wire - to be called electroplated, the standard is a thickness of at least .175 microns.

To visualize the thickness of that coating, one would have to multiply the .175 micron plating 350 times to equal the diameter of 1 human hair!

Please read below for detailed information for uses and tips on working with this wire, plus shipping, returns, and feedback.

If you are new to wire wrapping, don't worry - you will make mistakes. Don't be discouraged. Practice with inexpensive hardware store wire. Then come back and see me. I'll gladly sell you all the wire you'd like!

Oxidizing:

Use liver of sulfur or the hard-boiled egg method to oxidize the surface of silver filled wire. The pure copper core oxidizes as well as sterling silver. You can create a lovely dark finish. If you've (unintentionally) hammered a little too enthusiastically and a bit of copper shows, oxidizing will mask this.

Hammering:

I use a nylon hammer & surface when I flatten this wire. Some artisans use a brass hammer, some protect the wire by sandwiching it between leather or soft flannel. You can use an ordinary hardware store ball peen hammer on this with or without padding. Explore. Have fun. Practice pounding and to see how far you can go. You can also flatten the wire by "whacking" it between two pieces of acrylic or nylon boards. This wire also rolls nicely - just set the rollers far apart enough so you don't flatten to the point of being brittle.

Soldering:

Silver filled wire can be soldered with a torch using sterling silver solder and the same flux and pickle you'd use with sterling. Although I haven't tried it, a soldering iron with silver-bearing solder would probably work as well. Follow the instructions & use the flux recommended by the manufacturer of the solder product you are using.

If you try to fuse or otherwise melt this wire - both of which are different from soldering - you will expose the copper core.

20 gauge is perfect for earwires. A few strokes of a file followed by a few turns of a cup burr leaves the ends smooth, preventing irritation. You can make headpins with this wire, and it braids well and rolls nicely - set rollers apart enough to keep wire from becoming brittle. 20 gauge also works for wire-wrapping most average-sized beads.

22g makes earwires for those who prefer a smaller diameter – give the earwires a whack or two to stiffen. It works well for beads with a small hole. 24 gauge makes great coils for earwires, and works for pearls and gemstone beads with even smaller holes. 30 gauge is perfect to string through tiny gemstone briolettes.

Finer gauges work well for crocheting and knitting. Larger gauges can be used as a base/foundation for bracelets and necklaces; to wrap heavy beads and pendants; for chain maille; and to wrap and embellish wine stoppers and serving utensils.

  Please note: This wire contains 1/40th (or 2 1/2%) 10KT gold by weight. According to FTC regulation, this cannot be called "gold-filled" unless the 1/40th 10KT is part of the descriptive title. This is to prevent confusion with the 1/20th or higher weight standard set by the FTC. Gold-filled wire must contain at least 1/20th (or 5%) gold by weight, as opposed to 1/40th (or 2 1/2%). This does not detract from the beauty or utility of 10KT/40 wire, which is made the same or very similar manner to gold-filled wire.

     Availability:

I sell SS/40 wire in 14g, 16g, 18g, 20g, 22g, 24g, and 30 gauge, and 10KT/40 in 18g, 20g, 22g, and 24g. If you need a larger quantity than listed, please contact me. I have additional stock in all gauges over 99% of the time. On rare occasions, a particular size may go backorder before I have time to remove the listing - I sell via other venues besides this one.

Most purchases are mailed within 7 days. If you have a deadline to meet, please contact me before  ordering so I can make an effort accommodate your time requirements. I do my best to estimate the cost of all multiple item shipments. In the unlikely event that charges don't cover actual costs, the buyer will be notified and charged the additional cost for shipping. Returns & customer service:

Feedback:

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Returns

Please contact me for questions not addressed here, and thank you!