Tutorial: How to make a Toggle Clasp, Split Rings and Jump Rings!

Howdy folks, I just got back from walking my dog in the rain and I think it is just the perfect day to stay inside and make jewelry! But hey, when isn’t right? I ran out of toggle clasps over the weekend and decided to try my hand and making my own. Here is the result on this funky, chunky bracelet:

I used thick colored aluminum wire that I picked up at the Dollar Tree, a great material to experiment with. Just be careful that you don’t mar the surface when you are working the wire, you can see I scratched this one a bit:

Buy, that is OK, I can touch it up later along with the cut ends with a permanent marker. Here is a quick video to show you how to make the toggle clasp and ring used in this project:

Easy huh? The really cool thing about knowing how to make your own findings is that you will never run out as long as you have wire to work with and it is more convenient that stocking every size jump ring in every finish, this way you can make just what you need.  You can use bamboo skewers, knitting needles, drill bits, dowels or anything cylindrical to make jump rings with. Another tip is to my an inexpensive knitting needle gauge (it is a piece of metal of plastic with different size holes punched in it so you can put your needles in it to determine their sizes and they usually have millimeter sizes on them too…or you can use a drill bit guide, I’m sure you have lots of stuff in your home that you can use as jump ring forms if you just have a look!

That’s all for today, I have a lot of projects I want to work on plus a kitting class to prepare for so thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!