The condition of your tools can make a big difference in the quality of your jewelry. When's the last time you put fresh jaws on your nylon jaw pliers? See the video description for links to replacement jaws.
Mine looked like yours did and I finally replaced them a few months ago and I swear they need replaced again already. One time, before I finally found replacements on rio, I sanded/filed the old nylon ones down a bit to make it flat again. I wasn't sure if that was "proper" but I felt there was still a lot of nylon on there. They are cheap enough but I'm parsimonious and like to make things last as long as possible. I feel like square wire, as well as larger gauges, wears down the nylon fast.
Sanding them flat again is a brilliant idea! I don't know why I didn't think of that. I used to work for a manufacturer many years ago, and we used this same nylon material on some of our machinery. We would resurface the material on a lathe or milling machine until there was basically nothing left. And, yes, square wire and larger gauges will definitely wear the material down more quickly. But then those are the materials that these pliers are designed for.
The condition of your tools can make a big difference in the quality of your jewelry. When's the last time you put fresh jaws on your nylon jaw pliers? See the video description for links to replacement jaws.
Mine looked like yours did and I finally replaced them a few months ago and I swear they need replaced again already. One time, before I finally found replacements on rio, I sanded/filed the old nylon ones down a bit to make it flat again. I wasn't sure if that was "proper" but I felt there was still a lot of nylon on there. They are cheap enough but I'm parsimonious and like to make things last as long as possible.
I feel like square wire, as well as larger gauges, wears down the nylon fast.
Sanding them flat again is a brilliant idea! I don't know why I didn't think of that. I used to work for a manufacturer many years ago, and we used this same nylon material on some of our machinery. We would resurface the material on a lathe or milling machine until there was basically nothing left. And, yes, square wire and larger gauges will definitely wear the material down more quickly. But then those are the materials that these pliers are designed for.