Flat Back Cabs

by Susan
(St. Louis)

I purchased a whole bag of cats eye cabs. But lo and behold, I didn't pay attention when ordering and they all are undrilled.

They range in size from 5mm to 10mm.....

What in the world can I do with them?

I am learning wireworking......is there some way I could wire work these into a design....

they don't have holes ............HELP!

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Flat Back Cabs

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Cabs, cabs, cabs
by: Christine

What to do with cabs?

Some options:

-Free form wire wrapping (wrap them with wire, add a loop to the top and use them as pendants or charms/ dangles)

-Drill holes in them (use a specialty diamond encrusted drill bit, a drill press, and a water filled container, and a piece of wood so you don't puncture the container and drip water everywhere)

-Make soldered pendants (tape with copper foil, solder using a stained glass soldering technique - if you think they can take some heat)

-Glue on bails (glue on bails are probably easiest- they look like little leaves with a hook on them. Use E-6000 to glue them on)

Free Form Wire Wrapping Tips

Here are some quick tips for wrapping wire around them:

-Cut a length of wire at least a foot long, or even 2

-Position the wire so that the cab sits in the middle of the length, and TAPE IT DOWN with painter's tape.

(Sorry for yelling - more to myself- when I was starting out I never taped anything down and the wire always slipped and slid all over the place. It never even occurred to me to tape it down. I can't even think how many hours of frustration that would've saved me.)

-Wrap the cab any way you choose. Make sure you add a wrapped loop at the top with length still left, then you can wrap a few more times and secure the ends around the wrap of the wrapped loop.

-To tighten the wrapped, take your pliers and give the wraps a twist (just a quick 1/4 or half turn) on the back of the cab.

Cheers,
Christine ~how-to-make-jewelry

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Submitted by: Christine

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<h2>What to do with cabs? </h2> <h3>Some options: </h3> -<strong>Free form wire wrapping</strong> (wrap them with wire, add a loop to the top and use them as pendants or charms/ dangles) -<strong>Drill holes in them</strong> (use a specialty diamond encrusted drill bit, a drill press, and a water filled container, and a piece of wood so you don't puncture the container and drip water everywhere) -<strong>Make soldered pendants</strong> (tape with copper foil, solder using a stained glass soldering technique - if you think they can take some heat) -<strong>Glue on bails</strong> (glue on bails are probably easiest- they look like little leaves with a hook on them. Use E-6000 to glue them on) <h2>Free Form Wire Wrapping Tips </h2> Here are some quick tips for wrapping wire around them: -Cut a length of wire at least a foot long, or even 2 -Position the wire so that the cab sits in the middle of the length, and TAPE IT DOWN with painter's tape. (Sorry for yelling - more to myself- when I was starting out I never taped anything down and the wire always slipped and slid all over the place. It never even occurred to me to tape it down. I can't even think how many hours of frustration that would've saved me.) -Wrap the cab any way you choose. Make sure you add a wrapped loop at the top with length still left, then you can wrap a few more times and secure the ends around the wrap of the wrapped loop. -To tighten the wrapped, take your pliers and give the wraps a twist (just a quick 1/4 or half turn) on the back of the cab. Cheers, Christine ~how-to-make-jewelry

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Answers From Twitter-ers...
by: Christine ~how-to-make-jewelry.com

Via Twitter:

Tammy Powley:

You can bead around them.

livngoodjewelry: "sell them to your favorite silversmith - that's what we use to make pendants & such - or more fun, learn to set your own"

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Flat Back Cabs
by: Anonymous

You could always make a necklace down the front of a t-shirt, or make the shirt look like it has a purse on the shoulder :)

Debra Head