When I first started making jewelry I noticed right away that the 20 gauge wire wasn’t strong enough to hold on the ends at the clasp. This was a big problem since first off the clasp is the most expensive part, secondly because my business is online sending items back and forth just isn’t practical. I have no problem with fixing the issues for people, but still isn’t great practice to sell jewelry that will fall apart. So I started adding two rings to hold the clasp in place, this worked well for me and I never have any issues with the jewelry falling apart. But over time just like with a single ring sooner or later one of those rings inevitably gets loose and falls off, then leaving you with just one weakened ring… so I beefed up the wire used to 18 gauge which is much thicker and stronger. Once again this works great for me and I never have any issues… For my customers however this creates a totally different set of problems. Although the end rings are now strong enough the inner links get bend and fall off thus creating the same issue. I’m doing what I can and working to make my jewelry stronger and have decided that the only way I can do that is soldering each ring. Once I start soldering the rings with copper or silver solder the issues of falling apart will be issues of the past. Problem is it is expensive… the least expensive route for me to go is a $950 torch, and with all the solder, ceramic heat shields, goggles, etc. well into $1k so the soldered work won’t be available this season… however next year for when I start going to faire’s and advertising more abundantly online the craftsmanship will be much better than before.
What size copper are you working with? I solder 16-22 gauge copper wire with a $35 butane Bernzomatic torch, a $5 kiln shelf or a $.50 steel wire mesh over a steel support (depending on the size of what I am solderning). My pickle pot is a ceramic mini-crock I got on Freecycle, etc. I use haemostats to maneuver things, and a pair of copper tongs from Rio. Annealing copper — again, not too spendy. I have a $40 Bernzomatic PowerCell torch (they are now $100, but at Ace there’s a knockoff for $38), a steel dog dish filled with pumice, and an old steel bowl for quenching. Ye olde haemostats come into play, too. (I got the torches after a friend told me that they were what she used at William Holland, and if it is good enough for them … on the other hand, if you are doing enough fabrication that the PowerCell cannisters are too small & bite too far into the bottom line, then something that uses bulk fuel is better.) Most of my wire comes from Ace Hardware, too; the can get it for me in bulk spools & their bulk prices are as good as (sometimes better than) Rio or thunderbird’s. (You can also get dead-soft copper sheet from them, too, in large — 4×8′–sizes and buy larger size copper wire (6-10 gauge) by the spool–if you don’t salvage it.)