Hi Riya -- When I first start forming the cage around the marble, I will take two separate wires (bent back and forth as shown in the instructions) and will criss-cross them in a spot so they are interlocked together between bends. As I'm forming the cage, I try to interlock the wires in several other locations around the marble creating tension that will help hold the cage together in spots. I then use shorter pieces of wire to weave and bend into the gaps, latching wires together even more. I keep my round nose pliers handy to make spirals on the ends of the shorter wires after I have worked them into position. There is really no "trick" for forming the cage. Every pendant I've made has been like a puzzle -- trying to weave the wires together in such a way that the tension holds the cage together. Sometimes it takes awhile and other times everything just "works" right away. I've botched a few in the process and chased many flying marbles across the room.
I have made these before and I use a small piece of poster tac to help hold the marble still. poster tac can be found in most KMarts Wall Marts and is pretty cheap and can be used over and over if it doesn't get to dirty. Hope this tip helps . Nice Pendants Laura J.
Thanks for the tip Laura. I'll have to check out the poster tac. Whenever I make fried marble pendants, I usually have to chase the marble across the room a few times before enough of the cage is completed to secure it. I do other pendant designs as well and have the same problem with flying marbles. haha
This is fabulous! Thank you for a such a great idea for using up stray pieces of wire. I hated the thought of tossing them but had no idea what to do with them until now.
Hi Molly. The wire I used on this project was actually scrap wire from a more formal design I was trying to make but "botched" too badly to complete. Interestingly, I've had a number of requests from friends now to make them one of these bird nest mess pendants. So, I guess I'll be making good use of all my scrap wire going forward. Even if someone doesn't want to wear the pendant, they make pretty mini suncatchers in the window. I'm thinking of making a hanging marble suncatcher mobile now.
Hi Xandra. I don't mind at all. I am honored that someone liked my idea enough to share it with others. I was about to throw out all that scrap wire until the idea came to me to work all the wire pieces together somehow in a less formal design. I've gotten lots of compliments on that design which has been very encouraging.
By the way Xandra -- if you are going to fracture (fry) marbles per the instructions I provided, you'll need to find marbles that are made up of transparent glass (whether clear or tinted). That way you can see the facets. If they are opaque (where light doesn't go through them), they don't work. Good luck with your project. I hope if you make one that you'll post your version on the Cut out and keep website. I would love to see how this turns out for other folks.
CO + K User
And I'm glad you didn't throw away the scraps ;)
If you mind, let me know, and I will take it down. Thank you for the tutorial