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This weekend I was able to get something that I’ve been wanting for a long time: a new wire jig. Some years back I got one of those cheap plastic jigs because I wanted to learn to do wire work and I was fairly broke. It served me well for many years, but even though I treated it as delicately as I could, the pegs got loose and it proved to be too small for a lot of the things that I wanted to work on. This weekend I was going through some of my receipts and putting them away for next year’s taxes. That’s when I realized I had coupons from Michael’s.
Attached to two of my receipts were coupons for 40% off any purchase. They were going to expire the next day, so I decided I was going to take advantage of them. Off to Michael’s I went, looking to see what I might be able to get with my discount. At first I was thinking beads or findings, but I have quite a bit of both right now. Then I thought of tools, but I have pretty much everything I need in that department too. Then I thought of a wire jig. I knew they were expensive, but with nearly half off or maybe more if I could combine the coupons, it seemed worth looking.
To my great pleasure they had the #2 brand wire jig in stock! I grabbed it with glee. It’s a nice metal jig with rubber feet and metal pegs with rubber stoppers. (Those blurry things in the center of the photo are the stoppers.) The bag on the right is all the pegs that came with the jig, which is quite a lot, and in four sizes. The bag on the left are the pegs from my old jig, which actually work with the new jig if I use the stoppers on them. So I now have a lot of pegs and a nicely sized jig.
I can’t wait to start using this. I’ve been wanting a better one for so long, it’s nice to finally have one. I still want one of the round ones, but I have to order those online, they don’t have them in at Michael’s or Hobby Lobby. For now though, I’m extremely happy to have a jig that should last me many, many years to come. Keep your eyes peeled for new wire jewelry in the near future!
