Perfectly Loopy - Wrapped Wire Loop Tutorial

I get asked a lot about how I make my wrapped wire loops so circular and consistent.  My OCD not withstanding, I put a tutorial together to show how I do it:

Materials:

wire

beads

Tools:

Flush cutter
Needle-nosed pliers (large & small)
Round-nosed pliers
Nylon jaw pliers

Steel bench block

Chasing hammer

Step 1:

Take your wire and wrap it around your smaller-sized round-nosed pliers.  Make a 90 degree bend in the wire at the base of the pliers.  Begin wrapping the end without the bend around the straight wire end.

Step 2:

Finish your wrapped loop, trying to keep the wire as tight as possible.

Step 3:

Turn your loop upside down and add a bead to your wire.  Hold the link by the finished loop and make a 90 degree bend in the other end of the wire, leaving room for the wraps.

Step 4:

Wrap the wire around the pliers, making sure the bend stays at the bottom of the pliers.

Step 5:

Finish wrapping the loop and trim the excess wire.

Step 6:

Here's what your loops will look like now:  in need of flattening.

Step 7:

Using your old nylon-jawed pliers, gently squeeze each loop until they flatten out evenly with your wraps.

Loops after flattening with the nylon-jawed pliers.

Step 8:

To shape the loops, place the loop on the larger round-nosed pliers.  Using your thumbs, push down on both sides of the wire, stretching the loop into a perfect circle.

Step 9:

Place the loop on a steel bench block and gently flatten the top of the loop with the chasing hammer, then turn it around and flatten the other side.

And there you have it - perfectly loopy loops!