A Perfect Twist

Step 2 Secure the wire in the drill chuck

You will need to carefully insert the two cut ends of the wire into the drill chuck. It needs to be placed in the center, and be certain not to have the sides get caught as the chuck is closing.  The wire will pull from the chuck unless it is firmly secured dead center.

Comments

[jeff-o]

You can also chuck a hook into the drill, and loop the doubled-over wire onto that.  Then, tie a knot into the other end of the wire and attach it onto something secure, like a piece of heavy furniture or a second hook on the wall.

Then, hold the drill at the same level as the stationary end of the wire, and pull it lightly taut.  Start twisting the wire.  After a while you'll feel a pull on the drill as the twisted wire gets shorter; just slowly move towards the stationary end of the wire while maintaining a constant tension.

One other thing to remember, once the wire is twisted.  Some kinds of wire, like insulated stranded wire, will like to spring back quickly if you simply release it from the drill.  It's better to slowly relax the wire, so it doesn't twist back on itself.

This is how it's been done for decades at my work.

[barefootbohemian]

 That is a great idea for doing longer peices! Thanks for sharing that.  I think I will have to go and try it. 
You sound just like my hubby with that "that's how it's been done for decades at my work" LOL!  He is always telling me how they do it there, but so little of what they do, aluminum die casting, has anything to do with what I do! There is no good correlation between an aluminum furnace at 1800 degrees and a glass kiln at the same temp, other than they are both hot and they will both fry your retinas if you look at them! But I will always keep in mind now that hubby isn't the only one who has done it just the same way for "decades" :))

[ClockworkDragonfly]

Many of the jewelry magazines and websites have also featured the method jeff-o mentions. That's the way I've been doing it for the past 10 years or so, putting the "far" end into my bench vice, but it never occurred to me to do it the way you show here, which seems a little more convenient for short lengths.