Butterfly Bracelet

If you can make a loop with cone nose pliers, you can make a butterfly bracelet. All you need is a few paper clips.

For tools you'll need:
Cone nose pliers
Flat nose pliers
Diagonal cutting pliers
File

Step 1 Shape the head

Extend a paper clip and work out the kinks with flat nose pliers.

For the ease of use I filed a tiny grove into one of the cones of my pliers. You can see this in the second picture. The groove helps show me where to place the wire so I get consistent circles.

Place the center of the wire into the cone pliers and form a small loop. Bend one of the free ends away from the loop as shown in the pictures. Reposition the pliers and bend the other free end away from the loop.

You should now have an overlapping lollypop looking thing. Use the flat pliers to adjust the loop so the free ends are side by side and not overlapping. See the pictures.

Comments

[fierce_benn]

Hi there!

This is an amazing instructable, I can't wait to try it. I was wondering where I can buy cone nosed pliers?

Thanks!

[Mrballeng]

I've learned since they're really called "round nose pliers". You can buy them any place craft items are sold. Thanks for the comment.

[emilyvanleemput]

OMG! This bracelet is just perfect!

[MicioGatta]

Great idea, beautiful tutorial. I've done my first butterfly, I've got some problem in keeping the tails together, but I'll practice :D. Thank you!

[pattibradford]

I love this tutorial! Your instructions are so precise, it make it hard for us to make a mistake. Thank you )

[hfuller]

I attempted this.....sooo looks nothing like the one's you or the other people made

[Nekro]

Excelente! Este es el primer instructable que hago de Jewlery y hasta un inutil como yo pudo hacerlo :)
Gracias!

Excellent! This is the first jewelry's instructable that i made and even a useless as I could!
Thanks!

[Mrballeng]

Buen hecho! Por que no pones los fotos?

Good job! Why don't you post the photos?

[Nekro]

Lo prometido es deuda! Acá está la foto!

A promise is a promise! Here's the pic.

[Mrballeng]

Bien hecho! gracias!

[Nekro]

Cuando pueda robarsela de la muñeca a mi novia, sacare fotos. :)

When I can steal it from my girlfriend's wrist, i'll take pictures. :)

[apar.lopez]

Perfect! Love it!

[mgrapes]

So cute - I can't wait to try to make it. Thanks for sharing 8)

[Mrballeng]

Thank you Ms. Grapes

[Mella2013]

This is so beautiful! Thank you for posting !

[Mrballeng]

Thank you.

[Mistwalker]

I saw this when it was featured in the instructables email, and decided to make one for my girlfriend. Didn't quite have the proper tools, but I managed to make due. It's far from perfect, but I think I did ok for a first attempt. Great instructable, by the way.

[Mrballeng]

I love it! Great job. I hope your girlfriend liked it.

[Mistwalker]

She did indeed like it. I knew that when the kids saw it, they'd want some, too. So, I made two more, except this time, with red beading wire, which was much easier to bend into shape than the paperclips. It's perhaps a little more fragile, but as long as they're treated with care, they should hold up fine. I also got them far more consistently shaped than the first one.

[Rowen27]

for the record you can 'work harden' (stiffen) soft wire, by rolling it back and forth between two smooth flat pieces of hard wood or metal (this will also straighten it), but take care, as this may also scratch or scar the metal...

[Mrballeng]

This is awsome in a bunch of different ways. I made a bracelet sitting on my back patio and then that same bracelet shows up perhaps in a place I've never been by a person I've never met.

Most often I only get to see these ideas photographed on my own hands. I get a big kick out of seeing someone else try their hand at it.

The red wire looks great. Good job!

[Mistwalker]

Did one more. Probably my last for a while. My girlfriend likes brightly colored jewelry in repeating patterns, so I used several different colors of wire to make a choker necklace using your butterfly design. We had all this wire here anyway, as she does beading, and makes necklaces and bracelets. She absolutely loves this one, by the way. I used a small silver lobster claw clasp for this one, which is necessary as the wire one would make it too loose to be a choker.

[Kryptonite]

It seems the first few I made end up badly scratched by my pliers despite everything I try (not that much...), do you have any tips or tricks for this?

[Mrballeng]

Make sure the pilers your using are cone nose. Also make sure your moving the wire around the plier jaws and not the pliers jaws around the wire. If that makes sense.

[Kryptonite]

I've gotten over the problem now and they're looking just fine; I've made one (sorry, lack of camera makes it hard for me to document) and I'm starting a second which should turn out even better.

[MiltReynolds]

Excellent! Your photos are so good, lots of them, sequential, clear, nice background.

I'm so dumb...I didn't know there was even such a thing as "cone-nose" pliers. What a revelation! That alone is worth reading your 'ible.

You've inspired me. I want to make this!

[Katzsta]

You can also just mark the pliers with a Sharpie so you don't have to mar it with the file (and you may not have a file). Also, you can wrap tape around the pliers so they don't mar the wire. Black electrical tape is good, but if all you have is masking tape, that will work, although you will have to replace it frequently. Scotch tape may or may not work, I've never tried that.

But great instructable of an inexpensive, but nice looking bracelet. And it can be expanded to a necklace or other things.

[cybergod]

Yeah, this is cool. A nice project for me to help my daughter (14) with on the holidays :)

[Biohazard1194]

Man you can make so much awesome stuff... Awesome!

[CrimsonCrow]

Now, maybe I can make one of your projects myself...and we won't have to get married! :-)

[nanosec12]

I am so glad that I am following you, these are just great...

I will be making these for my daughters sometime this summer, thanks for the great idea and well written instructable.

[Mrballeng]

Thanks. I never know what the reaction is going to be when I publish a new instructable. I'm always happy to read comments like yours. Thanks.

[lothoth]

This is awesome.

how do you do not to scratch the wire with the pliers?

[Mrballeng]

At first I was scratching the wire. Then I figured out to use pliers without grooves cut in the jaws.

The pliers I'm using came from an inexpenxive set at the craft store. Some thing like 6 pliers for 10 dollars. There's nothing fancy about them.

[CamillaLuvzMusic]

Beautiful! Absolutely going to make this when I get the chance! Thank you :)

[LuzminasCorner]

Amazing!! love this idea!!

[Excess]

Simply beatiful. I'm already loving it, and I haven't tried it out yet :D but I'll definitely will.

[poofrabbit]

I am just plain in awe of the things you come up with using everyday materials! Yet another amazing 'able!!