You know how jewelry wire comes off the spool and instantly gets twisted and kinked? And they say, “Just run it through your fingers a few times to straighten it.” Well, I must have extraordinarily thin skin or something, but it will draw blood before it straightens out.
I tried straightening it with nylon-coated pliers, with mixed results.
Then I discovered an amazing gizmo from Artistic Wire that 
straightens wire in a jiffy. Costs about $10 (buy online and check for lowest price). You can also get it at a local craft store but at a higher price.
Here’s what it looks like in use on a 20 gauge piece of copper wire:
So save your fingers and pick up one of these little babies. I guarantee you’ll want to keep it handy.
Kris Haig — artisan, teacher, spiritual director
