Product Review: Thing-A-Ma Jig Wire Designer

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The Thing-A-Ma JIG has a catchy name, but not much more to it. The directions are simple enough, and the packaging is open so you can see everything that comes with it, but keep in mind that the pictures on the back of the packaging are not the tools that come with it. While the back pictures show a metal grid with metal pegs to wrap the wire around the real tools are all made out of plastic. The templates are quick and easy to follow and they even give you a couple of blank templates so you can create your own, which I did like. And while I was able to make all three of the templates it gave me, they all seemed smaller and much flimsier than you would expect. You could make your designs stronger if you bought a different gauge in wire than what is given to you ( you can find a large selection of different gauges of wires here).
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If you decide to give the Thing-A-Ma JIG a try then I have a few other suggestions that I learned along the way. I found it much easier to use my fingers to loop the wire around the pegs, this also allowed for me to push the wire down further onto the pegs while following the templates. I only used my needle nose pliers to bend the ends into complete circles, once I had taken them off of the wire jig. It would also be more helpful if you spaced the pegs out further than the templates shown to make the designs slightly bigger. The Thing-A-Ma JIG is very easy to use and allows you the creative freedom to invent your own designs with wire, but if you stick to using only the basic tools they give you in the kit you might be unsatisfied with the durability of your final project.
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Lisa Lahiff at Lisa’s Creative Niche

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1 Comment

  1. I have a metal version of this and its just as good. The board and pegs are metal, however the smallest pegs sometimes fall through if youre not careful. Theyre great if youre really into jewelry–you can make clasps, earring hooks, and much more with just a little practice. I no longer purchase earring hooks, instead making my own using my own designs.The wire isnt going to be the strongest as-is, which is why its bendable by hand. To strengthen your creation, hit it with a hammer. A few taps to slightly flatten it will increase the strength a lot. If you flatten it too much, youll make it fragile. With a little practice, youll figure out the perfect thickness for each wire gauge.You can still bend your creations after taking it off the Thing-A-Ma Jig. You can twist, close loops, and add curves by hand to give pieces a completely different look.