Someone had a detailed post regarding the price difference for buying vs. making your own jump rings.   Anyone know where this post is?

I don't recall where it was but I think loopy and llisa both had some good analysis.  I'm trying to remember if it was on the old site - might have been, but I'm not certain.

Basically it comes down to this - how do you want to spend your time, and are you going to make enough rings to make it worth investing in the equipment, and how good are your rings going to be.   And do you want to wait for rings to arrive, or just be able to knock them out yourself as needed when the muse has you all fired up.   

I went through this exercise about a year ago.  To the best of my recollection, all the equipment I'd need (including a flex-shaft) would end up costing approx US$250.  Based upon the price at that time of my most commonly used sterling silver ring size (18swg 5/32), I figured it would take around 18 ozs of silver before I broke even.  This was strictly based on the cost of pre-made rings versus the cost of wire and how long it would take to recoup the cost of the equipment.  A more thorough analysis would assign a dollar value to the extra time I'd spend coiling and cutting and factor in some wastage for when I mangle a coil during the cutting process.  I'd also stress that this was a year ago and the math may have changed a bit since then.

However, there are other things to consider than just the financial aspect - do you LIKE coiling and cutting your own rings (either because you actually like the process or you want the bragging rights that go with making your rings from scratch)?  Do you use odd ring sizes that are hard to find?  Do you like the convenience of being able to make your rings as and when you need them rather than having to wait for your supplier to ship them?

At the end of the day, if you're into making jewellery as a full-time business that's paying you a realistic, liveable wage, then making your own rings is pretty much a given due to the volumes you're going through.  If this is strictly a hobby or a "pin-money" venture, then it really comes down to personal choice more than anything else.

I saw mine with a jeweler's saw, so the cost of the equipment is negligible. And I've done so much of it that I can saw two-three hundred rings in about 5-10 minutes. (I like to think that I'm not too far behind those who have to set up their electronic gizmos before they can start sawing, lol!) So yeah -- it's well worth it for me to make my own. And it gives me something to do when I'm not actively working on a piece -- never underestimate the value of work to spark ideas!

Cindy

Here's my most recent math.  I need 3 oz T of  20g, 3.0mmID rings.  I priced them from one source for a total of $134.07 without shipping and handling.  I ordered 5 oz of wire to make my own rings, and it was $77.50 without shipping and handling.   I use a Dave Arens set-up for coiling and cutting.     The unit price on the pre-cut rings was $44.69/oz.  The wire was $15.50/oz.  I don't mind spending some assembly line time because I'm making a lot of rings once I get everything set up.  So you can use this price differential to figure out how many ounces of rings you would have to cut in order to offset the cost of what ever equipment you have or buy.

To get the full benefit of this post, you have to imagine the appropriate eerie music and evil bwaahahaha laugh in the background ..........

 

The Ring Lord - one ounce of 18swg 5/32 rings = $18.50; one ounce of 18swg wire = $19.10.

 

Are you confused yet?  If so, my work here is done.

Well, I usually buy at least 5 ounces of wire at a time, so 18swg (16 awg) is $15.65 ozt from Monster Slayer (price is fairly close at Santa Fe also)!

....thank you for your responses.