Small Bubble Wrap?

[MaggieTheCat]

So, I am looking for some very small bubble wrap, something that would be good for wrapping jewelry and small charms. I found a place that sells 3/16" bubble wrap but that is the smallest they carry, and one of their customer service people said that 3/8" might be better for what I'm doing. But they don't carry it. Any idea where I can get such a thing? Or, if anyone has any experience shipping jewelry, would 3/16" work for most things? My stuff isn't too fragile; most of it is made out of chainmail, which holds up well, and polymer clay, which is pretty sturdy, although I make a few charms that have some thin parts to them that I wouldn't want to snap off.

Thanks.

[Shpepper]

May I ask where you get your chainmail supplies? I want to make some for gifts but the best places I can find are in Canada. Looking for something that's not so far away and shipping not so much if I can help it.

[MaggieTheCat]

Actually, I get my supplies from a place in Canada too:

http://theringlord.com/

Shipping usually isn't too bad, but I'm sure it's higher than if I could get them in the States. However, they make up for it by having the biggest selection and cheapest prices of any other chainmail supplier that I've seen, especially their sterling silver (my favorite metal to work with!)

[Shpepper]

Ok I'm convinced no that is where I am going to go to get my stuff. I got some starter things at Michaels and while I like what I made, I am not getting more there.

I keep looking at that site. So that's where I will order from. Thanks.

I wish I knew where to get the bubble wrap for you. have you thought about cotton instead?

[MaggieTheCat]

Well, the place that I was looking at shipping supplies from has these little jewelry boxes for pretty cheap. Anywhere from $.19-.50 each (they sell them in packs of 100.) They come in a lot of different sizes and also have a piece of cotton inside them. What I was thinking is that if I got some bubble wrap, I could put my jewelry in the box on top of the cotton, and then put a piece of bubble wrap on top of it before putting the lid to the box on, so that the jewelry is cushioned between cotton and bubble wrap. And, when I stopped and thought about it last night, isn't 3/16" smaller than 3/8" anyway? The email I got from them didn't make a lot of sense when I thought about it, so I might just try the 3/16" and see how it works.

Also, if you're getting into chainmail, have you been to this site?
http://www.mailleartisans.org/

Very good resource site, has a ton of patterns and a cool gallery to give you some inspiration and get you started. I particularly like the shaggy loops weave; if you put tiny beads on some of the hanging rings, it makes a really pretty bracelet or earrings. I have a very large order from a good friend of mine for a dozen pairs of earrings and bracelets in that design, that she's giving away as Christmas presents this year.

Actually, I guess I didn't ask what kind of gifts you're making? I just assumed jewelry since that's what I make. Anyway, if you're doing jewelry, sterling is obviously a really nice material to work with but it's expensive. I also like aluminum pretty well as it's very cheap and lightweight (if you're doing jewelry with aluminum, get the bright aluminum, or andonized if you want it in different colors. straight up aluminum is dirty.) Just be warned that aluminum isn't as durable as sterling and some of the rings I've gotten don't close very well. For example, the 20g 3/8" ID (I think that's what I have) tend to come unlinked if I make something with all that size. They work better if you use some smaller rings with them. The 20g 3/16" ID aluminum work really well for most of the stuff I do. Brass is also a really nice material if you want a different color than silvery-grey, and not too much more expensive than aluminum. Stainless steel is good too but I find it 1) heavier than I like for most jewelry and 2) too hard to decently close, for me. I'm not strong enough. My husband likes it for making dice bags, though.

I really like The Ring Lord, however, one thing I will just warn you about is that their customer service is a little lacking. Bernice Daniels is the wife of the owner and she seems to handle all questions that come through via email and their forum, and the couple times I've contacted her with a question, she's been very curt, to the point of being almost rude in her replies. And one time she didn't even answer all my questions (I asked her two questions in one email and she completely ignored the second one.) So, just be warned of that if you ever need to contact them. I've never had any problems with orders as far as getting the wrong item or not getting enough of an item so I don't know how she handles that kind of situation. All my orders from them have been great, though, and the rude customer service isn't enough to turn me away because I haven't found another place with competitive pricing or selection.

Okay, sorry for the long post, just thought I'd share some of my experiences.

[Shpepper]

Thanks for all the great info.

You're right 3/16 is smaller. Silly people there don't know what they are talking about.

Right now I am just teaching myself how to do it all. Eventually it will be jewelery or accessories. I'm thinking things I can give to my Faire Geek friends. I have a lot of them. I thought that I'd start with aluminum first and get the feel for it and then go from there and strt into silver and other things. Or Stainless for some of the accessories.

[Jack T. Chance]

For bubble wrap and other packing supplies, sometimes you can find the best selection at office supply stores (Office Depot, Staples, Office Max, etc.) You can also try any public storage type businesses in your area (the places that rent storage lockers) as they usually carry packing/moving supplies, as well. Just to give you some ideas for some places you can try.

[Primer]

I don't think I've ever seen bubble wrap smaller than 3/16" That's pretty darn small for bubbles as it is.