Chainmaille Pliers: 6 of the Best Chainmail Tools by Xuron®

If you’re new to chainmaille, the array of tools and materials available can be overwhelming. In this blog post, we’ll introduce you to the six best chainmaille pliers made by Xuron®. Whether you’re a beginner or an expert chainmail jewelry maker, these pliers will help make your work easier and faster. So, let’s get started!

Every chainmaille artist owns at least two different pliers and each has his/her preference for brand and style. Having had the opportunity to meet with many different artists and designers, we’ve chosen six that our users consistently recommend.

Here are the Xuron® Pliers Most Recommended by Chainmail Artisans

Model 487 Chisel-Nose Pliers

The Xuron® Model 487 Chisel-Nose Pliers have blades that are flat and smooth. Ground to a 45° angle, they give you extra gripping surface when working with jump rings. The angle eliminates any interference with the open space of the ring.

These pliers are strong enough to be used with both aluminum and stainless-steel jump rings that are 14 AWG or smaller. Additionally, the tips can be used for micro-maille and other very small work.

Model 486 90° Bent-Nose Pliers

The Model 486 is a great choice for those who work with jump rings. With its distinctive bent nose, it’s easy to pick up small jump rings and then easily transition into opening and closing them while keeping your wrist in a natural position. The ergonomic design of this chain mail tool, along with its soft Xuro-Rubber™ hand grips, and an internal return spring provide excellent grip and comfort.

The 486 90-Degree Bent-Nose Pliers was developed in cooperation between Xuron Corp. and HyperLynks.

In this video, Michelle Brennan, co-owner of HyperLynks, shows us how she uses the 90° bent nose pliers:

Model 485FN Flat-Nose Pliers

Flat, straight blades are ideal for bending, forming and flattening both wire and soft metals. Unlike chain-nose pliers, the model 485FN Flat-Nose pliers has wider blades that provide a stronger grip. This makes them extremely valuable for chainmaille artisans, as they can easily precisely manipulate and shape their materials. The flat nose design also allows for a larger surface area to work on, reducing the risk of marring or damaging delicate pieces.

Learn More About the 485FN Flat-Nose Pliers

Model 483 Short Flat-Nose Pliers

These powerful little jewelry pliers are specifically designed for making chain mail. Their smooth, 3 mm wide jaws provide an extra gripping surface on jump rings for increased control and stability during assembly – so you can easily create beautiful, intricate pieces. And because they’re made from high-quality materials, they can be used with stainless steel, bronze, bright aluminum, niobium, silver, and copper jump rings up to 14 AWG.

Learn more about the Model 483 Short Flat-Nose Pliers here.

Model 475 Short Nose Pliers

Xuron® Model 475 Short Nose Pliers have been designed specifically for opening and closing jump rings. Their short, flat blades firmly hold jump rings while the tips provide extra stability and control when opening and closing them.

With just two pliers, one for each hand, you can easily open and close jump rings like a pro. You won’t find another tool on the market that is as effective and easy to use as the Xuron® Model 475 Short Nose Pliers.

Tip: When holding jump rings, use as much surface area of the pliers blades as possible. This will allow extra stability and control when opening and closing jump rings.

Model 451 90° Bent TweezerNose™ Pliers

Looking for a pair of pliers that can help you with your micro-maille work? Then check out the Xuron® Model 451 90° Bent TweezerNose™ Pliers. These pliers are specifically designed to make it easy to pick up small jump rings and then transition to an open/close of the ring while keeping the wrist in a neutral position.

These were also developed with the assistance of HyperLynks to fill a need for working with micro-maille (very small jump rings).

So, there you have it – the six essential Xuron® chainmail tools every artist needs.

With these pliers in your toolbox, you’ll easily create beautiful, intricate pieces of chainmaille jewelry. Thanks for reading!

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We randomly choose one name from our Jewelry Tools News subscribers for a subscriber-only giveaway nearly every month. Our upcoming August newsletter will feature this blog post and offer active subscribers an opportunity to win the TK 3700 Chainmaille Tool Kit. If you’re not yet a subscriber, please sign up below.

The drawing to win these tools will be on Monday, September 16, 2024, with the winner notified shortly thereafter. You will have 48 hours to respond to claim your prize, so please keep an eye on your inbox. After that time, if you have not claimed the prize, it’ll be offered to another subscriber.