First, cut off a piece of silver wire. The piece I cut off here is about six or seven feet long. For most of my designs I use 18 gauge silver round.

Grab the two cut ends and bring them together.

Pull the wires together until the bend where they come together is a small loop. Smile while you are doing this like I am.

With pliers, squeeze the loop closed.

Insert the loop end into the chuck of an electric drill, and tighten it up.

Grasp the other ends of the wire with needle nose pliers.

Bend them into a loop.

Have someone hold the pliers tightly while you spin the drill. You can twist this to whatever tightness you desire.

This is what it looks like when you are done.

Because twisting the wire work hardens the silver, making it really springy, I then bend it into a small mass like this and set it on my soldering block.

After this, I heat the entire piece until the wire is almost red, and I keep the temperature consistant for about 30 seconds. I do this to anneal the metal so it is easier to bend. Let the metal cool, and it is ready to use in your design.