28 gauge wire is very fickle, and tends to do too things: a) becomes very springy and forms "kinks", b) become very brittle.

What you can to avoid these things is:

1) Use shorter lengths of wire -- better to have seams where you can control them, than to have it break where you don't want it to;
2) Avoid rubbing your fingers along the wire, it will make it springy and at the same time brittle. Hold only the end tip of the wire, as if you were holding a needle with a thread;
3) Always watch the wire carefully: as soon as it forms a loop, un-loop it and keep it straight;
4) Once in a while, hold the tip of the wire and give it a good tug. That will make it more brittle (so don't do it often), but it will make it straighter.

Also, if you are wrapping a band, and have to use a longer piece of wire (up to 4 ft.), start in the center of the wire, wrap one direction on the band, then wrap the 2nd half the other direction. That way, you are only working with 2 feet at a time, and it won't get as work-hardened.

Those are wonderful tips ladies. I haven't attempted 28 gauge or closed wrapping. I know when I do, this information will really be helpful. Thanks! -Dawn

Eni and pippi have said it all...
janice

There wasn't an option to reply to an answer. I've been kind rubbing and pulling the wire with my fingers. I thought that was to "warm" the wire and make it more flexible. Thanks for your advises. I'll try it again.

Great advice ladies!! I primarily use the heavier gauges for my wirework so the information is much appreciated for those times when fine wire is a must!!!
I do know that Fine Silver (I don't mean size here but type of metal) wire takes a bit longer than Sterling silver to become brittle. So when applying the above mentioned tips, you should find it easier to achieve the results you need.

Stacy :)
http://www.hodgepodgerie.com

I have found that if I take the wire at the place where the wire is connected to the element you are weaving, I pull it through from that end by pulling a loop from that end through and then feed it backwards instead of the holding it from the other end. I find less kinks this way, I hope this helps and makes sense, Also there is a tutorial that is free that talks about this, I think it is the weaving in tight places if I am thinking right, but I could be wrong, The head is not what it should be today. Ok, Happy Creating. Pam

I think Pam (thank you!)was referring to my free tutorial Weaving in Closed Spaces http://jewelrylessons.com/jewel/node/10560
Yes, that is exactly how I wrap very fine wire - I push the wire through a space and pull at the loop that is created. When you hold the end of wire like thread as you weave, it will react like thread; that is, the motion creates twists. But unlike thread, it doesn't unwind as easily, and the twist work hardens it a bit. When you hold the end, it cannot untwist freely at all, and so creates kinks, and hardens more.
Pushing an open loop through as much as possible allows the wire to untwist itself, and hardens it near the work, which will be used fairly quickly. Sometimes, it isn't possible to push through, in that case, use one jaw of your round nose pliers to keep the loops rounded intead of bent sharply when they get small.
I regularly work with 5-6ft lengths of 26g - 30g, and rarely have them work harden to a break point before the last 6-8in. Most of my work is done with one continuous length, so there are very few ends to work in.

Hope this helps you,
Perri

Eni's answer is right on, but I will add something I ran across when I was working from Eni's tutorials. What I recall is that Eni suggested working with a length of 28 gauge wire about the length of your arm. After running into problems, I realized that my arm is probably a good bit longer than Eni's -- perhaps she is very petite, while I am quite tall. Once I took that idea into consideration and used a cut of wire which was about two inches above my elbow (I hold the wire in my fingertips, then stretch it to about 2 in. above me elbow --my shoulder is still almost a foot away), then I cut it. This keeps me from getting many kinks and also helps prevent breaking.

I had a bad habit, when I began, of pulling the wire through my fingers to make it tight. I have found that, as Eni recommends, I use the wire like a needle with thread, and I just keep pulling it through I get better results and it is good exercise for my arm. Patience is a virtue -- Eni told me once that coiling was Zen-like, and I asked her if screaming was a Zen-like thing, but, once I got the hang of this long stroke thing, and only thumbing it close toward the end, I began to understand what Eni had said, and the screaming stopped, as well, because the wire did not kink or break so often.
Coiling for thin wire is not for the timid or the impatient. (I live in New York City, Land of the Impatient, and this is a lesson that I have had to learn) You have to take your time, run that wire carefully around the other wire(s), and just persevere. With a shorter wire, you have to add more wire, but, as has been said, you can control where you add, so that it is easier to make the add blend in.