TIPS AND TRICKS

warrenfeldby Warren Feld
blog.landofodds.com

Occasional insights into beading, jewelry making, and business…

CURRENT TIPS AND TRICKS BLOG ARTICLES

Crimping:
The Crimp Bead

When the crimping fails, most people either blame themselves, or they blame their pliers. However, in most cases, the blame is squarely with the crimp bead.

With crimp beads, you get what you pay for.

When they manufacture crimp beads, they begin as a sheet of metal. The metal is rolled into a tube. Where the two sides meet, these are buffed to give them the appearance of seamlessness, but there is still a seam there. [Round beads are made by puffing air inside the tube.]

Cheap crimps, like the ones you buy in packages at craft stores, like Michaels or Hobby Lobby, are not manufactured well. When you crush them with your pliers, the seam splits. Sometimes, you can actually see the split seam; oftentimes, you cannot, at least at first. As the seam splits, the wires can work themselves out of the crimp, or the crushed crimp can more easily cut through your stringing material.

Quality crimps can be crushed and worked about 8 more times with your pliers, before you have to worry about the seam splitting.

Heavy duty crimps can be crushed and worked over and over again, without worry.

 

 

 

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