The Basics of Crimping

Oh man, I've been beading my little fingers off this week! The highlight was when I bumped a container of crimp beads and sent them flying to the floor. Or maybe I should call that the low-light. In any case, it made me think that I should share some crimping tips and fun facts with you. I think I've made just about every mistake in the book in my quest for the perfect crimping technique. Step one should obviously be "place your crimps in a secure location." Here are some other tips:

• Make sure you're using the right size crimp for your beading wire and application. Too much space inside the crimp causes problems.
  
• When the wire passes through the crimp just once, make sure your crease is on one side of the wire so the crimp will fold properly.
• If you've examined your technique, replaced your crimps with new ones, and still can't get them to crimp properly, it might be time to buy a new crimping tool. The middle notch can get worn down after a lot of use.
• Crimping tools are patented and are made by a single manufacturer, so no matter which brand you buy, you're getting the same excellent tool.
  

I've been guest blogging over at Beadalon, so check out this post about the ins and outs of crimping. It covers everything from the difference between crimp beads and crimp tubes to the most common causes of breakage. It's accompanied by step-by-step illustrations. Or, you can watch my Beading Lessons segment about crimping from Beads, Baubles & Jewels. (By the way, if you stop by the Beadalon blog, please leave a comment over there! It feels a little lonely.)