[Jewelry making - Article 00195] - Re: [Orchid] What should I be stringing on...

[Deb Weller]

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Joanna,

    Several solutions - both wire and for crimps - please, read the
    whole message! 

    1. WIRE: As others have said, go to 49 strand in Beadalon or
    SoftFlex. Also, the diameter of the wire makes a difference -
    generally, the heavier the wire, the stronger (6 lb test vs 18 lb
    test, etc.). The more strands, the more flexibility and the better a
    piece hangs. I've heard of people who string and knot PEARLS with 49
    strand SoftFlex! 

    I visited your website and I don't understand why you're finishing a
    piece with tigertail - tigertail is not strong, tends to kink if you
    even look at it the wrong way and it is very cheap looking! If the
    tigertail is what's breaking - quit using tigertail! 

    If the wire is breaking where it goes through the clasp, there is a
    "french wire" which is essentially a tube that the stringing wire
    goes through to protect and reinforce it and keep it from breaking at
    the clasp. 

    2. CRIMPS - I have had a love/hate relationship with crimps and
    crimping pliers for years. Most of the time, I wind up with an "okay"
    crimp on one end and the other winds up looking like mangled metal -
    or breaks and I have to start over. Some of it is from the pressure
    used in squeezing the crimp, some of it is from the quality of the
    crimp bead itself, some of it is just dang bad luck! Until now, the
    best you could do is use a crimp cover or clamshell to hide the crimp
    and give a more professional look - but I don't care for that very
    much, either. Depending on what I'm creating, crimp covers or
    clamshells can look almost as bad as a messed up crimp. 

    BUT - there is a tool from Beadsmith that will be on the market in a
    few weeks. My husband Mike and I discovered it in Tucson at the To
    Bead True Blue show. We have several dozen of these on order for our
    shop - no retailer will have them until early June.I had to whine and
    beg and plead to get a pair for doing demonstrations in our shop. 

    The tool is called the Magical Crimping Forming tool. We met the
    inventor of the tool in Tucson and according to her, you must
    use.018" or.019" diameter wire (any number of strands - SoftFlex or
    Beadalon) and 2 mm crimping TUBES of sterling, or gold filled. (I'm
    thinking copper crimps - if not plated - would work, also.) It must
    not be plated - the plating process changes the temper of the metal,
    making the finished crimp at best, look only slightly better than
    "traditional" crimped tubes. I know from experimenting. 

    Okay - so what does this Magical tool do? It turns a 2mm tube crimp
    into a PERFECTLY round bead! It takes a couple of seconds longer than
    doing a traditional mashed crimp, but the result is so professional
    looking! And the crimp is STRONG, too! 

    The Magical is made like a good jeweler's tool, with a nice box
    hinge, good springs and a nice grip. It feels good in your hand! I
    have been trying to get traditional crimping tools made like this
    instead of the piece-of-junk, stamped-from-metal ones we've had for
    years. We have a waiting list of at least a dozen customers who want
    Magicals. 

    I do several demonstrations a day with the Magical pliers and in
    that time, I think I've probably only messed up 1 or 2 crimps at the
    very beginning when I was still learning how to use the tool. The
    tool will retail for $20, but it's well made and worth the price. My
    stepfather and my husband Mike both say, "Get the best tool you can
    afford and use the right tool for the job, so you can do the best job
    you can." IMHO, the best tool for strong and professional looking
    crimps is the Magical Crimp Forming Tool. 

    You can see a video demonstration of the tool on our website at
    http://tinyurl.com/qgfqn 

    Sorry for the long URL and I apologize for the "commercial", but
    these Magicals are a tool I definitely believe in! 

    ::DISCLAIMER: I do not receive any compensation from BeadSmith in
    making this recommendation - I am merely a satisfied customer who is
    very happy to have found a tool that works!:: 

Deb Weller
Weller's Jewelry LLC
www.wellersjewelryandbeads.com
AZ Bead Depot
Apache Junction, AZ
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