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Crimping Tutorial



Crimping is a method used to secure beading wire. It essentially involves squashing a special metal crimping bead or tube so that it sits tight & immovable on the wire.

It is most often used at the end of a length of beaded wire to create a loop for securing the all important clasps.

It can also be incorporated into designs, for instance to create a loop, to hold part of the pattern secure or to split or pull together multiple strings on the same design.

The things you will need in crimping are; wire, crimping bead or crimping tube, wire cutters & preferably crimping or flat nosed pliers.



In selecting a crimp bead, look at the diameter of its thread. Your wire must be able to fit though the thread snugly when doubled back on itself.



The diameter must be slightly bigger than double the thickness of your wire. If the wire is too loose within the crimping bead, then you may not achieve a secure crimp & the wire may slip though it.

If the wire only fits through the crimping bead once, you will not be able to create a loop (this is obviously okay if you do not wish to make a loop but simply want to secure part of your pattern on a single thread).



After deciding where you want your crimp bead, thread it onto your wire as you would with a normal bead.

To create the loop, thread the end of the wire back though the bead the same way that it came (so the end points at your beading).



If you are attaching a clasp, thread the crimping bead, then the clasp, then pass the free end back through the crimping bead. Make sure not to let your newly created loop slip back through the bead too!

Using standard flat nosed pliers, hold the bead & squash it firmly between the pliers. Apply pressure as evenly as possible, then turn the bead over and repeat to make sure the flattened crimping bead will hold to the wire securely.



If you want extra security you can use multiple crimping beads in a row, threading your wire through all of the crimping beads and then back again before using the pliers on any of them.

This will provide extra security but can also look good as part of the beading design itself.

After your crimping bead is flattened, trim the loose end and hide it by passing it through the first bead or two of your design.

Crimping tubes can be used with the same method as above, or can be used to create a rather more professional looking finish with special crimping pliers.

A new type of crimp bead has recently become available, it is called the twisted tornado crimp bead.

These are made out of sterling silver or gold filled so are a good quality & don't deteriorate in appearance. The “twist” in them adds extra security to your crimp & you can attach them to your work very simply with flat nosed pliers.

Their advantage over the crimp bead, which is also flattened with the flat nose pliers, is that they seem to be more secure & less easy to break with pressure.

The advantage they have over the tube beads is that they do not require a specific crimping plier to achieve their maximum potential.

Sadly the twisted tornado crimp bead is hard to come across in South Africa. We eagerly await it reaching our shores!