Even if your wire fits through a small crimp, the wire may not align properly when you close the crimp. This can also lead to failure of the strung bead design. One last aspect of choosing a crimp is the smoothness of the crimp. Twisted crimps have a metal tube that is slightly twisted which means that it may grip the beading wire slightly better than a smooth crimp.
There are no absolute rules for which sizes of crimps to use with certain sizes of beading wire. For best results and to keep things simple , you'll find it best to follow the beading wire manufacturer's guidelines on crimp sizes, whenever they're available. For example, Beadalon provides the following chart to help you match Beadalon brand crimps with Beadalon beading wire:.
Source: Beadalon. Soft Flex also offers a chart of what it calls the "most typical" crimp tube and beading wire size combinations:. Source: Soft Flex. If you're in a quandary about which crimps and wire to use with certain beads, you can use these general guidelines, which apply to most not all beads:.
Don't forget that you need to use the correct size crimping pliers for your crimp tubes. Very small crimps require "micro" crimping pliers, where medium crimps require "standard" or "regular" crimping pliers.
And, if you're working with very large crimps, you'll need "extra large" or "mighty" crimping pliers. These are Soft Flex's crimp tube and crimping plier size recommendations:. If you want to skip the headache of having multiple crimping pliers, you may want to consider the Om Tara crimping plier. You've learned about crimp tubes, crimp beads and crimp covers. Knowing the difference between these findings will help you in all of your jewelry-making endeavors, since they are almost always used when working with jewelry wire.
If you would like to learn more about jewelry wire, see our Choosing Jewelry Wire page. Crimps come in two different forms: as a bead or as a tube. Crimp Beads: Crimp beads are shaped like a hollow round bead and come in a variety of sizes and metals. Crimp Tubes: Crimp tubes come in a variety of sizes and metals, too, and some even have patterns on them.
Using Crimp Tubes: To secure them to the jewelry wire, crimp the wire with a crimping tool. Crimp Sizes: Using the right size crimp bead or tube is also very important. So how do you choose the best size crimp for the job? Crimp Covers: Crimp covers are designed to fit over the crimped bead or tube. Artbeads Guide Archive. Categories Account More.
For size 3 crimp beads, use the Mighty crimper instead of the Standard size. Allow back orders but display out-of-stock message. Select Options:. Add to Compare. Staff Choice. Crimp tubes are more cylindrical. Crimp beads take up less space in your design, but crimp tubes offer more surface contact with the wire, thus making them a bit more secure. Basically, you'll want to select a crimp tube when finishing off the ends of necklaces and bracelets, or when your crimp will not be highly visible.
Choose a crimp bead when incorporating crimps into more visible areas of your designs such as when showcasing your wire, illusion designs, and when using them as accent beads or spacers.
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