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Crimps are a soft metal bead, used in place of knots to secure clasps and beads onto un-knottable thread such as Tigertail and Soft Flex (nylon coated wire cable).
To use crimps, you will need some flat nosed pliers to squash the crimps, or specialty crimping pliers that ‘fold’ the bead into a small volume.
First, thread crimp onto wire. Loop the wire around your clasp or jump ring (the thing you want to put on the very end of the wire). Pass the end of the wire back through the crimp, so that the loop of wire is closed. Now is the time to pull the loop as tight as you want it to be, because after you finish crimping, the loop will be permanently fixed.
 Next, either use specialty crimping pliers and follow the instructions that come with them, or use the flatnosed pliers as follows: Line up the crimp in the tip of your pliers as straight as possible. Hold your pliers at a right angle to your wire. Carefully squeeze down on your pliers and squash crimp flat. Your loop should be secure and permanent. If the crimp is not straight before crimping, you will get an uneven result that may not grip the wire, may be subject to breakage, and may permanently bend the beading wire.
Click here to see our selection of crimp beads.
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