Itty Bitty Crimps
If you like to finish your beaded jewelry designs using crimp beads, then you will want to check out the latest Micro Crimper by Eurotool®. Though most jewelry suppliers now carry these, I got mine from Soft Flex®. These crimpers are a smaller version of the original crimper tool, but they are scaled down in order to be used with 1mm crimp beads.
Of course, you may be asking why you would need to use 1mm crimp beads. The main reason would be that you are using thin beading cord that larger crimp beads would not work on. So, I tried out the new Micro Crimper along with some itty bitty, 1mm crimp beads, and some Soft Touch® .010 beading wire. I made this necklace using Czech crystals, wire, and vintage beads.
I found this new tool not to be much different from using the larger version as far as technique. The instructions are on the back of the package, and they are the same. (I also have
crimping instructions posted as well.) Now, the fact that the crimp beads I was using were much smaller than usual is where I found it a little harder to get the hang of. However, after a few practice tries, I managed to get the crimp closed properly. So, just as with the original version of this tool, expect to do a little practicing before finding results that you are happy with.
The Micro Crimper retails for about $12.95, and the 1mm crimp tubes retail for $7.70 for a quantity of 100. If you like to use the thinner beading wire, then you probably want to give these a try. However, I do not recommend using them as a replacement for the original sized crimper since they were designed to be used with the 1mm crimps.
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All graphics created by Tammy Powley.
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