Tools - Crimp Pliers

Crimp pliers - oh sure - you can get by without them. You can crimp the crimp tubes that secure the beading wire by first flattening them with a pair of flat nose pliers, and then crushing a gap between the wires using your round nose pliers.


But even the most tool-phobic person can see that is a clumsy way to go about it - that's what you do when you can't find your crimpers.

The secret is that they have two holes - and you use the second one first.

The second set of holes is shaped like a pair of lips, and you use these to flatten the crimp tube or round crimp bead - trapping and separating the wires through it, holding them securely.

Then turn the crimped tube on it's side and use the first hole to fold it into a smaller, neater tube.

Here is a 10-sec video clip to make that clearer.

Don't cheap out on these. We have seen literally dozens of knock-offs of these - made in China - and no offense intended - whoever is making them has no freakin' idea what they are supposed to do. They just don't work. I've tried them all - I must have the world's largest collection of non-functional crimp pliers.

But wait - there's more. You can use your crimp pliers for something else! That curved, outer hole in the jaws? Great for closing up crimp covers! Fabulous for tucking in that last little piece of wire in a wire wrap! Oh yeah, baby - they have more than one use!

Alternately, you could spend your entire life only using the Tornado(tm) crimps - which you just crush with the flat pliers. But where's the fun in that?

More tomorrow. Er - more NEXT YEAR!!!