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Oct. 8, 2008, Vol. 2 No. 14 |
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Fall is my favorite time of year. Cool temperatures and vivid colors are relaxing and inspiring. Of course, my fall schedule has also been busy with a little travel and some extra teaching jobs. My notebook is full of sketches, and my camera is overflowing with images of inspirational palettes. Time to enjoy the last few months of comfortable temperatures and good light in my studio and put all that inspiration to good use!
Relearning the Crimp
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Recently, through blogs and a few electronic newsletters, I found out something very interesting. We might be crimping wrong! Margot Potter, bead diva and designer, spoke to someone who spoke to Scott Bartky, the inventor of the original crimping pliers. He told her we've been crimping wrong all along.
Taking this information to heart, I gave the new way a try. Crimping using this method worked well, preventing the wires from crossing over inside the crimp tube. A little more research brought me to animation on Scott Bartky's Web site Bartky.net). Scott holds the U.S. patent for Bead Crimping Pliers.
Finally, I went straight to the original source of this rumor for more specific information. Margot told me that her husband talked to Scott Bartky, so the information comes directly from the man who invented the tool.
Margot explains,
"Thread the wire into the crimp and the clasp and back through the crimp. Use your thumb to hold the wires uncrossed. Place the crimp into the front round end of the crimp and compress it into an oval. After that, proceed as usual. This helps to keep the wires uncrossed and makes a cleaner and more consistent crimp."
Seems like the results are exactly what I experienced when I practiced. Since this is all new, here's a photographic step-by-step instructional guide.
| 1. |
String a crimp bead onto the flexible wire. String the clasp or ring and pass the tail of the flexible wire back through the crimp to form a loop.
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| 2. |
Hold the wires parallel and make sure the crimp is positioned correctly. Using the front slot on the pliers, shape the crimp into a small oval.
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| 3. |
Put the oval into the back slot of the pliers and squeeze to make a fold in the center with one wire on each side.
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| 4. |
Return to the front slot and squeeze again to tidy up and shape the crimp bead. Trim the wire tail or feed back through a few beads and trim.
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Tell me how well this "new" method works for you by using the feedback link at the bottom of this newsletter.
Back to top.
Bright & Beautiful: Argentium® Sterling Silver
Do you like your silver shiny, for life? If so, Argentium Sterling Silver might be your metal of choice. With a remarkable resistance to tarnishing, simply rinsing or wiping with a soft cloth maintains a bright shine. Like regular sterling, it consists of 92.5 percent pure silver, but it also contains germanium, a grayish-white, crystalline element. Germanium forms a transparent protective layer, impeding the formation of silver oxide.
Argentium Facts
- When heated, Argentium cools more slowly and doesn't develop firescale (a dark stain) or discolor from heating. Since less toxic processing is used to clean firescale, Argentium is considered a "greener" metal option.
- Many findings are available in Argentium, costing slightly more than traditional silver.
- Argentium is ideal for jump rings and chain maille jewelry due to a stiffer temper (hardness).
- Argentium scrap can be mixed with regular silver scrap for recycling purposes.
- Cloths used to clean Argentium should not be shared due to contamination.
Get to know a great new metal that is available from most of your favorite suppliers!
(Information courtesy of Argentium International Ltd. at Argentiumsilver.info.)
Back to top.
 Copper Rounds
Design by Anne Lgou
Use scissors to cut copper? Who knew it could be so easy! Fashion your own copper rounds for these stunning disk earrings featuring Swarovski crystals.
Materials
- Medium-weight copper soft metal sheet
- Clear Swarovski crystal beads:
- 2 (12mm) bicone
- 12 (7mm) cones
- 2 (2mm) copper round beads
- 12 (4mm) copper heishe beads
- 14 copper head pins
- 2 copper ear wires
- Ammonia
- Face mask
- Airtight plastic container
- Spray bottle
- Paper towels
- Circle cutters: 3/4- and 2-inch
- 3-inch-square piece of felt
- Steel bench block
- Ball-peen hammer
- Needle tool
- Ball stylus
- Round-nose pliers
- Wire nippers
- Scissors
Finished Sizes
2 3/4 inches long
Project note: When working with ammonia, wear a face mask and work in a well-ventilated area to prevent exposure to chemical fumes.
Instructions
| 1) |
Place a 5 x 3-inch piece of copper sheet into airtight plastic container; fill spray bottle with ammonia and spray a fine mist onto copper sheet. Seal container for one hour. Remove copper sheet and wipe off excess ammonia with paper towels. |
| 2) |
Place felt on steel bench block; lay copper sheet on top of felt and hammer entire sheet until desired effect is achieved. |
| 3) |
Place 2-inch circle cutter on top of copper sheet and trace around cutter, pressing into the copper with ball stylus. Cut out circle with scissors. Repeat to make another copper circle. |
| 4) |
Place 3/4-inch circle cutter on top of one cutout circle approximately 1/4 inch from top. In the same manner as in step 3, trace and cut out circle, forming a hoop. Repeat for other copper circle. |
| 5) |
Use needle tool to poke two small holes through a hoop, one positioned just above center top of cutout circle and the other directly above first hole 1/16 inch from top edge. Poke six additional holes along bottom edge of hoop 1/8 inch from edge. Repeat for other hoop. |
| 6) |
Slide a copper heishe bead and a clear cone bead on a head pin; use round-nose pliers to form a loop above top bead. Trim excess wire. Repeat 11 additional times. |
| 7) |
Open loops on beaded head pins and attach to holes along bottom edge of hoops. Close loops. |
| 8) |
Slide a clear bicone bead and a copper round bead on a head pin; form a loop above top bead. Trim excess wire. Open loop and attach to hole just above cutout circle, so head pin dangles in center of hoop. Close loop. Repeat for other hoop. |
| 9) |
Open loops on ear wires and attach to top holes on hoops; close loops. |
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Source: Copper sheet from American Art Clay Co.; crystal beads, copper beads, ear wires and head pins from Jewelry Supply Inc.
Copyright © July 2007 Simply Beads magazine. All rights reserved. Back to top.
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Keep warm as the temperatures drop!
Barb Switzer
Editor, Simply Beads magazine
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