The Finishing Crimp

[silverraven]

The finishing crimp: So again. I'm fairly inexperienced ...I'm on again off again with jewelry making (mostly due to other obligations) - I have such a time with that finishing crimp. My starting crimps really are fine. I understand the importance of keeping the wire from crossing, and no problem with that at the start. But HOW do you prevent it at the finish? I cannot find a good tutorial on this. Everyone seems to just show the start crimp.


I backfeed a bit of wire through the last few beads; but it seems impossible to control the path of the wire, if you feed more than the crimp itself at this point. Sometimes I cannot tell if they have crossed. Other times I can see that they have but cannot do anything to right them. Seems to be the natural tendency of the beading wire to want to cross.

If it helps, mostly I use Acuflex 0.14mm; as mostly I use smaller beads. Many thanks for any tips!

[DawninCal]

I do know what you mean about the wire wanting to cross and I remember having the same frustration that you are now experiencing. For myself, with practice and time, I just sort of developed a feel for when the wires were straight. I'm going to have to give this some thought so I can figure out how best to explain it. I think it's more like a sixth sense that one gets after they do enough of this kind of work.




Dawn

[silverraven]

Apr 17, 2022 18:42:19 GMT -6 DawninCal said:

I know what you mean ... I'm going to have to give this some thought so I can figure out how best to explain it. I think it's more like a sixth sense that one gets after they do enough of this kind of work.




Dawn

I’m sure some things just take practice and learning…we have to keep at it to gain the ‘feel’ - thank you for the encouragement!

[caeterle]

While again I can't help you because this is not a technique I use, I can only second what you said about gaining the "feel".
When I stumbled into the predecessor forum of this one more than ten years ago, I could hardly do anything at all, but the other members' encouragement kept me going until I found the right place for me and my "feel". If I could manage that, you can do for sure!

[DawninCal]

Thanks for adding your thoughts, Cat. There really is a "feel" that one gets after a while regardless of the craft.

I've been thinking about this today and realized that when I am ready to finish a necklace or bracelet, I do the same with the second wire guard as I did with the first. I thread my wire through the guard and then down into a few beads and let the end of the wire just sort of dangle. Once that is done, I squeeze the ends of the wire guard together (just like with the first guard) and gently manipulate my wire and beads until I am able to snug the crimp bead and beads up next to the wire guard - the goal here is to not have a bunch of wire showing - you don't want the wire so tight that the beads can't move a bit, but you don't want it sloppy either. Somehow, while I'm manipulating the wire, I can feel and see when it stops crossing over and lays parallel. That's when I squeeze the crimp bead with my pliers and finish the piece.

I wish I could be more clear in my explanation, but it really is an intuitive thing, for me at least.



Dawn

[silverraven]

I took a look back at some other pieces I have and several of them are a couple years old - it seems that the wire crossing at the finish is something new. None of my 'older' pieces seem to have a crossed wire on either end. I began to notice it when I put this post up, with several recent pieces giving me a hard time over this. The couple before those did not seem to be a problem.

So I then wondered if this is something I just never noticed, which prompted me to pull out all my previous pieces. Now I'm wondering if it's the wire itself - I'm nearing the end of a spool. I'll try a new roll and see how it goes.

I have learned to get the right tension on a piece (for the most part) as you described Dawn - I don't always get it perfect but have come along ways with that. Although getting the wire tail properly tucked and keeping it at the right tension so the wire tail stays concealed can be a challenge ...and remembering to check the other end before I cut!  I think part of it may be I just need to slow down and be patient at the finish. It definitely takes practice. I look forward to life allowing me more time to prefect this!

[DawninCal]

That's a thought about the wire on the end of the spool wanting to curl more. Definitely worth trying a new spool to see if you continue to have the issue of crossed wire. I think with practice, you'll develop that "feel" and finishing a piece will just come naturally to you.

Regarding threading the wire tail through the beads, a lot of people cut the wire right at the crimp bead. The theory being that if the piece is crimped correctly, the crimp will hold the wire securely. I haven't done this myself as the thought of cutting it so close makes me nervous. I guess I have this idea that if the crimp was to fail, having a wire tail will give some warning before the piece completely fell apart.



Dawn

[caeterle]

You could be right with the end of the spool. I have the same problems with thread. The smaller the spool gets, the more the thread curls up and I have to be more careful with it because it also gets knots more easily.
It will be interesting to hear what your experiences with a new spool are. I wonder if there is a way to treat the wire to avoid that, like attaching a weight and let it hang for a while or something like that.

[silverraven]

I haven’t had a chance to make an attempt with a new spool yet but am anxious! I’ll update the thread when I do.

Dawn- I too am not drawn to trimming my wire at the crimp. I can’t make myself do it! And then I’d need a crimp cover!

Caeterie - yes I think hanging the remaining wire with a weight might help! Exactly what I was thinking!

[DawninCal]

Ooooh, don't get me started about crimp covers. I can never make the darn things close straight. They are always a little bit wonky!



Dawn

[silverraven]

OMG for sure Dawn! I recently tried a few and wrecked the whole thing. Although some older pieces I did fine with them …and they simply don’t suit every design I find.