Bracelet Tech 101

A lobster clasp is more secure, but a toggle is frequently easier to fasten one-handed. Although I do have one beaded watchband with a fancy toggle that

*looked* really cool in the catalogue, but is so tricky I can't even fasten it with TWO hands -- I'm just lucky it locks into place and the band is long enough that, with a little encouragement, it'll slide over my hand!

Two things to be aware of with toggles: (1) You must leave a "tail" of smaller beads leading up to the bar, so that the bar end (lengthwise) and beads both will fit thru the ring; if you don't, you won't be able to get the bar thru the ring. The "tail" only needs to be as long as 1/2 of the bar. (2) Because of the way a toggle fastens, you have to have some slack in the fit once it's fastened. If you try to make it to be a snug fit when fastened, once again you won't be able to get the bar thru the ring.

Rio Grande sells a "third hand" tool designed to allow you to fasten a bracelet with a spring-ring or lobster clasp more easily. They're not expensive; I'm thinking about ordering some to sell as add-ons with bracelets.

Celine

Karen, the reason I like toggles so much for bracelets is that they're relatively easy to clasp, and are very secure.

Tina

vj found this in rec.crafts.beads, from "Karen_AZ" :

]So, if I actually got my act together and had the right danglies to make a ]bracelet...what are the best findings to use? Toggle, lobster clasp????

i prefer toggles. they stay toggled and they're easier for me to get on and off by myself. but that's just me - everyone has their own favorite.

----------- @vicki [SnuggleWench] (Books)

newest creations: ----------- I pledge allegiance to the Constitution of the United States of America, and to the republic which it established, one nation from many peoples, promising liberty and justice for all.

Karen, I really like toggles, especially since if the clasp twists around to the front of the bracelet, the toggle (especially the "decorated" ones like stars, mermaids, florals) look like they are part of the bracelet rather than just the clasp. I find them very secure and you can always hang a dangle or charm from the end as well if you like. I resisted making bracelets for a long time until my customers kept asking for them, now they are my favorite item to make, even if they are a challenge. Patti

Karen, LOL. I really hate toggles. The only bracelets I have had fall off my arm were ones where i used toggles. It could be the user, but that has been my experience. Like the way they look but not the way they work.

Becki "In between the moon and you, the angels have a better view of the crumbling difference between wrong and right." -- Counting Crows

On Fri, 23 Apr 2004 6:12:04 -0400, BeckiBead wrote (in message ):

Oh good, I'm not alone. I can use toggles for necklaces and have them stay reasonably secure, but it just doesn't work for bracelets. The toggles keep getting caught on things, and as some of you may have guessed, I'm always punctuating my speech with my hands. :-)

I use lobster clasps on bracelets, because they are secure and less likely to get in the way during my day. But I don't sell anything - perhaps if I had customers, they'd want toggles (and I would provide them).

Katy N-V

Thanks for the input, everyone! I'm going to experiment with a few bracelets this weekend.

KarenK

Funny, this has never happened to me. Ever. I have a ton of toggle bracelets, made by different artists, and it's never remotely been an issue. ---???? ~~ Sooz

------- "Those in the cheaper seats clap. The rest of you rattle your jewelry." John Lennon (1940 - 1980) Royal Varieties Performance ~ Dr. Sooz's Bead Links

I do know that some toggle clasps don't have a long enough bar, to make it look tidier, I guess. Those ones can come undone.

Tina

vj found this in rec.crafts.beads, from "Christina Peterson" :

]I do know that some toggle clasps don't have a long enough bar, to make it ]look tidier, I guess. Those ones can come undone.

absolutely - and i've started checking them a LOT closer, too.

----------- @vicki [SnuggleWench] (Books)

newest creations: ----------- I pledge allegiance to the Constitution of the United States of America, and to the republic which it established, one nation from many peoples, promising liberty and justice for all.

Right. ~~ Sooz

------- "Those in the cheaper seats clap. The rest of you rattle your jewelry." John Lennon (1940 - 1980) Royal Varieties Performance ~ Dr. Sooz's Bead Links

Same here - Toggles have by far been the most secure for me. Lobster clasps have been the least secure - even the sterling ones will break after a lot of use.

I almost always use toggles for bracelets. they're very secure, easy to fasten (well, as easy to fasten as a bracelet can be), and the fancy ones can look really pretty, especially if your bracelet has a specific theme and you find a toggle that matches it.

-amber.

That's not user error, that's a poorly-designed toggle. If the bar is too short, I've seen that happen.

-Kalera

BeckiBead wrote:

True. I'm always really careful when I choose my toggles -- to make sure the bar isn't too wimpy to do the job. ~~ Sooz

------- "Those in the cheaper seats clap. The rest of you rattle your jewelry." John Lennon (1940 - 1980) Royal Varieties Performance ~ Dr. Sooz's Bead Links