Hi! I'm going to sound real stupid here but i've been beading for.... well probably 10 years now and there's one thing I've not as yet figured out! What do you use split rings for?
You know what? I've got about three bags of them!!! I feel pretty silly not knowing what to use them for :)
Zanaida
Zanaida, Split rings are used to attach charms on bracelets or necklaces, they are more secure than jump rings which can come apart. Some people use split rings to attach clasps for the same reason. You can also put split rings in between wire wrapped beads to extend the length of a bracelet. If you are going to use split rings, you need a good pair of split ring pliers to save your finger nails. Patti
It seems you need a separate set of pliers for every single job in this hobby... it's starting to get really pricey.
Gemfyre
I know what you mean about the pliers though - one of the pitfalls of this hobby - you can't maintain nice nails :) actually, I've never had nice nails but now i can use beading as my excuse!
Actually, it depends on how you're going to use the split ring. I use them a lot and never bought the pliers. The clamshells I use have little open loops (hole in bottom of clamshell) or flat rings with a split (side open clamshells). If I use split rings with wire wrapping, I put the ring in the loop before wrapping.
Eh, someone else might be able to explain it better :)
Cheers, Carla
Gemfyre wrote:
Oh, that's not the expensive part. The expensive part is when you upgrade your pliers.
Tina
vj found this in rec.crafts.beads, from "Gemfyre" :
]It seems you need a separate set of pliers for every single job in this ]hobby... it's starting to get really pricey.
you're learning! but most of the tools DO make a difference!
----------- @vicki [SnuggleWench] (Books)
vj found this in rec.crafts.beads, from "Zanaida" :
]I know what you mean about the pliers though - one of the pitfalls of this ]hobby - you can't maintain nice nails :) ]actually, I've never had nice nails but now i can use beading as my excuse!
nails are easier for me - dry, cracked, peeling skin is my biggest problem - and yes, i've got the stuff to help with that - i just never remember it!
----------- @vicki [SnuggleWench] (Books)
Moisturell. Or Badger Balm. Only cream or ointment. Lotion has alcohol so it is more liquid and also so it will be absorbed. But that alcohol also dries out the skin.
Tina
vj found this in rec.crafts.beads, from "Christina Peterson" :
]Moisturell. Or Badger Balm. Only cream or ointment. Lotion has alcohol so ]it is more liquid and also so it will be absorbed. But that alcohol also ]dries out the skin.
i know. i've got bag balm and all kinds of moisturizers. i just keep forgetting to use them - so the next morning, my hands are a mess. no one's fault but my own!
----------- @vicki [SnuggleWench] (Books)
Denatured lanolin, like Lansinoh, is the single best moisturizer I've found. Aquaphor, which contains lanolin, is also superb.
-Kalera
I started out with a set of 4 in 1 pliers (loop, cut, bend and close) and was like "great, I can do everything with one set!" I quickly learned the wire cutters were useless. I started using my nail clippers for tigertail - they work brilliantly, but soon had to invest in some bolt cutters to cut memory wire (bolt cutters are still useless for tigertail, just squishes it instead of cutting). Then I found bending the memory wire was really awkward with the pliers I had - I did however develop a method of doing it so I didn't have to buy another pair for that.
I then found I needed another pair of flat-nose pliers for jump rings and stuff. So I bought a pair of $10 "Swiss army" pliers (they also have a knife, bottle opener, screwdriver, light etc). Turns out the wire cutters on these pliers are just as good as the bolt cutters I'd previously bought.
*rolls eyes*And now if I want to use my split rings (which are really small and stiff) I may have to track down some other kind of pliers! I have no idea where to look.
Gemfyre
vj found this in rec.crafts.beads, from "Gemfyre" :
]And now if I want to use my split rings (which are really small and stiff) I ]may have to track down some other kind of pliers! I have no idea where to ]look.
just use Google. LOTS of stores have them!
----------- @vicki [SnuggleWench] (Books)
Problem is I'm Australia. Anything overseas I can't buy - no credit card and hideous exchange rate.
Gemfyre
vj found this in rec.crafts.beads, from "Gemfyre" :
]Problem is I'm Australia. Anything overseas I can't buy - no credit card ]and hideous exchange rate.
ouch. but any half-way decent bead store/jewelry supply store should have them in stock.
----------- @vicki [SnuggleWench] (Books)
On Wed, 5 May 2004 22:45:51 -0400, Gemfyre wrote (in message ):
South Pacific
I'm not sure if a crimp bead plier was in there, but I have one of those, too. I use emery boards (about $2 for 50 at American Scientific) to smooth wire, rough edges on beads and the occasional rough edge on a crimp bead.
I was considering asking for good tools for my birthday, but I don't do enough wirework to really make it worthwhile.
Kathy N-V
Yeah, I have 7 kinds of pliers. It gets ridiculous!!
You guys got me thinking. I counted and we have 13 pairs of pliers/cutters, not counting the ones I keep in my repair box that I take to shows. I have given up on crimp bead pliers and just use the smallest possible crimp bead and flatten it with smooth jawed needle nose pliers. Armand Vine
HAW ~~ 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
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