How to Crimp

• 1). Cut a 12-inch length of beading wire. Thread one crimp tube onto the wire. Then thread on either the bar of your toggle clasp or the "claw" of your lobster clasp.
  
  
• 2). Thread the wire back through the crimp tube, so it forms a loop. The clasp part you threaded on should be on this loop. Take the crimp tube between your thumb and forefinger and push it gently toward the clasp part, so the loop tightens up. Don't tighten it all the way; you want there to be a little give between the crimp tube and the clasp, so that the piece of jewelry can move.
  
  
• 3). Take your crimping pliers and grab the crimp tube between the second set of indents--that is, the indents farthest away from the ends of the pliers. These are the crimping indents. Make sure the wires inside the crimp tube are side by side, so that when you start squeezing the crimp tube, the crimp (the fold you're going to create in the tube) will go between the two pieces of wire. Now squeeze the pliers and crush the crimp tube until it's closed. It'll end up looking like a crescent.
  
  
• 4). Turn the crimp tube so the crescent faces to the left or the right. Put it inside the first set of indents in the pliers--that is, the indents nearest to the ends of the pliers. These are the rounding indents. Squeeze the pliers and crush the crimp tube so that the crescent shape folds itself into a little circle. Now it'll look like a tiny bead next to your clasp, instead of a tube.
  
  
• 5). You can either leave the crimp tube as is, or put a crimp cover over it. Crimp covers are small, slightly open circles that look like little Pac-Men. To add a crimp cover, slide it onto your wire from the open ends (the ends not occupied by the clasp). Make sure it goes over both wires, and over the crimp tube. Put it inside the rounding indents, and squeeze it gently and gradually till it's closed. It'll look like a little round bead.
  
  
• 6). Start threading beads onto your wire, sliding them up next to your finished crimp tube or crimp cover. Thread both tails of wire through each bead, making sure to tuck the extra tail of wire inside each beads until it runs out, so it's not dangling out.
  
  
• 7). When you reach the end of your piece of beaded jewelry, slide the second crimp tube onto the wire, followed by the second part of your clasp. Now repeat Steps 2 through 5.
  
  
• 8). Thread your wire tail back through the last few beads until you can poke it into a bead and it's too short to come back through the other hole.