Basic Bead Stringing & Crimping

1. Layout your pattern on your bead board

2. Secure one side of your cording with tape or bead stopper of some kind; and begin stringing beads.

3. Once you’ve got all your beads on; check the size. Your end beads should touch each other. When you add your clasp, the bracelet will not be so tight. If you want to add or subtract beads, now is the time to do that.

4. Slide one crimp bead on and then one side of your clasp.  Pass the cording tail back through the crimp bead.

5. Slide the crimp bead up towards the clasp, leaving about an inch of tail.

6. Get the crimp bead close to the clasp, but not so tight that the clasp can’t swing around.

7. Using your chain nose pliers, smash the crimp bead flat. Give a little tug to make sure you got it secure. You shouldn’t be able to see light through the crimp bead.   If you do or your cord slips, smash harder. You’ll also want to make sure your cord isn’t twisted as it is going through the crimp beads.

8. Slide your beads down to cover over the tail. Clip the tail if needed.  Hint: hide tail inside a bead. 

9. Slide the other crimp and other side of the clasp on and pass the tail back through the crimp bead (do not smash crimp yet)

10. This time you are going to take the cording tail through about an inch of beads. Pull the tail to get all the excesses cording out. Make sure that the first side’s tail is still hidden inside the beads. You want to make sure that you didn’t pull your cording too tight. The beads need to be able to rotate without making a crunching/scraping sound. Also if your bracelet is pulled too tight, it will be too  stiff to lay around your wrist correctly.  

11. Again check to see that your crimp bead is close to your clasp but not too close.  Once you are happy with everything, smash your crimp bead. Make sure you are only smashing your crimp, it is easy to smash/break the bead next to the crimp

17. Clip the tail that is sticking out

18. Now for the most important step: Enjoy your project!

OLR (one loop roll over)

1. Create a 90 degree bend above the bead.

2. Place round nose plier jaws around the wire

3. Bend wire over the top plier jaw.  Move the wire do not rotate tool.  Create something that looks like a coat hanger.

4. Reposition wire so that the coat hanger part is hanging off the bottom jaw.

5. Finish pulling wire under and across the bottom of the jaw completing a loop.

6. Cut off excess wire.

Wire Wrap

1. Hold wire with the jaws of the round nose pliers right above the bead.

2.  Bend the wire at a 90 degree.

3. Rotate jaws so that one is touching the top of the bead and the other is above the 90      degree.

4. Bend wire oup and over the top jaw, forming something that looks like a coat hanger.

5. Reposition wire so that the coat hanger is hanging off the bottom jaw.

6. Bend wire under and around the bottom jaw to finish the loop.

7. Grasp the loop between the jaws of the chain nose pliers, and wrap the wire around the      shaft down to the bead.  Usually 2.5 to 3 times to meet the top of the bead.

8. Cut off excess wire.  Smoosh the wire tail flush with the other wraps if you didn't cut      the tail off close enough.

*If you are wanting to add your wire wrapped bead to chain or to another bead; you must      put the chain in the loop BEFORE you finish wrapping the wire aruond the shaft. So add      your chain after step 6.

Crimping using crimping tools

Tying off stretchy cord

1. Bring both ends together 2. Make a single over hand knot 3.  Pull tight.  Hint: separate ends and pull ends away from each other.  You'll see the knot get closer to the beads. 4.  Check to make sure the knot is secure by stretching project.  If the knot doesn't move than it is secure. 5.  Make another over hand knot right above the first. 6.  Try to hide knot inside a bead and cut tails. Optional:  Some people like to put a drop of glue between the knots.   We usualy don't add glue, but if you feel you need to; use an exopy type.  Super-glues can rot the cord.

Square or Surgeon's knots

	Bring the left-hand thread over the right-hand thread and around.
	Cross the right-hand thread over the left-hand thread and go through the loop. pull both threads tight.