Pliers, Pliers Everywhere!
Pliers, Pliers Everywhere!
It’s very confusing when it dcomes to jewelllery making pliers. Which ones for the right task?
There are some that are self-explanatory, like crimping pliers or looping pliers. There are some that are very confusing. Chainnose, needle nose and round nose pliers are the ones most likely to fit the category. Hopefully, this article will clear up some of the confusion.
Chain Nose Pliers
Chain Nose pliers are flat on the inside edge and rounded on the outside edge of the pliers. They come to points on the tips. You can grip wire really well such as jump rings and other smaller pieces.
Round Nose Pliers
Round nose pliers are completely round with a conical shape. You cant grip as well with them. They do make beautiful loops. Light pressure is best so you don’t mar your wire project with these.
Bent Nose Pliers
Bend nose pliers are pliers with a 45 degree bend at the tips. You can use them, along with chain nose pliers to open and close jump rigns. They also help keep your line of vision clear while you work your project.
Needle Nose Pliers
Needle nose pliers have a longer nose on them than chain nose or round nose pliers. The inside edge is often serrated which gives them an excellent grip. The serrated edge unfortunately leaves marks and scratches on your wire projects. So one of the the following three things is recommended:
- Geta a pair without the serrated inside
- Dip them in a plastic solution to cover up the serrated edges
- leave them serrated and be prepared to spend lots of extra time repairing the damage they leave on your project.
Flat Nose Pliers
Flat nose pliers have a wide nose on them. It’s almost a square shape. They can be used for straightening wire. They can also be used with Bent Nose pliers to open and close jump rings. They are also great for making sharp bends in your wire for your designs.
Nylon Jaw Pliers
Nylon jaw pliers are good for making sure you wire projects aren’t’ marred or scratched. They also straighten wire as well, if not better than, the flat nose pliers. They only problem with these pliers is that the tips need to be replace once in a while as they wear down. Therefore, it’s good to keep a replacement set of tips on hand.
Punch Pliers
Punch pliers are used for punching holes in metal. They can pierce many different gauges of metal. They also come in different hole sizes. These come in handy for making connection and rivet holes. They can’t be used to make center holes in most projects. They other drawback is that the punch pins need to be replace periodically as they get dull.
Crimping Pliers
Crimping pliers can be a bit tricky. There is a certain order to using them.
- First put the bead thread through a jump ring or bead.
- Load the beading wire ends through the crimp bead.
- Get the beads close to the jump ring/bead without restricting it’s movement.
- Now on the crimping pliers, there are two sizes of holes.
- In the larger one (shaped like a heart,) place the tube you want to crimp.
- Close over the crimp.
- Before you squeeze down, separate the wires. This will give the tube a better hold.
- Now press the tube firmly with the pliers but not too firmly (you will split the tube) but hard enough to hold the wires.
- To complete the crimp, place the tube in the smaller hole at the top.
- Place the crimp on its side.
- Hold the two wires together and squeeze the tube together.
- You can now cut off excess wire and start beading.
There are many other types of pliers out there on the market. This article was meant to cover the main ones you’ll need for working with metal and wire. Hopefully, this has helped clear up some of the confusion on using some the main ones.
Do you use different pliers? Find some of these pliers can be used in special ways with other mediums? Leave a comment. We’d love to hear from you.
