How to Use Crimp Beads to Attach a Clasp

String your beads onto a length of beading wire that is much longer than you need. Spare wire is easier to handle at the end. Lay the strand in the bead board channel that matches your wrist, Katie's is 6 inches, and leave about an inch for the clasp. Bead width matters too, since big beads take up more room on the inside of the circle.

Snip off any kinked wire at the working end. Slide on one crimp tube. A crimp tube is a tiny metal cylinder with flat ends, and it is what locks the clasp in place. Beading wire has a steel core under a nylon coating, so cut it with flush cutters, never your good scissors.

Thread on one half of the clasp. Then bring the wire tail back down through the crimp tube so it forms a loop around the clasp. Pull it up to a small loop, but not tight. The clasp needs room to swing. If the loop is pulled snug against it, the bracelet will not sit comfortably on your wrist.

Look at your crimping pliers. The station closest to the handle has a notch in it. That one goes first. Check the loop is where you want it, set the crimp tube in that notched station, and squeeze firmly. The crimp now has a groove down one side, and the two wires sit in separate channels.

Turn the crimp so the groove faces up. Move it to the rounded station near the tip of the pliers. Squeeze slowly and gently along its length. This folds the crimp in half along the crease you made, into a neat round bar. Katie's test: it will not go anywhere. That fold is what makes crimping pliers stronger than a flat squash.

Trim the tail to about an inch. Slide a few beads down toward the crimp and feed the tail through them, so it disappears inside the strand. Then let the rest of the beads drop down beside it. Now the tail is tucked away and cannot scratch your wrist. Take off the stopper crimp at the other end.

Slide a second crimp tube and a closed jump ring onto the other end. Keep the bracelet curved as you work. If it is pulled straight, it will feel stiff once fastened. Pass the wire back through the crimp and the first two beads. Grip the tail with chain nose pliers and draw the loop down little by little until the beads sit together.

Check for gaps. The beads should touch without the strand going rigid. Then crimp exactly as before. Squeeze in the notched back station first, turn the crimp so the groove faces up, and fold it in the rounded front station. Keep the bracelet curved against the mat as you squeeze, so it holds its shape.

Snip the spare wire with flush cutters as close to the beads as you can. Check that the cut end sits inside a bead, not poking out between two. A sharp end of steel wire will catch on knitwear and scratch skin. If it sticks out, trim a little more or push it back into the bead hole.

Check inside the crimp cover first. Spare crimps like to hide in there. Slip the open cover over the crimp from underneath. Hold the clasp out of the way with a finger. Squeeze very gently with chain nose pliers, turning the angle a little each time, until it closes into a round bead. Repeat on the other end, then fasten the bracelet.