Home   >   Daily Wire Jewelry Tips   >   Daily Wire Tip Feb. 18: Removing Sharp Edges from Wire

Daily Wire Tip Feb. 18: Removing Sharp Edges from Wire

By on February 18, 2010
Print Friendly

Daily Wire Jewelry Making Tip
February 18, 2010

Question:

When using either tigertail and crimps, or when I’ve cut the extra wire after making a loop, I always seem to end up with an extremely sharp edge, sharp enough to leave punctures!  (in me at least).  How can I correct this?

Answer:

Ok a beader question. My recommendation would be to use a very small and sharp pair of wire nippers and cut the villain off immediately next to the crimp.

Answer contributed by Dale “Cougar” Armstrong

Have a question? Submit your question here

9 Comments

  1. avatar

    Brenda Laino

    February 18, 2010 at 8:20 am

    I would actually suggest that once you’ve made your loop by pushing the wire through the crimp a second time, try to push it a little bit further through a couple of beads, that way the wire won’t be sticking out so much that it’ll prick you.

    • avatar

      dalecgr

      February 18, 2010 at 10:54 am

      Many thanks to all of my beader friends who help me/us with these type of questions!!
      Dale/Cgr

  2. avatar

    Mary Beth Gardner

    February 18, 2010 at 9:08 am

    If you still have a sharp edge after cutting extra wire from a wrapped loop, try using a crimping tool to round it out.

  3. avatar

    Beth Johnston

    February 18, 2010 at 9:46 am

    You can often file off the ends of the wire to eliminate the problem. Not all wire will work this way, but a lot will. Also, sometimes a tiny dab of super glue will put a “bumper” on the end so it doesn’t stick. I always run the wire back through a couple of beads and then cut it off as close as I can so that the end is covered by a bead instead of a crimp. Just some stuff I’ve tried through the years…..

  4. avatar

    Casey Willson

    February 18, 2010 at 10:49 am

    What works for me is to use, as you said, a good set of close cutters but I put the tail of the tiger tail through several beads and cut between the two largest beads available so the end is down and can’t reach skin.

  5. avatar

    Val Bogdan

    February 18, 2010 at 12:20 pm

    I always put crimp bead covers on my wrapped loops to hide everything. It creates a finished look and no ends sticking out anywhere. This works with the flexible cords like softflex and wire, also works with leather or fabric with the larger bead covers. Hope this helps.

  6. avatar

    Sally Cole

    February 18, 2010 at 2:17 pm

    I have used Crimp Bead Covers in the past. They usually cover that little sharp edge (along with the crimp bead) that can end up in a thumb or finger.

  7. avatar

    T.Rusk4u

    February 18, 2010 at 4:13 pm

    If it’s a fully beaded strand, I push the tail through 2-3 beads so that the wire end is not in contact with skin. If the strand is not fully beaded, after crimping I clip the wire as closely to the crimp as possible and then use a crimp bead cover. It covers the crimp and the tiny bit of wire that is left.

  8. avatar

    Stephanie Florie

    February 18, 2010 at 6:55 pm

    I do the same as Casey Willson, and I never have complaints about sharp wires. It’s a selling point for my jewelry that it’s guaranteed not to snag on clothes or skin :)