Lindstrom generosity

Shortly before we left for vacation, I received a comment on one of my blog posts from Mike of Lindstrom Precision Tools.  I didn't see it right away because of the whole vacation thing, but when I did, I was floored.  He offered to send me a few pairs of pliers for evaluation and said I could keep them as long as I give feedback.

If you don't make jewelry, you probably don't know the name "Lindstrom".  They are the highest end tools in quality and price.  To be offered "a few pairs of pliers" is an unbelievable offer, because it has never entered my mind that I could afford one Lindstrom tool let alone "a few" of them.  Most of my jewelry work is beadweaving, so my main tool is a very affordable needle.  However, I do enough other types of jewelry-making (stringing, wirework, chainmaille, and mixed media) that having high quality pliers is a must.

Besides my Xuron tools (see my reviews here), I've been limping along with cheap or moderately cheap tools I've picked up at craft stores or wherever.  They're okay in a pinch, but I've slowly been replacing them with higher quality tools.  I don't like using the cheap ones for chainmaille because the rings always get marred, so I don't do a lot of chainmaille.  That's a pity because it's so pretty.

Because I'm so enamored with my Xuron tools and sell a few of them, I felt I should call Abby, my Xuron contact and good friend (she's known as "Xuron Abby" in this house and on this blog).  I did not want to accept any tools from Lindstrom if it would endanger my relationship with Xuron.

Imagine my surprise when I told Abby about the offer, and she asked, "Was it Mike?"  She spoke very highly of Mike and of Lindstrom, and she said she really likes their RX series of tools.  Abby said I didn't need Xuron's blessing, but she thanked me for asking.

So after we finished talking about Lindstrom, various Xuron business things, and our cats, I took a look at Lindstrom's website.  You have to check out the opening animation on their site.  It's so cool and trippy!  I found their Bead and Jewelry Arts product listing (this page shows each of the tools individually) and was astounded that there were so many.  There are a number of types of pliers in each of the series, plus there's a series of cutters.  I looked around at the other product listings to see everything they had available so I could make my choice and found a whole section of just RX series cutters.

I e-mailed Mike and thanked him profusely for his generous offer.  I did warn that my feedback would be completely honest, and I sent him links to my blog posts of Xuron tools so he could get a better idea of how I review.  If he still was interested in sending me a tool, I listed four that I was interested in.  I did not want to choose, so I asked him to pick one for me.

He responded, "Your selections are a familiar pattern (chain nose, round nose, bent nose, cutter) and I’m happy to send the ones out you selected."  Wow!  How cool is that?

He did suggest a different cutter than the one I chose and sent me a link to their online catalog so I could look at all the specifications.  I'm not going to discuss that now - when I review the cutter I'll get into all the gory "How do I choose?" details.

After a few go-arounds we decided on a cutter, and in no time a Lindstrom box arrived!

Here are the tools in their packages:

I was so excited, I posted the above picture with a brief explanation to my Creative Pursuits Facebook page!

Here are the cutters out of the package so you can see them more clearly:

The handles are ergonomically-shaped to reduce strain on your hands while you work, and they feel comfortable in my hand.  I was a bit concerned that they'd be too big because I have small hands, but so far they seem fine.  When I was looking at the cutters, one of my considerations was overall tool length because of the whole "stumpy fingers" issue, so I had chosen a smaller one.  Mike had to set me straight that the difference was head length not handle length.  All of the handles are the same size, which makes absolute sense.  Oops!

Each tool comes with a protective tube cover for the head:

Here's what the cutters look like unfettered:

There is a little bit of oil on the heads, which is natural and the sign of a good tool.  You can wipe the oil off with a tissue before using the tool if you're concerned about it getting on your work.

You may be wondering what that black curvy-looking thing is between the handles.  That's a spring that can click into three different notches (in the yellow circle below) based on how strong you'd like the tool to open when you relax your hand:

Here is what it looks like with the spring in the middle notch:

Let's flip the tool over to see the other end of the spring:

This functionality is standard across all of their tools.  It's nice that it's customizable (even to switching sides if there's a need to do so), but I will say that when the spring is in the middle or bottom notches there's a click of spring against tool that might get annoying with repeated opening and closing of the tool.  Then again, I'm very sensitive to that sort of thing and practically lunge for the remote to mute the TV when a Kit Kat commercial comes on.  Yes, we get it - they're crunchy.  Where was I?  Oh, yes.  So far I think I prefer a looser tension, so the top notch (the one closer to the head) will probably work for me.

I found this page on Rio Grande's website which gives instructions on how to insert the spring and lists some of the main reasons the spring might pop out.  One reason is that the spring's curvature can get fatigued if the tool is stored "closed", such as it is with the tube over the head.  They recommend leaving it "open" (no tube or not in a pouch) or taking the spring out when storing the tool.

Another concern with the springs is that repeated clicking them in and popping them out can "fatigue the hinge end of the spring".  However, you can get a replacement for $3-5, which is a whole lot cheaper than replacing the whole tool.  They're interchangeable, too, so in a pinch you can take one from another tool.

I like the idea of keeping the heads protected, so let me take a few seconds to take the springs out.  Done!

Let's see... what else can I tell you about the tools right now?  Not much, because I haven't had the time to start playing with them.  So far, they seem neato-keen, as the kids say (or they did say fifty years ago), but I won't have more of an evaluation until I get to work.  When I do, I'll review each one individually.  If you think you might have missed a review, you can click on "Lindstrom" under the "labels" section over there on the right ---> for a concentrated list of posts.

Oh!  I should show you an overall picture of all the tools I received:

I would like to publicly thank Mike and Lindstrom for giving me this opportunity to get to know their tools and their company and to share my feedback with my blog readers!

There is a Lindstrom RX Plier and Cutter Set on Amazon that has tools similar to what Lindstrom sent me.  It has flat nose pliers instead of bent nose, the cutters are slightly different, and the chain nose pliers are slightly different.  However, they come in a nice case.  (Note: this is an affiliate link)

Groovy looping pliers review

I was going to do a witty debate (similar to the Battle of the Split Ring Pliers), but I'm still feeling wiped out from the retreat last weekend.  Yeah, I know, it's been almost a week, but my Fibromyalia is in full control these days.  I'm getting very little done, and what I am getting done is taking 50 times longer than usual.

---

When I started making loops (about 1000 years ago), I was so happy to find round nose pliers (like these).  I could make perfect loops for my earrings and various wrapped loop projects.

I soon found that my loop was perfect, but it didn't necessarily match the loop I made 5 seconds ago.  Each jaw of the pliers is tapered, and if I didn't use the exact spot every time, the loops were different sizes.  One way to get around that is to take a fine-tipped permanent marker and draw a line on the pliers.  That works for a while (as long as the line is thin, and you make sure to go directly on the line or directly to either side of the line), but the mark does wear off.

Perusing Michaels or JoAnn Fabrics one day a few years ago I found what I thought was a perfect solution to this unmatching loop problem:

I don't know what brand these pliers are.  I only remember that they were cheap.  I really need to stop buying cheap tools.  Even though I take care of them and don't get them wet, they rust.  Also, there's truth in the saying, "You get what you pay for."

Here are the looping pliers close up:

Apart from the rust, they look great, right?  There are three stepped loops, and there's a concave lower jaw (I learned it's called that by doing some research online today) to help the loop form.

Let's look at them in action.  I put a headpin in the middle section and gently close the pliers:

Squeezing the pliers creates the beginning of the loop:

If I wanted to, I could continue bending the headpin around to finish the loop.

Still, this seems like a great solution, doesn't it?  However, take a look at the loop close up:

Those arrows point right to nicks in the headpin.  The softer the wire, the deeper the nick.  It's rough to the touch and looks bad.  If I'm really careful and don't close the pliers all the way, I can almost always avoid the nick, but it's more trouble than it's worth.

At the retreat when I made the Celtic Knot earrings, my friends were laughing a little at how big my loops were.  I didn't have the above crappy looping pliers with me.  I had my teeny Wubbers round nose pliers, and I was making loops all the way in the back of the pliers (I was too fried to make a mark so the loops were smaller and all the same size).

Judy handed me her Wolf Groovy Looping pliers, and I fell in love.

One jaw is a tapered round nose like a typical round nose plier, but the other jaw has three notches:

I did take some pictures of me using the pliers, but they weren't very good because my tripod was at home, and we've already determined my one-handed pictures don't turn out well.  I found an excellent tutorial on how to use the pliers for wrapped loops on the Fusion Beads website.  I highly recommend you check that out.

I will show you a few pictures of my first experiences with the pliers so you get the idea of how they work.


I put a few beads on the headpin and used my bent nose pliers to make a 90 degree angle.  I positioned the headpin in the middle notch and used my thumb to bend the wire around the round jaw:

I continued bending the headpin down to create a loop:

I then wrapped the headpin around and trimmed.  Here's the final piece:

Right after taking this picture I said, "Oh, crap!  That was supposed to go on the Celtic Knot component!"  Oops.  It's just as well, because the pictures wouldn't have been clear with the component dangling around.  Yeah, that's what I told myself.  I cut it apart and grabbed a new headpin.  Here are the finished earrings:

I like the Wolf Groovy Looping pliers a lot more than my no-name rusty looping pliers.  There was no nicking of the headpins, and I found the pliers more versatile to use.  If I wanted a size between the notches, I could use the tapered part of the pliers as I would normally use round nose pliers.  Once I got used to how to use them, I finished the above earrings very quickly.

If you're as enamored with this tool as I am, you can purchase the Groovy Looping pliers on the Fusion Beads website here.

Battle of the Split Ring Pliers

Two weeks ago I reviewed my "Bead Buddy" split ring pliers.  If you missed that, you can catch up here.  Since I posted that, I've heard from a few people that they didn't even know this kind of pliers existed, and I think blood has been drawn in the effort to use a sharp pokey thing to assist in separating the rings.

Abby from Xuron is a regular reader of my blog (hi, Abby!), and this week I received a sample of Xuron's split ring pliers (thanks, Abby!).  I e-mailed her to thank her, and I told her I'd have a "Battle of the Split Ring Pliers" and said, "It's on like Donkey Kong!"  I don't know where that came from, but I tickled myself.

---

ARE YOU RREEAADDYY TO SPLIT SOME RRRRRRRRINGS?!?

In this corner... Weighing in at 63.3g... The current champion sporting green handles... The Bead Buddy split ring pliers!  ::crowd roars::

And in THIS corner... Weighing in at 60.8g... The challenger sporting baby blue handles... The Xuron split ring pliers!  ::crowd roars even louder::

::ding ding ding::

As they come together in the middle of the ring, we see the Bead Buddy pliers have a wider stance, making them a little harder to hold for people with smaller hands (including the referee):

Squeezing each of them closed, the referee finds that the Bead Buddy pliers are nowhere near as smooth as the Xuron pliers!  ::crowd makes shocked sounds::

Look out!  Bead Buddy threw a right hook at a passing split ring!  Let's look that in slow motion:

Wow - that looked like a glancing blow, and the separation of the rings is minimal.

Not to be outdone, Xuron - who closely resembles Sam the Eagle of The Muppets - wrenches the ring away from Bead Buddy and takes his own shot at it:

Xuron's approach is a little different - it's more diagonal than horizontal - but he gets right in there and separates the rings much more than Bead Buddy.

What's that?  Xuron knocked Bead Buddy AND a pair of circuit board/resistor earrings out in one fell swoop!

The crowd is going absolutely wild!  We have a winner, folks!  We. Have. A. Winner!  ::holds the Xuron split ring pliers high in the air while dancing around the studio:::

---

I hope you enjoyed that battle as much as I did.  I know you may be thinking that I let the Xuron pliers "win" because they were given to me by Xuron, but they really are a much higher quality of plier than the Bead Buddy ones.  Yeah, you'll pay more for Xuron, but that money goes straight into quality.

It took a little while for me to get used to how the Xuron pliers work (the whole diagonal vs. horizontal thing), but once I did, I really liked it.  Since the ring separation is so much wider, it was easier to move components through, and I didn't have to switch to my bent nose pliers for the last part of it.  I was able to rest the end of the ring against the pliers and push the ring the rest of the way.  The feel of the Xuron pliers is so much nicer, too.  All around it's a wonderful tool.

I do maintain that if you're very rarely going to use split rings, you'd be fine with a Bead-Buddy-caliber plier, but for anyone who will use split rings more than once or twice a year, you would do well to invest in the Xuron pliers.

This is not going to be the case with every tool I review, but I sell these split ring pliers along with the 4 in 1 Crimper and the Fireline scissors.  You can find them at any bead show I go to (see my website for my calendar) or on my Xuron tool shop page for $16 plus $3 shipping.  You can probably find them cheaper elsewhere, but you'll have my undying gratitude, and if there are any problems with the tool, I have a direct line to Xuron.

Now onto the earrings themselves.  The circuit board is from the keyboard I took apart.  There's a picture of the best parts from that keyboard along with a bracelet I made from the silicone sheet here.  I'm in the middle of another bracelet using the silicone sheet - look for that next week!

The resistors Steve bought go well with the circuit board, so I used those as well.  I have 470 resistors left.  Long, long way to go!

If you missed my reviews of other Xuron products, check them out:  "Fireline" scissors and 4 in 1 Crimper.

Tool review: Split ring pliers (and gear and key necklace!)

As Steve said when he walked through the door, "It's Friday!"  It must be time for a review.  As I mentioned yesterday, I want to discuss split rings a bit more and show you split ring pliers.

The normal way to join components together is with jump rings.  They're easy to use, but if any of your components are thin, it doesn't take very much for the gap of the jump ring to work its way loose.  Next thing you know, your piece has fallen off, possibly never to be found again.  That's one reason I don't use jump rings in my strung pieces.

Sometimes, though, I don't have a choice, like when I wanted to join two components together in the earrings I made yesterday.  Here they are again:

Since the gear is so thin, I decided to use split rings instead of jump rings.  A split ring is just like a regular key ring.  Here's a 7mm split ring close up:

Just like when you're adding keys, you start at one end, wedge the component in the gap, and scootch it along until it reaches the other end.  They are clunkier than regular jump rings, but they're secure.  I know that it will take an explicit act to get the component loose from a split ring.  Normal wear won't do it.

You know how difficult it is sometimes to get a key or rewards card started in a key ring?  You dig your thumbnail in to separate the end, and sometimes it takes a few tries to get the key shoved in there.  I have scratched my fingernail, and sometimes my fingertips get sore.  Imagine doing the same thing with a 6mm or 7mm split ring.  It can be done, but it's difficult.

Fortunately, tool makers have come up with a solution: split ring pliers.  One end is straight and one end curves in to do the work of your thumbnail in separating the rings.

The one I bought is the Bead Buddy Split Ring Plier, and I bought it at a craft store (I don't remember if it was JoAnn Fabrics or Michaels) using my 40% off coupon.  Right now on the JoAnn website it's $9.99.  A number of manufacturers make them, including Craft & Jewelry (only $2.49 right now - usually $4.99 - on the JoAnn website) and Xuron ($12.47 right now on Amazon).  I'm sure there's a difference in quality between the brands.  If I was going to work with a ton of split rings, I'd probably look into the Xuron pliers.  I know Xuron makes quality tools (see my reviews for their Fireline scissors and 4 in 1 Crimper) and would want to spend the extra money.  Since I don't use split rings that often, I'm fine with my Bead Buddy brand.

Here's how it looks in action:

Once you get your component started, you can keep using the plier to help the piece around, or you can use another pair of pliers.  I like using my bent-nose pliers.  Either way, you'll probably need something when your component is at the end, because the split ring pliers don't grab.  They wedge and separate really well, but they don't grab.  You might be able to work it loose with your fingers, but I say just grab a pair of regular pliers.

The one thing I don't like about my Bead Buddy brand split nose pliers is that the black finish is coming off.  I would think that's natural because of the movement of metal on metal, but why would they put it on there in the first place?  It's unnecessary.  I'm just glad that the flaky finish isn't affecting performance.

A benefit of having these pliers around the house is that when you next need to add a key or something else to your key ring, these work perfectly.  No more scratched thumbnails!

One thing about working with split rings (with and without pliers) is that the rings can scratch, like it did on the right side of the yellow gear below:

On components without a coating like these gears have, you might not have any scratching problems.  It's something to keep an eye on.  Since I was unable to stop the scratching no matter what I tried, I decided it would be a "feature" of the necklace I made using those gears and keys:

I decided while working on this necklace that I'm happier stitching.  :)  I've heard that pieces with "movement" are good, but I keep having to turn things around to get the gears to lie flat.  This necklace is pretty, but it's not something I'll probably do again.  The best part is that I used all of the gears.  I've made a pair of simple earrings with the other blue and green keys, which leaves two purple (earrings for me!) and one yellow.  I'll find something to do with that yellow keys, I'm sure.

Tool Review: Xuron 4 in 1 Crimper

Welcome to my first Review Friday!  As I mentioned earlier in the week, I'm planning on reviewing tools, books, beads, yarns, and whatever else strikes my fancy.  I've written it in my calendar for the rest of the year, so tune in every Friday for a new review!  Right now Frisco (our new kitten) is playing on my desk, chewing on everything including my beads, papers, and Pixel's tail.  If he doesn't simmer down, I'll review him!  Katy (our 20 year old cat) is on the desk now, too, and her review of Frisco is unfavorable based on the growls she's giving him.

 

A hiss was not far behind

(yes, the screen shows me writing this very blog post!)

Remember, if you ever want to look back over my reviews, scroll down until you see the "labels" section on the right side of the blog.  Look for "review" for all of them or "review - " for a specific type of review ("review - tool", "review - book", etc).

Now on to the tool.  I first saw the Xuron 4 in 1 Crimper at the Xuron Bead&Button Show booth.  Abby and Ashley were there giving demonstrations.  Since I gave a glowing review of the Xuron "Fireline" scissors, and sell them, Abby gave me a sample of the new crimper!  Her stipulation was that I get my husband a new calculator.  (She had such a laugh at the B&B Show Meet the Teachers reception seeing Steve try to navigate my very tiny Fire Mountain Gems calculator!)  I was so excited with the demonstration and the sample that I said, "Glowing review coming right up!"

When I first started making jewelry (was it really over 20 years ago?), my mother and stepfather gave me a pair of Craftsman 4518 needle nose pliers.  I did everything with them: bend, cut, and squeeze crimp beads.  There were many times where I wasn't happy with the crimp and had to do it over and over again because it just wouldn't hold.  I even had to restring pieces because I had to cut the wire to try crimping again.  I got nervous that my necklaces and bracelets wouldn't hold.

Years later I bought actual crimping pliers - the Mighty Crimper and the Micro Crimper.  In looking those up I found there's also a Bead Crimper tool that I think is made by the same company.

The difference with crimping pliers and squeezing the crap out of the crimp bead with needle nose pliers is that crimping pliers (with the right kind of crimping bead) will put a dent in the middle of the bead in one part of the pliers then you turn it to fold the two halves together.

I had slightly better success with those tools, but I frequently had problems getting the dent deep enough so the two halves would fold together nicely.  I don't know if I was using the wrong tool for the size crimp beads I had or if the dent just wasn't deep enough.  Here's a close-up picture of the Mighty Crimpers squeezed shut:

The first hole is where the bead gets folded over, and the lips-looking one is the part that makes the dent.  See the huge gap there?  I think that was my problem.

Again - I could have been using the wrong size crimp beads.  Remember I mentioned three different pliers by the same company?  The Micro Crimpers are for 1mm beads and smaller.  The Mighty Crimpers are for 3mm beads and larger.  I guess the Bead Crimper tool is for 2mm beads.  So you need three tools to cover all the different sizes of crimp beads.  I guess you can just buy one tool and one size crimp bead, but that's limiting.  Somewhere along the way I've misplaced the Micro Crimpers, so I've been limping along with the Mighty Crimpers... Until now.

Here is the Xuron 4 in 1 Crimper in all its glory:

I love the color.  The bright green will stand out on my messy desk (as long as it's not completely covered in papers).  It's actually brighter in person and very pretty.

Let's look at the business end close up:

 

Open

 

Closed

The back of the package has a detailed diagram of each of the parts of the pliers.  From left to right there's the 1mm folding station, the 2mm folding station, the 3mm folding station, and the crimping station.  I think it's so cute that they call them "stations".  There's also a step by step guide for how to use the pliers.  And... Bonus!  The tip is a chain nose plier.  You can use the crimping pliers to help you bend the wire into place instead of grabbing another pair of pliers.

Did you notice the difference in the crimping station?  It's a tight V instead of a loose U.  This makes a world of difference.  Also, the 3mm folding station is a lot smaller than the one on the Mighty Crimper.  I know it's for crimp beads 3mm or bigger, but I think the hole was too big to properly work on 3mm beads.

Let's see the Xuron Crimper in action.  I have quite a mix of crimping beads I bought from who-knows-where.  The only ones I'm sure are actual crimp beads are long, so each part of the process needs to happen twice: making the dent twice and folding twice, once at each end of the bead.

Here's the initial crimping (making the dent):

In action (hard to do one handed while taking a picture with the other hand!)

Final result after crimping twice

I find it's easier to have the V with the opening at the bottom.  Gravity keeps the crimp bead in place while the top part comes down to crimp.

In case you're wondering, I decided to take pictures while making a necklace instead of wasting a crimp bead.  I put the loop of the clasp through the wire's loop instead of using jump rings which can pull apart during wear.  I don't want to risk the wire slipping out of the jump ring's slit and having the piece fall off.

I then turned the crimp bead to the side so the dent is horizontal (like this: < ), and squeezed it in the 2mm folding station:

After squeezing both ends, here's the final result:

That sucker isn't going anywhere!

The one thing I wish the 4 in 1 Crimper had is a "cutting station".  Once I have the wire crimped, if the end is too long, I need to reach for my cutters to trim.  It's not a huge deal, of course, but it would be nice.  Doesn't hurt to dream!  :)

For anyone who strings jewelry at all, this is the tool to use for all your crimping needs.  I have used it numerous times - it's easy to use, and I have had no problems with any crimp beads sliding out.  I love the bright green color, and since Xuron makes it, I know the quality is high.

This is not going to be the case with every tool I review, but I sell this 4 in 1 Crimper along with the Fireline scissors and split ring pliers.  You can find them at any bead show I go to (see my website for my calendar) or on my Xuron tool shop page for $22 plus $3.50 shipping.  You can find them cheaper elsewhere, but you'll have my undying gratitude, and if there are any problems with the tool, I have a direct line to Xuron.

Happy crimping (for once)!