Volume one of our tips and tricks series — eleven things we use at the bench every day. These are the kinds of shortcuts that don't show up in instruction books. They come from years of making things and figuring out what actually works.
Filing Without a File
No metal file handy? An emery board works in a pinch. Even better, grab a file made for fiberglass nails — they're much tougher and cut metal more effectively than a standard nail file. You can also wrap sandpaper around a popsicle stick for a quick DIY file that gets into tight spots.
For longevity, a proper metal 2-cut file is the way to go. But when you're in the middle of a project and need to smooth something right now, use what you've got.
Your Body Is a Ruler
Measure your thumb from the tip to the first joint — that's your basic wire wrap length guide. Know the width of your ring finger (mine is about 1/2 inch) and your pinky (mine is 3/8 inch). These become your go-to references when making eyepins and you don't want to stop and grab a ruler every thirty seconds.
See What You're Doing
Good lighting and magnification make everything easier. We love lightweight, rechargeable lights — the kind you can run off recyclable batteries or a portable phone charger. Pair that with MagEyes magnifiers at 1.6x or 2.0x. The vertical movement means you can look up and watch TV between stitches. Beading and your favorite show — that's the life.
Keep Your Work in Place
A macrame board is one of the most underrated tools in the store. The foam is lightweight, and the flexible slits hold wire, thread, and even thick beaded cords without slipping. It keeps your project pinned, your threads tight, and everything from shifting while you work. Great for macrame, braiding, lattice wrap, love story knots, knotting — basically anything with multiple strands.
Protect Your Hands
If you're gripping wire for any length of time, alligator tape on your fingers prevents rubbing, chafing, and soreness. It sticks to itself, not your skin, and you can reposition it as needed. A must-have if you're doing wire work all day.
Wire Work Tips
The Sharpie mandrel. Coil 21 gauge wire around a Sharpie pen and you get a perfect ear wire shape every time. Just remember to file the ends of your ear wires afterward, or use a cup bur on your motorized flex shaft or bead reamer to smooth them out. Nobody wants scratchy ear wires.
Too many wraps? If your wire wraps look like a long, skinny neck — too many coils bunched up — try making your initial 90-degree bend with just the tips of your Lindstrom round nose pliers. The smaller diameter creates a tiny loop that only needs about two wraps. Clean and proportional.
Polish before you wrap. Start every wirework session by polishing your wire. It takes off tarnish and creates a smooth surface that your pliers glide over. Less friction means fewer jaw marks on the wire and easier bends. Once you try it, you won't skip this step again.
Two More You'll Use Every Day
Crimping pliers do double duty. You know they fold crimps in half to minimize bulk and tighten the hold. But they're also the perfect tool for closing and rounding out crimp covers. The groove in the jaw cups the cover perfectly.
Stretch tight chain links. When the last links on a piece of chain are too small for a jump ring, use a pin, safety pin, T-pin, or the tips of your Lindstrom round nose pliers as an awl to stretch the loop open. If the chain links are oval, this is also the best way to round them out and get at least a 20 gauge jump ring through.
These are the kinds of things we show people at the bench all the time. If you want to see any of these in person, come by the store — we'll walk you through it.