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Tools glossary
Needles, cutters, pliers, hammers, and more are defined
Published: Friday, April 24, 2009

RELATED TOPICS: STITCHING BASICS | REFERENCE | STRINGING BASICS

Beading needles
Beading needles are used for off-loom stitches and loomwork. Unlike sewing needles, the eye of a beading needle is almost as narrow as the shaft. Both
Japanese and English beading needles are available, with the English needles being more flexible than the Japanese. The needles are numbered, and most
frequently found in sizes #10 - #16. The thinner the needle, the higher the needle number. To choose a needle, consider your bead and thread sizes, the
number of passes you'll make through the beads, and the beading technique. #10 needles are usually used with size 6/0 to 11/0 seed beads, #12s with 8/0 to
13/0 seed beads, #13s with 11/0 to 15/0 seed beads, #15s with 15/0 Charlottes, and #16s with 16/0 to 24/0 seed beads. Several hybrid beading needles, such
as #12 longs (often used for loomwork) and #12 sharps or betweens (usually used for bead embroidery) are also available.

Big Eye needles and Small Big Eye needles have a large hole in the center of a flexible shaft. Use them for loomwork, macram, crochet, and transferring
beads, or for tight spots in off-loom bead stitching.

Twisted-wire needles have a large collapsible eye at one end, and are thin and very bendable. Use them for stringing and transferring beads.

Cutters
Bevel cutters are economical cutters that can cut through both thin and thick gauges of wire. As the name implies, they leave both ends of the wire pinched at
a slant.

A craft knife or utility knife has a small, pointed, very sharp blade. Use it to make small, accurate cuts in paper, polymer clay, or metal clay.

Diagonal wire cutters are the most widely available type of wire cutter, and
are used to trim flexible beading wire and narrow gauges of wire to the
desired length. These cutters trim the wire at an angle, leaving a point at the
tip of the wire.

diagonal wire cutters

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Flush cutters (including semi-flush, super-flush, ultra-flush, and

double-flush cutters) are more professional-grade wire cutters. Depending
on the type or brand, these cutters leave less of a bevel on the end of the wire
or eliminate the bevel on one side. Usually these pliers work better with
thinner gauges of wire.

Heavy-duty wire cutters are used on heavier gauges of wire or memory

wire, as these materials will ruin the blades of standard jewelry-making wire
cutters.

Jewelry-making scissors or shears are used to cut sheet metal or solder.

flush cutters

Jeweler's saws are made of two components: a U-shaped frame and a

removable blade. Use a blade appropriate for the metal's thickness. Saws are
used for cutting shapes from metal and making jump rings. To learn how to
thread a blade into a saw frame, visit our sister publication Art Jewelry, and
watch the video.

Scissors and thread snips are used to cut thread and cord. The best scissors
or snips have sharp blades and small pointed tips that can reach into tiny
spaces.

Tissue blades are long flexible sharp blades, somewhat similar to a razor
blade. They are popular with metal clay and polymer clay artists for cutting
clay.

jeweler's saw

Pliers
Pliers are used for holding, bending, and shaping wire and for opening and closing loops and jump rings. Keep in mind that there is a difference between the
rough, grooved pliers you'd pull out of your toolbox and jewelry-grade pliers, which won't mar your work when used properly.

Chainnose pliers have flat jaws used to bend and shape wire and open and close jump rings. Flatnose and bentnose pliers are close relatives of chainnose
pliers, featuring the same smooth inner jaws to help grasp wire or components without leaving marks. The specialized shapes allow a comfortable grip in narrow
or awkward spaces.

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chainnose pliers

bentnose pliers

Crimping pliers are used with crimp beads and flexible beading wire. They
compress tube crimps into narrow cylinders that hold strung projects in place.
There are several different types of crimping pliers available. Micro crimping
pliers are used with micro crimps and the thinnest beading wire, often for
making illusion necklaces; standard crimping pliers are used with standard
tube crimps; mighty crimping pliers are used with large crimp tubes to hold
multiple strands; and Magic crimp-forming tools are used with a standard
tube crimp and create a decorative round instead of a compressed cylinder.

micro, regular, and macro crimping pliers

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magic crimp-forming tool

Nylon-jaw pliers have a protective layer on the jaws, which keeps them from
marking soft metal or wire. They can be used to hold pieces while you work
with other pliers or for straightening wire.

nylon-jaw pliers

Roundnose pliers have round jaws that taper to a point. They are used to
shape wire and form loops.

roundnose pliers

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Split-ring pliers make it easier to open split rings without damaging your
fingernails. The bent tip slides between the layers of the ring, holding them
apart as you add components.

split-ring pliers

Hammers
Ball-peen and cross-peen hammers are the most common jewelry-making
hammers and feature a flat head on one end and a domed head on the other.
They are used for shaping and texturing metal and wire. Chasing hammers
are close relatives of the ball-peen hammer, but they are more commonly
used to strike stamps or punches to mark metal.

ball-peen hammer

Mallets are hammer-shaped tools made of a material that will not seriously mar metal, such as rubber, nylon, rawhide, or wood.

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mallet

Planishing hammers have two flat, round, smooth heads, and are used for
flattening and smoothing metal.

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planishing hammer

Riveting hammers have angled heads and are designed to hammer the
rivets used in cold connections. They can also be used to add texture to metal
or with tools like punches.

riveting hammer

Additional tools
Alligator clips are hinged clips with serrated edges, often used to clamp wires during electrical work. In beading, they are used to clamp the end of a strand of
flexible beading wire, to keep the beads from sliding off. Because of their serrated edges they can damage threads. See also Bead Stoppers and hemostats.

Anvils are steel or iron work surfaces used by metal workers such as jewelers or blacksmiths. A traditional anvil has a flat surface on top and a round or curved
horn on the front. You can use an anvil for hammering and shaping metal and wire. See also bench block.

Awls are pointed tools used to pierce solid materials (such as leather), to mark or score softer materials (such as metal clay), and to place or pick apart knots.
Pins can often be used as awls.

Bead mats are usually made of a soft or nubbed fabric, such as Vellux, and are used as a work surface for beading because their surface texture stops the
beads from rolling away.

Bead Stoppers are metal springs that clamp over the ends of beading wire, cords, and threads to keep strung beads from sliding off. See also alligator clips
and hemostats.

Bench blocks are solid, smooth work surfaces, usually made of steel, that can be used for hammering and shaping metal and wire. See also anvil.

A blender is a flexible, tapered tool used to smear and blend seams when working with metal clay.

A bone folder is a smooth, polished, blade-shaped piece of animal bone or horn, traditionally used in papercrafts.

A brass brush is a small scrub brush with short, tough bristles made of brass wires. It is used with soap and water in the first steps of polishing metal and metal

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clay pieces.

A jewelry buffer polishes metal projects to a shine. Usually a soft cloth, like muslin or flannel, is attached to a motorized wheel.

A burnisher is a polished metal or stone tool used to polish (burnish) metal, including fired metal clay, to a high shine.

Calipers are used to measure sizes and distances. Bead calipers measure the outside diameters of beads and jump rings.

A dapping block is a wood or metal block (typically a cube) with round,

hemispherical depressions used to form domes. The steel rods with matching
domes on the ends are called dapping punches.

A design board has grooves and rulers to help you lay out and plan your
jewelry designs.

A dowel is a firm rod or tube, used as a core. Dowels are used to help tubular
beadwork hold its shape and as the core for making coils.

A drawplate is a plate of wood or metal with funnel-shaped holes of

diminishing size used to reduce the diameter of wire. The process is called
drawing.

A Dremel is a brand of motorized rotary tool. See flex shaft.

Emery boards have a rough, gritted surface over a cardboard core and are
used for filing surfaces or edges smooth.

dapping block and punches

Files are made of a hard metal and have a rough, serrated, or textured
surface used to smooth or shape surfaces or edges. There are many types of
jewelry files available, including long and mini files and round, half-round,
triangular, oval, and flat shapes.

Finishing papers are much like sandpaper, but have a very fine grit. They
are used near the end of surface finishing and polishing to bring the surface to
a uniform smoothness. See also sandpaper.

Flex shafts are versatile jewelry-making tools consisting of a precision

high-speed motor, 3-ft. flexible extension, handpiece, and foot rheostat. It is
used for drilling, grinding, sanding, carving, and polishing.
files
A hemostat is a surgical clamp, much like an alligator clip. In beading, it is
used to hold the ends of cords and wires. See also alligator clip and Bead
Stopper.

A kiln is a furnace used for firing materials (such as glass, ceramics, or metal clay) at a high temperature. There are many different types of kilns on the
market.

A lathe is a tool that spins an object in place while a craftsperson applies various tools to the spinning object to alter its surface.

A beading loom is used to produce a woven fabric of beads. There are many types of looms available. To learn how to weave on a loom, visit our Online Basics,
or watch a video. To learn about the different types of looms available, read this Online extra from our February 2009 issue.

A mandrel is a tapered shaft around which metal is pressed or hammered to change its shape. There are specialized types of mandrels, such as ring mandrels
or stepped mandrels. Mandrels can also be used as dowels to hold materials in a round shape when beading or working with wire. See also dowel.

A measuring tape or tape measure is marked with distance increments, such as inches or centimeters, and is either collapsible or can be coiled. For beading,
flexible fabric or vinyl measuring tapes (which can be used to measure round shapes) are more useful than rigid metal hardware measuring tapes.

Molds made from wax, silicone, two-part compounds, and other materials are often used for jewelry making. They allow jewelry makers to control the shape
and texture of a piece and to make multiple identical pieces.

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Nonstick work surfaces, like flexible Teflon or Silpat sheets, are used with
metal clay to keep the clay from sticking to the work surface.

Paintbrushes have many jewelry-making applications, from smoothing metal

clay surfaces, to adding small amounts of moisture or applying glue. Usually
basic craft brushes are all that is needed.

A pasta machine can be used to condition, blend, and resize polymer clay.
Pasta machines used with clay should be dedicated to that use only. To learn
more about conditioning polymer clay, watch this video.

Playing cards are often used to roll out metal clay to a consistent thickness
by placing the ends of a roller on equal stacks of cards.

Plexiglass squares are used by polymer clay and metal clay artist to roll out
long coils of clay.

beading loom
Polishing cloths are used to shine up finished jewelry and remove tarnish or
oxidation.

Punches are hardened steel tools used to decorate, texture, or form metal.

Acrylic or Teflon rollers are used to flatten metal clay.

Rulers are marked with distance increments, such as centimeters or inches,

used for measuring. Clear plastic rulers are especially useful for measuring
bead sizes and beadwork.

Sandpaper is coated with a gritty surface and used to grind out surface
imperfections. Different types of sandpaper are used differently:
Jewelry-grade sandpaper is finer than regular sandpaper, and some types of
sandpaper are designed to be used wet. Sandpapers are usually numbered;
the higher the number, the finer the grit. When using sandpaper, always start
with the coarsest grit and work to the finest grit.

Self-healing polyform boards return to their original shape and consistency

after use, making them a great work surface for projects involving pins, such
as chain maille or macram.

T-pins are sturdy sewing pins with a bar across the head, giving them the punch set
shape of the letter T. They're useful for pinning materials to a work surface.

Texture sheets have a molded or etched surface, which is used to shape the surface of metal or polymer clay.

Toaster ovens are used to harden or cure polymer clay. It is advisable to use a toaster oven dedicated to this use only.

A torch is an open-flame heat source that can produce temperatures higher than the melting point of the metal being used. Simple one-part torches use
compressed gas and atmospheric oxygen; more complex torches combine compressed gas and compressed oxygen to reach higher temperatures.

A tumble polisher uses shot and a burnishing compound to polish and harden metal jewelry. The canister rotates or tumbles on an axis or a set of bars,
constantly shifting the contents to achieve a uniform shine on the finished pieces.

Tweezers have two fine tips that come together to grasp or pull. They are great for reaching into small areas or grasping fine materials. There are many
different types of tweezers available: hinged or V-shaped, steel or copper, etc., so it is easy to find the specific tool needed for each task.

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