Making Plain Loops | Organizing Jewelry | Hardening Head Pins

Our readers offer tips on building flexibility into a strung bracelet's length and making perfect plain loops.

1 hammer time
Hardening head pins or findings usually requires a bench block or anvil. In a pinch, substitute a large hammer turned on its side. The hammer's head provides a hard, flat surface for pounding the wire. - Pam Pollard, Coweta, OK

2 muffin tins
Use a muffin tin to sort beads. With a dozen cups, a tin is perfect for projects that require many different beads. To make cleanup easier, put paper liners in the tins first, then simply pour the beads back into their containers. - C. C. Lilly, via e-mail

3 plain-loop perfection
To make plain loops, put your finger against the head pin underneath the bead. You'll be able to bend the head pin closer to the bead, so your loop will show less excess wire. - Sarah Keefe, Boston, MA

4 flexible finishing
To build flexibility into a strung bracelet's length, string a crimp bead onto a jump ring. String a crimp bead and spacer on the end of the strand. Thread the wire through the jump ring's crimp bead, go back through the last beads strung, and crimp the bracelet's crimp bead. Attach the clasp with a jump ring. You can adjust the length by adding extra jump rings to the first one, without restringing the bracelet. - Marie Rankin, via e-mail

5 jewelry hangups
A belt hanger with hooks is a handy way to store jewelry. The holder organizes twelve or more necklaces while occupying minimal space in your closet, and jewelry is less likely to get tangled. - E. Jones, via e-mail

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September 2005