How to Avoid Leaving Tool Marks in Wire - Tips and Strategies 

Thank you so much for the tips.💓 The painter's tape works a charm! I recently purchased a small appliance that had protective plastic caps on the prongs of the wall plug. They fit nicely onto my chain nose pliers and help make straightening out kinky wire a breeze! My tendency to hang on to bits of "junk" that may come in handy for a craft finally paid off!

I've never used the Tool Magic, so I can't speak to a comparison of the two products' durability, but the Plasti Dip works very well, and has several other advantages over the Tool Magic It was only $6.95 for a 14.5 ounce can of the Plasti Dip at my local hardware store, Menards, (another bonus in that you don't have to order it and can find it at Lowes, Walmart and Ace Hardware), verses only 2 ounces of Tool Magic. So for half the price, you get over SEVEN TIMES MORE. But wait, THERE'S MORE! (LOL) It comes in SIX different colors, plus you can get it in a 14.5 ounce can, a 22 ounce can and a one gallon container. It also comes in an 11 ounce spray can, but I don't recommend using the spray for coating jewelry tools. It's fine for coating the larger construction tools' handles, like wrenches and hammers, but it wastes far too much with our smaller jewelry tools, so the can's with the liquid that you dip the tools into verses spraying works much better. As to how long the coating lasts is going to be dependent on what gauges of wire you use, the hardness of the wire you use, the type of wire (sterling silver, copper, aluminum, etc.) and how hard you grip your tools. I"ve been using really crappy, cheap wire to practice with, and the coating will still last me dozens of uses before needing a fresh coating. And it tells you on the can to dip the tool 2 or 3 times, letting it dry in between coat. Hope the extra info helps.

Thank you for this video! I have just started working with wire and it is encouraging to know that with practice the scratches and such will be less. Love you channel!

You are a very good teacher. Thanks for sharing your expertise.

Thank you for your very easy to follow I'm formative videos. I can see you are a perfectionist by your hands and it shows in your work which is so intricate and beautifully done 👌💖

I have used electrical tape. I also sanded my cheap (rough) bent nose pliers and vintage Craftsman finishing hammer face with 1000 grit sandpaper. I considered the Beadsmith round nose pliers with the plastic covers and was not convinced they would be effective. Thank you for clearing that up.

My daughter was a figure skate and I covered my rnd nose pliers with tape called SK8TAPE which is similar to insulation tape-seems to be working fine and not thick so still a fine point but no marks… thanks for your video

You can take a metal jewelers file and gently file or smooth any knicks you may have in your pliers. This will help.

Thanks so much for your tips. Since I am starting out these tips will help me tremendously!

Very thorough coverage of this topic. My problem with nylon tips on pliers is they always slip on me. Painters tape and tool magic have worked best for me so far and when all else fails, there's always polish to minimize the marring.

Very informative thanks, love your videos.

Heat shrink used for covering electrical wires are dynamite

Awesome video! Thanks so much for sharing your wisdom 😊

What a smart idea to use painters tape. I've got so much of that left from painting my office.

You can get rubber tool dip at Home Depot or other hardware stores. It costs about $7 comes in lots of colors

Great tips...have seen the coating on Beadaholique but don't know the cost. I think I will try the painters tape....

This video was really helpful, thanks :)

Great info. Thanks for sharing. :)

Love your videos! If I want to make bead dangles with a loop at both ends, do I have to buy that in some kind of silver? In other words, is true half hard wire made only with some kind of silver, or is there a cheaper alternative? Thanks!

I actually cost some of my tools in E6000 glue. You do have to replace periodically bit it works for me. I usually do two or three coats.

Thank you so much!

Amazing advice!!! Thank you lol.. Really!!! Thank you for sharing knowledge!!!❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

also use electrical lead cover the type you heat and it shrinks to form a seal

I might add that you can trim the large end down and it will fit the tip better, if you are using the tips rubber tips.

How do you keep your plier tips so clean? I used copper coated/plated artistic wire ONE time and now my Xurons look almost rusty.

Thanks for the tips

thank you for this! been trying to make do with the tools i have and keep denting my wire 🤣

Thank you for the great tips. I mistakenly listened to a redheaded wire artist on You Tube and bought those super cheap 2 1/2 inch handled tools at Amazon then learned they were NON-REFUNDABLE. Knowing they will harm my hands maybe permanently I set them aside to give to a child who shows interest one day. I've been considering Zuron but based on the damage they sustain I wonder if that would be the case if they were made with superior hardened grades of steel.

Heatshrink for wires would be a good strategy for adding protection to a lot of pliers and tools like this. For tapered tools, you would have to use glue-lined versions and something with the right shrinkage rations. It would probably be cheaper, faster, and sturdier than these other solutions. The other things I would say is that the surface and corners of tools matter, and so selecting the right head geometry can surely make a big difference. In some cases, filing down edges might also help.

Good information

How do you think a thin coating of nail polish would work?

Thank you

I just bought those pre plastic pliers and I was so disappointed because it gave such a bad indent in the plastic :(( also I have a question, should I wear a mask when making rings because I’ve found that there’s some micro metal shaving on my table when I make them. I’m kind of concerned and need a professionals opinion!

Hi, how was the brand name of the wire? Thank you ✨✨

Thank you for a fantastic tutorial. I have a question. I flattened the tip of the wire so the bead doesn't fall off. But that tiny flat piece looks awful because it has multiple hammering marks. Please could you tell me how to avoid hammering marks if I wanted to. Thank you

hi! what is the store you mentioned that you get your wires from? I did not quite catch it... vera grande or...? Thank you!

Hi, I'm new to this so your videos are very helpful. Thanks for sharing. Do you have any tips on how to get the scratches off?

Can you advise what to do when you need to make a bend in the wire? When I try to make a bend in the wire in order to capture a cabochon between three pieces of 20 gauge wire, I need to grasp it well and painters tape doesn’t allow for grasping the wire properly. A rubber tip would pose the same problem. Besides for trying tool magic and bending as gently as possible, is there anything else I can do? Does silver filled wire and sterling silver mar less? Of course, then one must be able to afford it. Thank you so much!

Can you take those rubber tips off and rotate them?

I’d like to add those “rubber” tips are just plastic and can be bought separately...great video 👍🏼😊

I recently read that you can strauhten wire with nylon jaw pliers. Can we straighten wire if we are using the rubber tool dip as well? What about with the painters tape? Thanks!

Or wrap with Masking tape