Hemostats

Use the longer hemostats for making buttons and small pendants. Many buttons are made with a copper wire loop on the back. Bend a short length of wire into a U-like a short bobby pin. Then bend out the ends. Clamp a hemostat onto the curve of the U to become a handle and then either add glass to the wire to create a button or first make a button on a punty, heat its back and press the wire into it. You will probably find it easier to hold the hemostat shaft while making glass items; it's easier to rotate. 8" hemostats have about 7" of shaft. Use the 3½" hemostats to clamp on the ends of your beading string. They allow you to review your work without worry of the beads sliding off. Also, if you need to remove the first bead strung, it's faster to remove the hemostat then it is to cut off the clasp end or unstring everything.