Restringing Question - Please help

[DaisyDee]

What size hemostat do I need to buy? 5" or 7" or another size? Also, do I want straight or curved tip? TIA!!!

~Dee

[TaffyCheerful]

Originally posted by DaisyDee:
What size hemostat do I need to buy? 5" or 7" or another size? Also, do I want straight or curved tip?

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Whichever size is most comfortable for you. I find the curved tip is a little easier to use in that the inside of a doll is a little cramped...

The main purpose of the hemostat is to keep the elastic tight while you get ready to crimp the ferrule. I have found it next to impossible to maintain a tight grip on the elastic with pliers while trying to crimp the ferrule, hence the hemostat.

Taffy

"Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside a dog, it is too dark to read..." Groucho Marx

<font color="#33CCCC" size="1">[ June 21, 2006 07:36 PM: Message edited by: Taffy Cheerful ]</font>

[robin0850]

Mine is 5 and 1/2" from end to end, with a curved tip--I just picked it up at Hobby Lobby in the model-building section, for about $5 or $6. It seems to me to be just about right. [img]smile.gif[/img]

[Kenshinchan]

I got a straight one, 5 inches. Longer would've been just fine (I got shorter because I'm cheap, and because I was afraid a longer tool might have some trouble in the close quarters of a doll...I was wrong!). Wouldn't recommend smaller, but if you're only restringing very occasionally and your fingers aren't unusually thick, the 5 inch one that I got would be fine. It was honestly a bit uncomfortable to use, and just from reading the guide, I thought I might be able to get away without using it at all. That would've been a big mistake; it was so useful for pulling the cups out and holding the elastic. It was worth its weight in, if not gold, at least chocolate or some other semi-valuable substance. [img]wink.gif[/img]

(I believe mine came from http://www.adollysworld.com/ and was $1.75.)

[AG Crazy in Wyoming]

I used a pair of needle nose pliers to hold the cord and another pair to crimp with. It worked wonderfully and I didn't have to buy any supplies. Just a thought ~Bugs [img]smile.gif[/img]