9 Best Tweezers for Crafting
What’s the first thing that pops into your mind when you hear the word tweezers? Need a minute?
We bet you’re probably NOT thinking about how many different types of tweezers there are or that there are so many ways to use them. Generally, they are helpful in picking up and placing small items that are too small to grab with fingers. Tweezers are widely used in hospitals and labs, the beauty industry, electronics, automotive, jewelry making and probably every hobby craft you can think of. Did we pique your interest? Read on!
Stainless steel, carbon steel, titanium or even polypropene are some common materials from which tweezers are manufactured from. Additionally, the material can be coated to provide an anti-slip surface.
Tweezers come in many shapes and styles and are designed with specific functions and needs. The point or the tip is where we can see the biggest differences. Depending on the task at hand, having the various shaped pointed tweezers can be very helpful. Examples of common points or tips on tweezers:
Curved Fine Point Tweezers
These tweezers have a fine sharp point that is curved, which allows for picking up and placing small objects and picking and lifting vinyl decals. This type of tweezer is also used in the car wrapping industry.
Curved Serrated Point Tweezers
Some projects call for a very fine point, while others call for a serrated point for a better grip and handling of small objects. The ribs along the inside of each side of the tweezer tip provide that extra hold that’s sometimes needed.
Straight Fine Point Tweezers
As the name suggests, this style tweezer has a fine point that is straight, long and narrow. This tweezer is typically used in repair and assembly. It is a precision tool, so small and fine objects can easily be handled with the help of this one as well.
Cutting Tip
This type of tweezer is generally used in electronics for cutting fine and soft wires or filaments as well as very small components.
Wafer Tip Tweezers
These look like miniature BBQ spatulas and are used mostly in electronics.
Hollow Point Tweezers
Ok, these are really awesome to have around if you are a beader, make jewelry or work with rhinestones. Due to its hollow point design, rounded objects like beads and rhinestones are cradled and stay securely between the tweezer tips. This gives you more control. An additional feature of this tweezer? When threading beads, you can scoop up a few at a time and speed things up a bit.
If Fine Tip Precision Is What You’re Looking for, Check Out This 3-Piece Set!
General Purpose Tweezers
Technically, all tweezers can be considered as general purpose since due to the simplicity of their design, their durability and various points, applications are numerous. They’re usually made from stainless steel. Excel Blades offers a four-piece set of general purpose tweezers that cover a lot of… well, general purpose tasks in your art studio or at the craft table. The flat tweezer is great for placing delicate media like film, tissue paper, foil or dry flowers. The wider flat surface helps to prevent the delicate items from breaking while being handled. This type of tip is also used in philately, or stamp collecting.
Another type of a general purpose tweezer is the plastic tweezers you may find in a first aid kit. These have a low max temperature and usually feature a wider serrated tip.
Specialty tweezers for very specific uses can have additional treatment applied in the manufacturing process to withstand very high maximum temperature.
Tension Tweezers
When working with small items that need to be soldered, painted or glued, holding the tweezers with your hand for a long time might be a little difficult. No one likes a muscle cramp. Luckily, there is such a thing as tension tweezers that work like a clamp. As the name dictates, they hold the object in place with tension due to their criss-cross feature. This simple and effective design allows for the item to be held in place. This does mean that there is pressure on the object, so use on brittle and fragile items and art mediums is not recommended. For items like model trains or model airplane parts or brass or plastic figurines, the use of these tweezers can be very helpful.
We leveled up for you as well. This type of clamping tweezer is also available on a stand, so your hands are free to work on the other parts of your project. Just consider this item your little helper. Check it out: Reverse Opening Tweezers with Stand – Excel Blades
Side Lock Tweezers
These sleek tweezers feature a sliding lock which allows for controlling the tension and hold on the small object. This type is handy for holding items in place or moving from one area to another before application.
Whether you are making a bead necklace, putting together a new model train or making a diorama, you’ll probably need tweezers. If you think about it, these precision tools are really indispensable for a crafter or artist. What would we ever do without them?