Question #165:
I am hoping to re-string my mother's necklace of antique Venetian glass beads. It's strung on what looks like cotton with a knot between each bead, which prevents the beads from hitting each other. Which product should I use for this?
Answer:
The holes in the beads are small, a thick needle is difficult to pass through them. Or is this strictly advanced stuff I should leave to the professionals? Knotting beads is a very traditional stringing method and, like you said, it prevents the beads from rubbing against each other. It also helps prevent loss if the strand should accidentally break. It's not difficult to do it yourself, but it does take some practice (and patience!). To do it yourself, you'll need to purchase silk or polynylon cord. It is sold on a card and is available in different colors and thicknesses and comes with a needle attached. Choose the thickness based on the bead hole size. (#4 and #5 white and black silk are the most popular.) Try the knotting tool that makes it very easy and quick to make knots between beads. It comes with an illustrated instruction booklet. If you choose to make knots without the tool, you'll need to use a beading awl to snug each knot up next to the bead.
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Question #166:
Just starting out, I have a couple questions. One, what would you recommend for stringing pearls for a professional look? Two, what would be best to use to string silver beads, semi-precious gem beads, and silver pendants?
Answer:
Traditionally, silk cord is used to string pearls and gemstones, knotting it between each bead. It's available in a variety of colors and diameters. Choose the diameter based on the size of your beads' holes. Or use poly nylon cord, which is slightly less expensive and has less stretch. For silver and gemstone beads and pendants, use Beadalon beading wires. Beading wires combine the softness of thread with the strength of stainless steel. It's the most abrasion resistant stringing material that you can use. The main thing to know about beading wire is that the higher the number of strands, the more flexible the wire. For example, 49-strand is more flexible than 7-strand. There are a wide variety of diameters, from .010" for seed beads to .036" for large-hole metal and glass beads. The most popular sizes are .015" and .018," which are good general-purpose diameters. Look at the holes on the beads you're using and choose a beading wire that fills as much of the hole as possible.
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Question #167:
What is half hard wire?
Answer:
Half-hard and dead-soft are terms that are typically used to describe sterling silver wire. I use half-hard for wire wrapping and dead-soft when it's something that's going to be shaped and then hammered.
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Question #168:
Which one of your silver plated wires would be best for 16" - 20" illusion necklaces? Is the 0.013 too fragile or fine? Also, I am currently making crystal and cat's eye bead bracelets using the 0.018. Is this correct? I’ve made several illusion necklaces using the .013” wire and smallish crystals and pearls. I like the way it looks - it is really threadlike and has a nice drape.
Answer:
If you use very heavy beads, it may be better to go with a thicker diameter. Look into usingcrimp covers, too, which are a small silver bead that goes over the crimp itself. They add a nice touch to illusion necklaces because it helps with the look of tiny silver beads your beads of choice just floating on the wire. As for using .018” with cat’s eye and crystals, we always recommend using the largest diameter that will fit through your bead holes. The diameter you’re using is one of the most popular and it should hold up well for you. If you run into trouble, consider using .024” if it will work with your beads.
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Question #169:
How durable is the silver-plated wire? Is the nylon coating over the silver, or the other way around? Will wear off easily?
Answer:
Silver-plated wire is strands of stainless steel plated with silver. All Beadalon wires are encased in a nylon coating. As with all beading wire, an important factor in preventing undue wear on the nylon coating is making sure that your beads aren't abrasive.
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Question #170:
I've been using Beadalon 49-strand silver-plated wire for floating necklaces. Will the wire will tarnish over time like silver jewellery?
Answer:
Since all Beadalon wires are nylon-coated, they resist tarnishing. I make the same type of necklaces you're describing and haven't had any problems with tarnish. As the Product Manager, says, "The nylon coating does give some tarnish resistance, but as with anything made of or plated silver, as the sulphur dioxide penetrates the coating it will cause tarnish at some point. It’s difficult to say just how long because of all the external stuff going on in our atmosphere and inside our homes/factories/warehouses etc. Wherever there are natural gas heaters in operation there will be very high levels of sulphur, and the more of this stuff the quicker it will tarnish."
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Question #171:
"I have been making watches, and have always preferred using a fold-over clasp with a safety chain, but the clasps are becoming more and more difficult to find. What else is out there that can be easily hooked and unhooked, and fit smoothly and securely, without being too tight.
Suggestions?"
Answer:
Fold-over clasps are great for watches because they lay nice and flat. Toggles are good, too, because they're easy to fasten. Try the new Beadalon swivel lobster clasp. Since it swivels, it lays very flat against the wrist.
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Question #172:
will a .015 strand of Beadalon wire fit through a 11/0 size seed bead twice?
Answer:
We always recommend using the largest diameter of wire that will pass through the beads you're using. I tested 11/0 seed beads and 5mm crystals and found that .024" is the thickest wire that will pass through the beads. However, since the design you're making has some weaving in it, you might want the wire to have more drape. Try using .018" diameter Beadalon 49-strand. I tested .015" Beadalon with my 11/0 Toho (Japanese) seed beads and the wire will fit through twice, no problem.
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Question #173:
I specialize in mother's bracelets using sterling silver and gold-filled beads, which makes some items quite heavy. I have been using Beadalon 49-strand, .018in diameter wire, with 2x2mm sterling silver crimps. I knot the wire under the crimp and pull tightly before completing the crimp. Recently, I've had several items break where the wire has frayed or worn from the end of the toggle. Is the wire the trouble? What would be better?
Answer:
"I'm sorry to hear that you're having trouble. There are a couple of things I'd recommend: If possible, use a thicker diameter of wire. This often takes care of abrasion problems. Look into wire guardians. This is a sheath that fits over the wire where it attaches to the clasp. Try an EZ crimp clasp. This crimps directly onto the wire, making the loop and crimp technique unnecessary."
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Question #174:
I am creating beaded watches. When attaching the wire to the watch (around the metal bar, through the crimp) I am having difficulty hiding the end of the wire inside the strung beads. If I loosen the tension before crimping, it is easy to poke the end of the wire into the beads, but then I have a large loop around the metal bar. When I tighten the loop (so that it looks neat) and crimp the wire, I can't get the jewelry wire at the right angle to go through several beads. What's the solution?
Answer:
"I enjoy making beaded watches, too. I think the best solution for you would be to just cut off the extra wire instead of tucking it back into the beads. Lots of experts recommend tucking that extra wire back through, but I make lots of jewelry and I really don't see the point of keeping that extra wire around. It doesn't add any strength to the piece.
One thing to keep in mind when making bracelets and watches is that the strand needs to be flexible. If it's too tight it will cause abrasion and might break. Make sure you bend it in a slight U-shape before crimping the ends. "
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Question #175:
How do you know when the wire is pulled tight enough?
Answer:
Sometimes I pull so tight that the bracelet buckles, so that's obviously too tight. But it sometimes seems tight enough but after wearing the bracelet the wire is exposed, as if it was too loosely strung. Generally, the wire should make a small loop to attach to the clasp. Pulling it super tight will result in the entire design being too tight which can cause unnecessary abrasion and breakage. Look into wire guardians: they loop through the clasp to protect the wire and make it easy to get the right amount of tension. Sometimes you will see a bit of wire at the end of the design: this ensures that the bracelet is flexible enough to bend around the wrist.
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Question #176:
I sometimes have my clasps come away from from the loop in my wire, because the jump ring seems to have just the slightest opening, no matter how tight I try to make it. What am I doing wrong?
Answer:
You're right, jump rings do have a small opening that wire can fit through. I typically attach the beading wire directly to the clasp without using a jump ring. If you want to use a removable ring, though, I would recommend using a split ring instead: it is more secure. Also considerwire guardians - these are small U-shaped metal pieces fit over the wire end to protect it where it's attached to the clasp.
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Question #177:
I just bought one of your wire looping tools and I'm frustrated. I'm trying to loop standard size headpins.
Answer:
I'm sorry to hear that you're having trouble with the wire looping pliers. They're meant to make the process easier but they take a little getting used to. String some beads onto a head pin. Bend the head pin in a right angle against the top bead. Make sure you're holding the bead so the wire is parallel to the floor, then place the round part of the plier jaws on top of the wire and roll them back toward the bead. This makes a nice, clean loop. The real advantage of thelooping pliers is that you can use the graduated tip of the pliers to make consistently-sized loops and jump rings.
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Question #178:
I have recently started making jewelry using Artistic Wire - and love it. In making earrings and using the wire to make the earwire itself, it's too sharp to put through the ear. I improvised and used a metal nail file to make the end blunt enough to go through the pierced ear without any problem. Is there a better way?
Answer:
Try using a "wire rounder," a tool designed to smooth the ends of your wire findings. It has a small cup burr at the tip. Just place the wire end inside the rounder and twist to smooth the wire end.
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Question #179:
The scrimp finding instructions mention using a wire guardian. What is a wire guardian?
Answer:
A Wire Guardian is a small U-shaped piece of hollow wire that protects the beading wire where it meets the clasp. You can use a Scrimp finding without the Wire Guardian but the Wire Guardian makes the connection as safe and as durable as possible.