Oldies But Goodies: Jewelry Making Tips - cont.
Our "Tip of the Week" has been very successful. It's a great way for all of us to share our jewelry making experiences. Being included in a monthly drawing isn't too bad either.
My tip is for those new to wire wrapping.
You can use a diamond nail file that you
probably already have on hand, instead of
buying new jewelry files to file the ends
of the wire. It can save you a little money
until you decide that you are going to keep
wire wrapping. And they work great! ~ Micki Bleily
I've got a tip for people who use that stretchy, clear cord to bead power bead bracelets and
similar projects.. (it's sometimes called "elasticity")... sometimes this tends to get sticky..
and hard to knot and work with.. when that happens.. use some translucent face powder, or
baby powder, rub on the ends, and it will tie right up! and you can brush off the excess! ~ Rachael Clouser
Cut about a 6 inch piece of coat hanger and make a small loop on
one end.
Take the wire you want to twist and double it placing the double
ends in a
vise sideways. Place the coat hanger wire in a drill, then place
hook in the
loop on the wire. Turn you drill on and twist away. ~ Mary Stewart
I do a lot of wire work and use metal double-pointed
knitting needles for
mandrels. (These knitting needles are generally used
for knitting sox and
gloves.) The needles come in many different sizes
and can be found in a lot
of second-hand stores or garage sales. I also use
them for making a variety
of sizes of jump rings. ~ Donna Berget
I have taken up the art of making jewelry out
of seed beads. What
do you use to store them? I went to my local drug store and asked for their
empty film canisters! The girl behind the counter handed me a bag with
115 canisters in it - for free! I now have a container for each color and type of
seed bead I own. I put my white and crystal beads in the translucent
containers, and the colors (all separated, of course) in the black ones. Using
my glue gun, I glued a sample bead to the top of each corrisponding
container. Along with that, I used my label maker (P-Touch type) and printed
out the color and style (3-cut, iris, AB, etc) then attached the label to the
container. Now I am so organized I can go to my craft table and select the
exact bead I need. Not only am I organized, but I find it more relaxing to bead
when I don't have to spend the first 15 minutes searching for the style or color I
want. Just let the inspiration hit and run for the beads! I hope this helps! ~ Gale Anthony
Save your plastic coffee lid tops! They are great
little bead holders.
(These are the plastic lids, often clear, that come
on metal coffee
containers.) These lids make great temporary
bead/findings holders when
working on your projects. The lip of the lid
prevents the beads from rolling
away, and the lids are also stackable. Best of all,
they are free - and
you're recycling an item that is normally just thrown
away. ~ Rhona
from Over The Moon Jewelry
I do a lot of beaded jewelry where I'm stitching seed
beads onto leather (like beading bezels around cabs,
etc). I wasn't happy with the results using leather, so I
switched to a material called FOAMIES by Darice. It's
2mm thick and is about .99 for a 9x12-inch sheet. It
comes in many different colors. It's been so great to
work with that it has changed the way I bead. When
knotting, you'll need to cut off about 2-inches before the
end and tie square knots, then cement the knot (like you
would with garment leather). Adhesives stick to the
foam better and I use nice garment leather on the back
for a smooth finish. The finished piece is very nice!
I do a lot of beaded jewelry where I'm stitching seed
beads onto leather (like beading bezels around cabs,
etc). I wasn't happy with the results using leather, so I
switched to a material called FOAMIES by Darice. It's
2mm thick and is about .99 for a 9x12-inch sheet. It
comes in many different colors. It's been so great to
work with that it has changed the way I bead. When
knotting, you'll need to cut off about 2-inches before the
end and tie square knots, then cement the knot (like you
would with garment leather). Adhesives stick to the
foam better and I use nice garment leather on the back
for a smooth finish. The finished piece is very nice!
~ Cia Clinton
Here's how I thread seed beads onto Stretch Magic. I tie nymo (usually size "0") as close
to the loose end of the Stretch Magic spool as I can, and as tightly as I can (I really pull it
tight as I tie a simple knot) Then I cut the end of the Stretch Magic as close to the knot as
possible, ( I usually leave about 1/16' of inch...just enough to keep the nymo from falling
off). Then I thread on my needle and can scoop up as many seed beads as I can, and
slide them down the needle, nymo, then onto the Stretch Magic. Sometimes you have to
push pretty hard to get the beads over the "junction", and it sometimes breaks the nymo,
tho not often, but it works well for me! ~ Laura McMinn
When working with beads of all sizes, I like to use
plates with
individual compartments similar to painting palettes.
I also use the
old fashioned butter pat dishes. My tip is to melt a
very thin
coating of beeswax onto the compartment or dish
surfaces to keep the
beads from "skittering" around. I also keep a pair
of tweezers with a
thin wax coating on the tips. A quick dip into
melted wax refreshes
the tacky surface whenever needed. You don't want
much of the wax,
but it really helps control picking up and placing
beads. ~ Wanda
Power
Be sure to stretch Nymo slightly prior to using it.
Since it is nylon, it
tends to loosen up slightly. You'll be much happier
with your finished
pieces when you do. ~ Melba Hansen
When starting a split loom project, or a loom project
that will have beads
pre-strung, I found a way to prevent the beads from
falling and getting in
the way of looming by using a hairstylists aligator
clip. It has a long
flat nose that can reach across the warps without
leaving any ceases.
These clips are the ones they use to section off hair
and keep it out of
the way as they style/cut hair. And, what is great
about it is they are so
cheap! So, inadditon to having the hardware store on
your errand list,
check out your local beauty supply store too! ~ Eden Bellenson
When fishing around for new ideas, I usually doodle on the same sheet of
paper until I finish. Alot of times I don't transfer the final pattern to a clean
sheet of paper, I just jump right in and get to work. Then I get called away and
when I come back, could be hours or days later, I forget just which one was the
right pattern and I have to hunt thru until I find it again. Now I keep a little
package of star stickers in my folder and mark the pattern as soon as I finish
drawing it. The star catches my eye right away and saves so much of my time! ~ Arryn
I'm sure most of you know that you need to thread
your needle from the end of
the thread that comes off the spool first, but did
you know there is a back
and a front to the needle? Since needles are made in
molds there is a right
and wrong side to the needle so if the thread does
not want to go through the
eye turn the needle around and give it a try again. ~ Phyllis
When I am working on a small component and am wishing
I had an extra hand, I
use an inexpensive fly tying vise clamped to my work
table. you can insert a
wire loop into it, or a needle, with the eye out to
hold thread or beading
wire, or point out, for other purposes. I found a
very inexpensive one at a
discount store. ~ Jeannie Bench
How to Keep Nymo thread from
un-rolling from bobbins or the new
pre-silconed 250 yard tubes.
Take a small 2x2 ziplock . Put the
bobbin in with a tail sticking
out the corner. You can use a Felt Tip
pen to write the size on
the bag.
Same with the new 250 yard tubes, which
are particularly difficult,
because there is No place to even make a
notch to hook the tail
and no place to indicate the size. This
size takes a 3x3 ziplock.~ Jane A. Alley
When I'm making wire jewelry, I like to have one of
those clear plastic
2-foot quilting rulers on hand for measuring my
pieces as I'm building them.
Since the ruler is fairly large as well, I keep all
my jig components on
it until they're added to a piece so I don't lose
them. I don't have any
sort of formal workspace, so I'd really be in trouble
without my ruler! ~ Andrea Aguirre
Being new to bead making. I find that if I tape one end of my thread down to the
table when making a necklace or bracelet it makes it a lot easier to bead.~ Pat
To hide those unsightly knots on your elastic
bracelets, string on your
beads, then place on a "knot cover bead"- this is a
bead with a big enough
hole to except the knot. There are 4-5mm metal plated
beads that work great
and are readily availble. Tie your elastic and then
pull the knot inside
the cover bead, cut off the ends and shoot with a
small amount of glue to
seal knot. Hypo cememt works great with its small
needle applicator. ~ Tracy Stanley
It's easy to make your own "beach glass"
using a gemstone tumbler. You can use the same grits, but will need to play
with the tumbling times according to the softness of the glass. The drum needs
to be fairly full (more grit and filler, less glass) to prevent chips and the glass
needs to be thickish.
A nice idea is to break up and tumble the thicker bottom of that 'special' wine
bottle from a celebration, to make a piece of jewellery to remind you of your
special event. A good selling point to make commission pieces for customers
too.~ Ann Walker
A simplistic method of tumble cleaning your jewelry can be
created, by placing the jewelry into a screw tight canister or drink
bottle, along with your preferred choice of cleaning medium.
Then throw your 'Mini Makeshift Tumbler' into the boot / trunk of
your car, allowing it to romp around freely for a few trips ~ Deanne Heath.
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