Make Wire Beads
Beads and wire have always made a great combination. Now, there is a book that shows wire and bead enthusiasts how to make their own beads. Using wire, some hand tools, and a few basic techniques, Lisa Van Herik’s book, entitled Make Wire Beads, will appeal to the bead lover as well as the wire worker.
The first section of the book deals with the types of tools and materials required. Though there is an endless amount of tools on the market, Lisa choose to keep it simple by creating designs using only a few hand tools and various sizes of dowels.
Next, the different wire techniques are explained such as how to twist the wire around the dowel to create a coiled effect. She also describes how to stretch the coiled wire which then creates a more textured look to the wire. Lisa dedicated a good portion of the book to mastering these various wire techniques which includes some helpful photos to illustrate her point. She also includes tips on finishing using patinas, sanding, and tucking in wires. This is aimed, of course, to the novice. However, I believe even a seasoned wire worker will find a few helpful tips.
The actual bead making portion of the book includes four chapters on creating simple wire beads, scrunch beads, random wind beads, and specialty beads. Lisa packs in 44 different types of beads into these chapters. Along with a photo of the finished bead, there is a descriptive paragraph of the process and a paragraph explaining how to finish the bead. Since it would be repetitive to describe each bead’s process in detail, the instructions instead refer to the techniques described in the third chapter. This way the novice wire worker can refer to chapter three, and the more experienced don’t have to wade through needless information.
After looking over the book, I couldn’t help by try out a few designs. I have to admit, a number of her techniques were new to me and I also didn’t have the size dowels I needed, however, I still found some success in just a few minutes. I especially liked the scrunch beads because of the texture they have. When I have time to make more beads, I will try to get the right sized dowels. I will also read through the techniques section a little more thoroughly. With the right tools and a little practice, I have confidence that my beads will look even better.
Lisa Van Herik has been nice enough to donate two copies of her book as prizes for our Millennium Jewelry Competition. However, if you can’t wait to see if you win one of the prizes, you can email Lisa or take a look at her web sitein order to find out about how to receive your own copy of her book, Make Wire Beads, which retails for $15.95.
Here's a printer friendly copy of this file.
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All graphics created by Tammy Powley.