My favorite tools for stringing and knotting beads, including pearls, are.
- Big eye needles. there are three types of these:
- The twisted wire needle has a large round hole that collapses when it goes through a bead and does not pop back.
- Another kind of big eye a slit in the needle opens to allow threading and closes for passing through bead holes. I think Beadalon sells this.
- I have another type of big eye that opens almost the length of the needle for threading but closes into a thin needle. I forget where this type came from.
- Some people use regular beading needles with a small hole.
- People also use glue ie Superglue or equivalent on the tip of the thread to stiffen it enough make a needle. (Traditional stiffener was gum Arabic)
- Thread. (Please refer to the Thread Thread for a growing number of posts about every thread possible)
- Beeswax. Used for silk. linen and other threads. It cuts back on tangles and the slipperiness of certain threads.
- Thread clippers. I use the ones that look like horseshoes. they usually cost less that $5 and when they get dull, they are easy to replace. (I should take one to a sharpener and see if it can be resharpened.)
- small needle nose pliers. For clamping thread as needed, especially at holding gimp in place while pulling the thread/wire through..
- crimp beads.
- The tornado crimp beads are long and only need to be squeezed shut with your needle-nosed pliers.
- Smaller crimp beads can help secure knots at the end of the strand and have premade bead covers that disguise the crimped bed.
- Small crimp beads may require a little tool called crimping pliers. It is made to hold the crimp bead while you squash it into a collapsed C shape, then squeeze it again to a tight round shape
- A Thread Zapper. This tool replaces the cigarette lighter for sealing many kinds of thread. It costs $20- something- and the new tips are around 2 for $12.
- Goggles or other magnifying device if you need one to be able to see in detail. I got a decent one for less than $40. It is a great boon to as I can no longer see details without considerable magnification.
- Gimp. Gimp is more of a supply than a tool, It a springy tightly coiled wire used to cover the part where the thread/wire goes around the clasp. We have several separate discussions for gimp too.
- Good wire cutters- especially if you use wire to string.
- A bead reamer or a Dremel. This is a good tool to have if you want to smooth off cutting edges on gem stones and also for enlarging the holes on end pearls to take a thread doubling back on itself. Hand held bead reamers are lousy. they wear out and break. They cost from $3- for the worst one and more for better ones.Nevertheless that is what I used till I got a dremel with interchangeable drills and grinding bits. I got the brand name dremel in an inexpensive kit with several different size and bits. ($39.00 plus postage.)
Let's see--I need a break. What did I forget?