Hi all members and guests,

I am just so surprised to hear to which lengths you all go in order to stretch and prepare the silk before knotting! I use many different types, Gudebrod´s champion silk as well as Powerpro, Detolon, Ceramic Thread and Silkon, most of these materials I have in different thickness sizes.

Power Pro is a fishing line, the feel is like dental thread minus the waxing and it is smoother in its roundness than dental floss.

When using silk I never do anything at all, possibly I wax the beginning of the thread to get it through the needle eye, if using stiff needles.

Just as Sueki says, colour and different spools of the silk can act differently, sometimes I´ve had troubles but I do pull the treads apart when making the knot and it never has happened that the tread has been broken.

Besides that, once you can knot you don´t have to prepare the silk, which I think is unnecessary work as you can restring any strand if need be! Considering the knotting as a fun job, I don´t mind the extra job and money if I have to buy some more spools.

Power Pro is a bit hard on the fingers but it is very easy to get the knot exactly where it belongs, that can be a problem with the silk sometimes. The worst problem as I find is that the silkthread does split up in the different threads, which makes is very hard to slip it through the eye of the needle and despite waxing this can be a time consuming process!

As for dark pearls and Powerpro: there is the mossgreen thread and as the knots are very neat and small, they do not disturb the whole strand, i.e. you won´t think of the colour as it melts in with the dark pearls. Power Pro comes only in white and moss green as far as I know.

To all who knot with only one thread: do learn to work with double thread, it holds better and I have a feeling that it might be easier to get the knot right next to the pearl, which is good for the look of the necklace.

[Nerida]

Inge - thank you once again for our wisdom! I especially like the thought of looking upon the knotting as a fun job. I was starting to enjoy knotting (with a double thread) until this disaster started a few days ago! I haven't got any moss green powerpro on order - do you buy it from ArtBeads? Maybe I've just got a dud batch of Gudebrod at the moment...

[Sueki]

Hello to all,
Nerida, yes, I use the moss green Powerpro for the dark pearls. It blends perfectly with the Tahitians, but heaven knows what I'll decide to use for the other darks such as a strand of deep lavender freshwaters, which in some lights looks for all the world like a strand of paler Tahitians....
Of all the colour silks that I've used, I've found the black silk to be the most difficult, temperamental, fiddly and just downright pain in the neck to use.
I put it down to dye processes. I don't know, but the black colour seems to be so much weaker than the paler colours.
So I'd guess that the problem you had was down to the silk, not the user....
I've only ever used Gudebrod, so can't speak for other brands.

Knotty, yes, I do wax the Powerpro; just one run across the wax. I'm sure it doesn't need waxing, as it states on the spool that it's pre-waxed.
But I tend to err on the side of caution.....
And yes, the Powerpro is smooth. No loose filaments to fluff up and catch on gimp, or puff up and fill a drill hole so's you can't get the needle back through the pearl, or catch on rough hands and break.....

I bought the moss green from a fishing supplies merchant. It works out cheaper as you can buy 150, 300, 500 or 1000 yards on a spool.
Just wish I could buy white in those quantities. I think in the U.S. there is more chance of finding it.
Over here, the choice seems to be red, flourescent yellow or moss green.

Originally Posted by Nerida

Inge - thank you once again for our wisdom! I especially like the thought of looking upon the knotting as a fun job. I was starting to enjoy knotting (with a double thread) until this disaster started a few days ago! I haven't got any moss green powerpro on order - do you buy it from ArtBeads? Maybe I've just got a dud batch of Gudebrod at the moment...

Nerida,
I bought my Power Pro from "Anglers Center" in California, email: orders@anglerscenter.com.

www.anglerscenter.com

I bought it last year, the spool was 300 yds, dark green and cost 23.36 $ + shipping 6.75 (Standard).

But yesterday I was browsing at www.jewelrysupply.com, they have it too in white and green. Don´t remember the price though or how much there is on a spool.

[danachit]

I run once through the wax also, pulling firmly as it goes through the wax. After doing so, I just wrap the doubled silk around my CLEAN hands and gently, but firmly, pull...moving my hands down the length of the silk.

[flycatcher]

Greetings,

It appears that PowerPro comes in many sizes from 5 Lb. to 250 Lb. test. My pearls are not large enough to need the 250 Lb test :-) but I do not know what size to look for. What sizes do y'all use? I am working with 6-7 mm akoyas if it makes a difference. Thanks!

--Stephen

[Mervione]

Thanks for all your replies. I´ll try to just pull it through bee wax and then just pull a little with my hands, without it being wet. Can you really pull a whole foot? Although I guess that depends on how long the thread is, I was just going to make a bracelet so it wasn´t very long at all. I might try to hang it for a few days too, I was reading about that method in a book somewhere... Can´t hurt. And if it stretch, then I know I´ll have to do it better next time...

I tried with Nymo before but I could just slide the pearls over the knot... Think it was size B or something like that. (I tripled the knots and they still wasn´t big enough.). When I tested if the pearls would slide if I used silk they couldn´t slide over the knot I made with the size E thread at all (The colour was lilac if someone is wondering.) even if I tried quite hard.

[Mervione]

Jerin, do you ever have to redo your stringing because the silk stretch? Would be nice if not since you don´t stretch it...

[Caitlin]

Best size for 7mm akoyas is the 20 Pound. That is best for most pearls. I use the 6 or 10 lb on small pearls and klonks usually require 30 lb.

I like Suzanna Hye- she has a 100 yard 20 lb. white for 16.00 LINK. She also has moss green and several sizes.

Every few months I do searches for power pro. I also have a 300 meter spool from a fishing shop for about the same prrice as Inge. It has lasted well over a year.

I am willing to give up the color to get such a strong thread.

[Caitlin]

By the way, has anyone tried dental floss?

I have tried it. And dental tape too. It is ok. Not much variation in size so it won't work with everything.

Well, the size chart sez 20 lb. test is diameter .19mm. So that is what I bought the most of. Eight lb. test is .10mm and 10 lb. test is .13mm, 15 lb. test is .15mm, 30 lb. test is .23mm. Maybe it is best to buy the smaller size, and use 4 threads, I am about ready to take the plunge! I hope this helps, flycatcher. Sorry I can't yet speak from experience, maybe Caitlin will jump in here-----------or any of the others----------

Pattye
so many pearls, so little time

P.S. Thanks Caitlin! You were much faster answering than me!!! And so much more of an authority

[Caitlin]

I can't imagine a knot that doesn't move

I can't either. Silk does need at least a light waxing, but with 2 threads, it will move into place. Well single thread knotting is far more likely to get stuck and harder to get loose enough to move it. Thank heavens for Henrietta Virchik- I was so happy to discover 2 thread knotting and would never go back!

Hey pattye- jump right in. Maybe you will have to cut it apart, but so what? That is the sign of a true beader- right knotty?

Originally Posted by flycatcher

Greetings,

It appears that PowerPro comes in many sizes from 5 Lb. to 250 Lb. test. My pearls are not large enough to need the 250 Lb test :-) but I do not know what size to look for. What sizes do y'all use? I am working with 6-7 mm akoyas if it makes a difference. Thanks!

--Stephen

Hi, I use the 15 lbs for smaller pearls and 30 lbs for the real heavy weights!

Originally Posted by Mervione

Jerin, do you ever have to redo your stringing because the silk stretch? Would be nice if not since you don´t stretch it...

Mervione,

I have so many strands that I am not wearing any specific strand for a longer time than say 1 week at the time but so far no one of my silk knotted strands has stretched so it needs restringing. Of course, most of my pearls ar in the size range from 7,5 to 10 mm, but I also have klonks that are strung with Power Pro (11,4 - 12,4 mm) as well as klanks, strung on wire!

Originally Posted by Caitlin

Best size for 7mm akoyas is the 20 Pound. That is best for most pearls. I use the 6 or 10 lb on small pearls and klonks usually require 30 lb.

I like Suzanna Hye- she has a 100 yard 20 lb. white for 16.00 LINK. She also has moss green and several sizes.

Every few months I do searches for power pro. I also have a 300 meter spool from a fishing shop for about the same prrice as Inge. It has lasted well over a year.

I am willing to give up the color to get such a strong thread.

Lucky You, Caitlin.
My spool just has 28 yards for the price of your 300 m spool