[Caitlin]

Thanks to those of you who shared your stringing techniques. I hope the rest of you will share yours too!

There is a mystique about not sharing knotting techniques, as though it were a closely guarded secret. It is no secret. You do an overhand knot or a double overhand knot- the one knot you already know how to do, for sure. http://www.realknots.com/knots/stoppers.htm

I notice in my first post above, I just mentioned a warning about moving a knot with tweezers or an awl, as many book sources teach to do. I did not share how I string and knot, and no one else has mentioned my method, so here goes.

I use several ways to begin and end the strand, so I decided not to deal with that in this post. Let’s assume I have half the clasp and, 3 pearls strung (with a different technique of knots to end the thread) in place when I begin.

• My best trick: I like to use a double thread. I buy spools of silk thread, typically size E, and packs of slim twisted needles because they have a large eye to thread. I double the thread and stroke once or twice, lightly with beeswax to reduce tangling. Then I do the first side of the clasp and conceal the left over thread.

• I string on all the beads, leaving a foot or two at the end before the fastener. I begin by sliding the first bead away from the rest down to my clasp and lead pearls. When it is in place, I do an overhand knot, and pull it loosely against the pearl. I separate the two threads and pull them apart, snuggling the knot into place. This method virtually always leaves the knot right where it should be. (I pass all the strung pearls through the knot when it is large, but if you choose to pass the clasp end through instead, it is ok. Just don’t switch directions part way through!)

This method is better than using the silk on the card for two good reasons: it gives better results and costs less. The thread on the cards can’t be separated into 2 threads, which is the best trick I have found yet to get the knot perfectly snuggled. Also the cards cost a couple bucks each and you can’t even get two necklaces out of one card. (Don’t even try! It is awful to think you can do it, start, only to find it isn’t enough thread when you are almost done.) The spooled silk thread cost about 6-12 bucks for thousands of feet and packs of 25, 50, even 100, needles are cheap too. I still have the original chunk of beeswax I began with maybe 30 years ago. You can buy a lot of clasps with the money you save using spool thread over thread on a card!

[Satine De La Courcel]

Caitlyn,

May I ask what suppliers you use for your spools of silk??? I have been looking for suppliers in addition to Fire Mountain Gems that I can use.

Thanks,

Fellow Beader
Ash

[Caitlin]

Hey Ash
There are so many good suppliers. The spool I am working on now came from an online store, maybe Artbeads? I like them cause they don't charge postage and the stuff is in your mailbox the next day almost. The brand name is "Gudebrod Inc Champion Silk" Try Googling it. I'll Google it later when I am done with my email, if you are too busy!

[Satine De La Courcel]

Thansk Caitlyn,

I will look into all these companies..... I am looking for several spools for some very lengthy Beading projects I have coming up over the next year or so.........


Thanks again Ladies

Ash

[J. Larry Railey]

Hi, Everyone,
PBS has been running an interesting series called Beads, Baubles and Jewels. They have a theme for each program and show interesting designs and how to make them. Pretty interesting stuff, at least for novices such as us. This may be a summer re-broadcast on our local station in Houston, but it may also be broadcast around the country. The videos for each program are expensive, about $20 including shipping. More info at www.pbs.org.

Larry Railey

[boo]

Hi!! I have been lurking on this forum for a while now and have learned so much from the many wonderful folks here. Not surprisingly, I became afflicted with a desire to increase my own limited collection of pearls, and so I found myself reading the posts in the Lowly Beaders Club forum more and more closely until finally I could resist no more. I made a few purchases on eBay and hunted down some meager supplies at Michael's. The result is (hopefully) posted below: my very first attempt at knotting, done using fingers only (no awl or tweezers). I will probably redo it at some point because I didn't have quite enough pearls for the length I wanted (which might or might not be related to my learning a Very Important Lesson about the wisdom of placing one's bead board far enough back on the coffee table that one's dog does not send it flying with his tail as he races to the front door in the hopes of eating the mailman who just rang the doorbell. Sigh - I think I found most of the pearls...). I was really just doing this as a practice piece using some unidentified thread out of an el-cheapo "bead stringing kit (with spring rings!)", but I was kind of pleased with how it turned out. So, does anyone have any constructive criticism for me?

As a side note, I have the greatest respect for those of you who manage to take nice photos of pearls. I took over a dozen and this was as good as it got!

Deb

Oops- I had to crop the photo way down to be able to post it - hope it's good enough to see.

[J. Larry Railey]

Hello, Everyone,

Does anyone have any information about Detolon? It is not yet available in North America but I got some from my supplier in the Philippines and he buys it for me in China. It is a Japanese polyester filament which is made into thread by a factory in Hong Kong. I was told that it does not break as linen or silk will but that it allows the gems to lie as nicely as linen and silk do. I am also wondering what the purpose of double knotting is? Any information is greatly appreciated.

Respectfully,
Larry

J. Larry Railey
Railey & Associates
jlr@houston.rr.com

[Taylor]

Hi all,
I'm hoping someone can share some secrets on starting and stopping a strand with the Back-through-the-last-2- or-3-pearls method. I know what I'm supposed to do just not how. I love small, single knots with pearls. They seem to magnify the gleam when they cozy up to each other. That seems to require thin thread E or F not doubled. I just seem to have a really hard time getting the thread back through even with this size. Tricks?
I've also lost a few knots in the pearls trying to get the knots small and the pearls close together, but they look better. I've used double knots only with big stones not with pearls. Help!

[Caitlin]

I have never heard of Detolon, but I will try anything for stringing beads. Let me know if it becomes available over here.

The purpose of a double knot is to have a larger knot. It is for looks only. It does not strengthen the thread

[Rosomane]

A chain is only as strong as it's weakest link and that goes for cord too. I would think somewhere there is information of the tensile strength of the various materials available for stringing/knotting - anybody seen that somewhere?

[Taylor]

Have any of you been brave enough to try no knots with your best pearls? After spending several hours digging out a small knot swallowed by a pearl, I'm giving thought to doing this without knots between the pearls, only at the start and finish, and using very thick thread instead.

[pattye]

Hi Taylor,
I have some strands that a designer did using great pearls with tiny 2-3mm gold spacers.Flat Like daisys. I think it looks really nice. I am going to try some with vermeil or oxidized ss. It keeps the pearls from wearing against each other. Even a tiny keishi might work, and from a distance look like a knot. The trick is to use really small ones. Sure makes for faster stringing! I am just learning, so I take a length of wire or whatever and "practice" to see if I like the combo. I'm not sure what others do. I'm not good enough yet to just know what works. all the best,
Pattye

If you want to see what I mean go to DruzyDesign on ebay and look at her necklaces.
I have some tahitians and ss from her. If I can figure out my digital I will post photos.

[Taylor]

Hi Pattye,
I'm new at this, too. As I understand it, knots serve 2 purposes. 1) to keep the pearls from rubbing against each other and 2) to save most of the pearls if the thread should break. I just love the look of the pearls right next to each other. The knotting isn't so hard. I like the 2 string method for consistently getting the knots even. But the push-with-next-pearl method to produce smaller knots on a single thread... however this seems to work well only if the pearls have consistently sized holes. No gulpers. On another thread, someone mentioned Japanese ladies like strands with no knots. I just wondered if anyone had experience with no knots.
Taylor

[kheri]

Its' all about practice. More you do better you get it.

[cyens]

Originally Posted by pearltime

http://jewelrymaking.about.com/libra...y/aa062899.htm

Ouch... that is cheating indeed.... It must be so long to string. You need to make knot then put a pearl, and so forth...
I wouldn't see my self stringing this way