Stringing Pearls

[jerin]

Stringing material comparison

Stringing material comparison

Hi Bernadette et al,
One thing I have noticed, the only downside so far, is that it is ever so slightly rough on the skin when, but only when pulling the knots tight, It's not even to the point of discomfort, but just not smooth, like silk.

Hi Caitlin and every other stringer in this club,

I have gotten my first spool of Power Pro and it knots very well, with larger pearls the knots look very small indeed. I can?t say I do like the touch though, it feels quite rough in comparison to silk and Detolon, which feels much more "silky" than the Spectra Power Pro. I did som rather hard pulling but so far nothing has happened. The necklace drapes just as fine as with the silk and if the Power Pro keeps the necklace in shape for years - then of course silk will be out for me too...

Anyone else who has tried the Detolon? I use size 8 and size 20, 8 being the thinner thread. It too seems to be pretty strong... I haven?t encountered problems with it so far.....

My conclusion:If I would string very much, the Spectra Pro is going to be hard on the fingers eventually , if there is only the occasional restringing or new stringing, it is OK.

And I am a believer in stringing with knots, no stringing on wire if I can help it.

 

[jerin]

Stringing with Detolon

Stringing with Detolon

Great post, Jerin! I'm going to have to look up that Detolon (as soon as I learn how to spell it). I can't let anything go untried!

Knotty Panda,

I have to apologize, I got it wrong with the thickness. It is # 8 that is the thicker thread, not # 20, which is thinner, suited for smaller beads and pearls.

I will make it up to You by telling You the sellers name and the item numbers. I bought them through Ebay from a company called "Solardo?s World", seller?s e-mail: sunnymui@hotmail.com,

Item # 300098920628 Detolon Polyester Bead Jewelry Pearl Thread- Siz 8 (the stronger one)

Item # 300098920917 - Size 20 (thinner one for small pearls and beads)

The price per spool: USD 8.99. Shipping cost depends where the goods is being sent.

Hope that will make it easy to find and if You order, let me know, what You think about the thread....

 

[knotty panda]

Oh my goodness gracious! I just finished knotting the Mother's Day Special I got from PP. Those are beyond a doubt the smallest drill holes I have ever encountered! I had go down to a gemstone needle. I was just glad I didn't have to forsake double threading or go down in thread size! PP didn't risk a smidge of pearl in the drilling! But they are beautiful! Thank you everyone at PP.

 

[Raisondetre]

When you take them apart do you physically cut all the knots?

 

[knotty panda]

I ordered them on the temporary strand because I suspect they use glue, not that that's a bad thing, but I hate losing a pearl to glue. I wanted a different length than they offered for my niece.

 

[jerin]

Hi Inge
In the past when I wanted thread of a certain color, I used silk embroidery thread. It comes in multistrands which are easy to separate out according to the size of the knots you want to make or the size of the pearl holes. (One size fits all? )

Embroidery thread comes in long enough pieces that it is easy to double and put through a needle and bees-waxing keeps the threads together as you work.

I like the twisted needles with the giant holes and buy them dozens at a time. I reuse, if I can, but it is no big deal if I can't.

Hi Caitlin,

thanks for the advice - where can You buy dozens of the twisted needles with the giant holes? So far I have only got four/package and they are from Australia and rather expensive with the fright - my seller was Thw Bead Shack - the needles are very good - still I would like more than 4 in a package.

 

[knotty panda]

Inge: Have you tried Fire Mountain? They sell them in packs of a 100. If you want the large eye to ease threading, the needles with the flexible round hole should be sufficient. It must be so hard for you not finding these items in Sweden! I'm ready to send you a CARE package!

 

[Caitlin]

Here is the fire mtn link.

Let me know what you decide.

 

[jerin]

Inge: Have you tried Fire Mountain? They sell them in packs of a 100. If you want the large eye to ease threading, the needles with the flexible round hole should be sufficient. It must be so hard for you not finding these items in Sweden! I'm ready to send you a CARE package!

Knotty,

I appreciate You taking pity on me - I most certainly have ordered from Fire Mountain and I have the ones with the round holes - medium - but they are simply not stiff enough to get me through a whole 18 inch strand - and they do not look like the "Australians" - their threading part is very long and incredibly flexible at the same time as I can use their "heavy" needles, they are the only ones that are stiff enough to "look like something like a needle" at the end of a whole strand, all others are a sorry sight at the end- I can tell You.

Caitlin,

the non-twisted needles from Artbeads do have such small holes and are champions in braking my needle threaders! I don?t know how many (needle threaders) I have bought here at home, they don?t last more than 1-2 attempts before slipping from the fastening.

And if I am lucky enough to have succeeded getting the silk through the hole of the needle, the non-twisted type of needle (Artbeads) is the very best of all kinds of needles as it is stiff and slides through the pearl very smoothly. I am by now the proud owner of dozens of such needles in many different sizes and for the most time unable to get my thread through their holes...

 

[knotty panda]

Austrailian needles! You'll have to fill me in on this! Stiff v. flex needle: I let the needle do the work, if I feel resistance, I pull back and try again. I agree, it's not like sewing where the needle is the boss! One medium flexible can last me through several strands. When I have a customer here, I break out a new needle . But if it's just for me, I use it until I get a bend nose.

Needle threader: I know. I hate that too! Instead of gripping the handy, all-purpose, guaranteed to break tab, take your flat nose or chain nose, grip the little wires evenly (instead of the tab), and pull from there. Your needle threader will actually last!

 

[jerin]

Knotty,

I have learned the same thing about the threader and nowadays I just have the wires and hold them with my flat nose. I tried to do that with the tab but the wires came off every time.

The Australian needles are really good, none of my American suppliers are having them. Check in on Ebay under Item number: 230170901285,
collapsible EYE beading needles, if You are interested. The seller is The Beadshack.

 

[Bernadette]

Have you tried beadalon (or one of its resellers)

heres a link to their catalogue with these collapsible needles

http://www.beadalon.com/catlg28p26.html

 

[Caitlin]

Hi Bernadette and Inge

Thnaks for the info- I have never even heard of this kind of needles, but now I must get some. I always try to make my big eyed needles round again when I am done with a piece, but this looks like the answer I never knew I was seeking!

I will try to find a beadalon outlet that sells these.

BTW Beadalon Dandyline is a Spectra thread like power-pro is and it is my personal favorited for threading haevy strands because it doesn't stretch- well it only stretches 4% as opposed to 20-25% for silk.

 

[Cathybear]

This is the first time I've posted; I've learnt a lot and found some very useful linksm thank you all.
I've just ordered the collapsible eye needls from Beadshack (I'm in Australia so postage is only a dollar for me). Up til now I've been using something I got from Spotlight called (oop, I put them in a spice jar and threw all the packages out), its a threader, looks like two pieces o fine wire joined top and bottom, so it opens out into one huge eye, closes after you put the thread in, and holds the thread securely. I reuse them many times until they break.
For FW pearls with very tiny holes I use a beading needle, probably meant for sewing seed beads onto fabric. The threadiing hole is miniscule, but I was taught to knot by a local Chinese lady, who showed me how to split a strand about 6 inches long into 3 or 4(she used some kind of synthetic.. I tried silk for this but it breaks too fast) thread one of these through the teeny eye of the beading needle , knot it using a flat knot (I made that name up), then slide the knot halfway up the loop (gets stuck if its at the bottom or top), , then thread your silk through that. Its a pain, but will get through pearls with tiny drill holes.
I love using silk, started with Griffin (what was available on spools in Astralia - online anyway), but when I couldn't get it any more, I found Guderbrod, which is wonderful! Much better in my opinion than Griffin I don't like the cards). I have ordered some Detolon thread to try though. I have Nymo (pretty colours) but haven't used it.
I also found a link here for sterling and vermeil bullion (thank you, thank you). Several years ago I bought some from House of Jewellery in Sydney that was meant to be SS and Rolled gold. When I ran out I bought more, but when I asked what it was made of the lady said plated. It was 2-3 times the price everyone else had plated bullion for, so this time I bought plated gimp from somewhere else, but i don't like it.. its too light and flimsy. So I guess its back to HOJ until I can but bulk from Firemountain (more freight and more wait lol).
We have a Paspaley pearls here (Darwin) but I've never been inside.
Wow, I didn't think I'd think of anything to write!
Cathy

 

[Caitlin]

Hi Kathy
Nice to hear from yall down under.
I haven't been able to find the collapsible needles except in Australia- but Beadalon is everywhere so maybe they have them in B&M stores. It's time to look

 

[drea]

Hi Drea,
thanks for all the information - perhaps we members of the forum should go together and order directly from You - seriously it would be very nice to have different silks for comparison. But if You can get anything else on the subject, we all I think would be most grateful!

My surname is Inge, Jerin is just my "log in" name. Here in Sweden we don?t have any stores selling silk other than on cards and I have ordered my Gudebrod spools from the U.S. - still if I can come over someone selling from Asia, I would welcome that very much! I do like to experiment a bit....

Hi Inge,
I apologize for the very late reply to your message, our office has been swamped lately.. I would be more than happy to send you a sample of the thread that I use so you may try it out. All of the spools that I carry are 5000 meters so I can't imagine that you would require that much thread, but I'd be happy to send you a smaller sample!!

Just out of curiosity, has anyone asked Jeremy what kind of thread he or Amanda are using or where they get their thread from? I'd be curious to see what they are using as they sell so many necklaces.. Just a guess, but I think they'd be using the same thread.

Best regards

 

[knotty panda]

You're talking about the disc clasps not adhereing properly. I agree with that. The rest aren't disc and hold extremely well, align properly when clasped, and are easy and big enough for arthritic fingers to hook and remove. My mother became crippled with arthritis and could still work them. But yes, those disc clasps are worthless.

 

[jerin]

Hi Sueki
Thanks. I found the mediums before, but I prefer the fine. I'll try them.

Hi, Caitlin

that are exactly the same needles I buy from The Bead Shack. I prefer medium size and heavy, if possible. But these needles are really excellent IMO, no more need for a new needle for every single strand.

 

[jerin]

I
I checked out findings.
I went to magnetic clasps looking for the extremely strong magnetic clasps I like. They have edges that lock so no direct pull will open it. You have to break it open which is an action that can't happen accidently while you are wearing them. They are my favorite "old lady" clasps!.

The trouble is my favorite suppliers like artbeads and Fire Mountain don't have them or they cost $15.00 each. Same one at Craftland was $8.40. Wait a minute, I just checked and FM is up to $17.00 and change. When you buy in bulk the price only goes doen to $11.00.

I am going to make this my first stop the next time I need stringing supplies.

About that point I thought I'd come back here and report. They ship worldwide.

Hi Caitlin,

I use the same magnetic clasps, they are great even though the do not come cheap but so far I have not seen them anywhere else than at Fire Mountains.

 

[Caitlin]

Hi Inge
After all that. I went to artbeads. They used to not have the clasps and by golly, they had some for even less . though I did not compare the sizes.... Anyway, two pretty good sources.