Mausketeer's Tiny Natural Pteria Sternas

[mausketeer]

Hi everyone! How are you all doing? I've been doing pretty well (no broken bones for a while at least, lol. Knock on wood). Well, I'm here because I'm looking for an expert to string my strand of teensy tiny natural Pteria sternas for me. I tried and failed. Broke one or two. They are just too small! (I tried using some lovely coloured "Beaders Secret", I couldn't even get the wire needle through them!) At this point I guess I could put them on wire? I dunno.....I'd still rather send them to someone who knows what they're doing before I break any more (someone on HERE I mean, I'm not looking for anyone local). Who on here would be willing to string these for me please? Obviously they would not be knotted between each pearl, I was going to just do knots at the ends but it depends on what material would be used I suppose? Help me please! (oh, and of course I would pay.....)

Jodie

 

[CortezPearls]

Hello Jodie,

We've done the drilling on tiny natural Pteria sterna pearls of course...and it is something I will do only if I have to atone for some hideous sin
Kidding aside I suggest you do it by hand. It is easier to keep the pearls safe this way...and always use a very small drill-bit.

Safe drilling!

 

[MSC]

If you want to enlarge the holes, I'd follow what Douglas suggested. Otherwise, another suggestion would be to create a "tin cup" style necklace using chain (or not) and a very small gauge (26G, perhaps?) metal wire to wire wrap each pearl or sections of pearls. I often do this with beads whose holes I'd rather not attempt to enlarge for fear of breakage. Example attached.

 

[pattye]

Jodie, so the pearls ARE drilled? I'd be game to string them for you. I have many different stringing materials, and could likely find one that would be satisfactory. I think it would be best to work with them as is, if already drilled, and not attempt to enlarge the holes. You would just pay for shipping both way. You can pm me if interested.

I've been string professionally for some years now, it would be an honor and learning experience to string such rare pearls.

 

[mausketeer]

Oh Pattye, thanks so much! Yeah, they're already drilled. They're just so tiny (2-4mm) that even the wire threader wouldn't go through a lot of them on it's own, let alone when it had thread through it. I could thread them with the holes "as-is" on some wire, or Power Pro maybe, but I worry it would have to be so thin it would just have no strength at all. I really need someone to do this for me, my disability makes doing something so fiddley just too painful (not to mention my annoying dog and cats who want to get into EVERYTHING). I will PM you, thanks!

Jodie

 

[Katbran]

Pattye to the rescue !! Well done !

 

[lisa c]

Hello Jodie,
...and it is something I will do only if I have to atone for some hideous sin
Safe drilling!

Fallen off my seat, laughing so hard!!! Thank you, Douglas
(No sin could be that hideous?!?!)

 

[lisa c]

Pattye to the rescue !! Well done !

Double that! No, to infinity! Lovely!
(by now you're probably wishing you hadn't offered publicly, since you're modest.
Too bad, so sad, you're a generous person, and we're all glad!)

 

[pattye]

Thanks, Katbran, Lisa and All,

Well, it will be a process, hopefully interesting to share via photos as decisions are made, and so a learning experience working with tiny pearls we can all share; that's what I envision. And eventually a modeling photo from Jodie!

 

[GemGeek]

Pattye, that is fabulous. Can't wait to see them made up.

 

[Lagoon Island Pearls]

If anyone can pull this off, it's Pattye. I wouldn't think twice about sending my pearls to her for assembly.

Just like everyone else, I can't wait to see them made up.

 

[Katbran]

So can you make a glue needle out of the Beaders Secret or does that only work with the natural fibre -silk. I've never made one but after reading this thread I went online to watch how it's done.

 

[pearlescence]

My only advice is to watch those little ********** because if they ping away you'll be very lucky to find them

 

[pattye]

So can you make a glue needle out of the Beaders Secret or does that only work with the natural fibre -silk. I've never made one but after reading this thread I went online to watch how it's done.

Katbran,
When I first started stringing I planned to make the glue needles with gum arabic as described in Henrietta's pearl stringing book. However, with the amount of humidity here in Oregon it would never dry stiff enough, so I went with needles. But I've since read about using other types of glue, though I haven't tried it with Beader's Secret.

No kidding, Wendy! Extremely careful~they are so precious!!

 

[pattye]

If anyone can pull this off, it's Pattye. I wouldn't think twice about sending my pearls to her for assembly.

Just like everyone else, I can't wait to see them made up.

Aww, thank you, Dave! That's a high compliment coming from you!!

 

[lisa c]

So can you make a glue needle out of the Beaders Secret or does that only work with the natural fibre -silk. I've never made one but after reading this thread I went online to watch how it's done.

Where did you go online for that? I mean, did you just google making a thread needle, or something like that? Thanks! Was it GG who described how to do it on PG?

 

[pearlescence]

how would nail polish work to stiffen the thread?
And I know about pinging simply because it has happened to me (argggggggggggggh)

 

[MSC]

I've tried doing both ways, glue and nail polish, on nylon thread and it did not work well for me.

 

[lisa c]

I think GG said pull thread tight, dab of super glue spread along length (I think as you're pulling), allow time to dry, snip. I'll try to find the post; hope she comments.

If not GG, and recognize yourself as the original poster, please help.

I'd do the experiment but have no beader's secret. Yet.

 

[lisa c]

Andrea, did you try superglue on beader's secret?