Griffin silk thread

[evinz]

Hi everyone! What size Griffin silk would I need for pearls with a 1 mm drill hole?

I've tried to string these Tahitians 4-5 times on Serafil, using the method where 4 threads go through the pearl. Using Serafil 20, I just cannot get the needle through the first three pearls. With Serafil 30, after the first few pearls, the knots slip into the drill holes.

So I was thinking I would switch to Griffin silk with the attached needle and only have 2 threads going through the pearl since the thread would not be doubled? I think that's correct. But I don't know what size to get since the threads will compress a little bit.

Maybe I just need a decent bead reamer?

Thanks for your help, pretty new at this. I managed to string a different strand of Tahitian circles, but I fear that was beginner's luck.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Pattye has a method whereby she runs one thickness of Serafil through the necklace and knots the doubled thread, pearl by pearl, around that. You could do that, begininng the running thread after the end pearls.

If you would prefer to widen the holes on the last few pearls, I have been using this (copying and pasting from my stringing tutorial):

I bought this pin vise and successfully used it to drill out a stuck knot:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B098CF3VMM?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1
This is a manual tool (not powered) so the process was slow; about 5 minutes. I have also used this tool to slightly widen a drill hole. Don't expect to be able to drill a hole in a pearl that didn't already have a hole, however.

The only downside of reaming out end pearls is that if you ever, in the future, want to rearrange the pearls / use other pearls as the end pearls they will have widened holes.

I can't advise you about Griffin silk, as I gave up on it after discovering the synthetic threads.

 

[A Breaker]

Hi everyone! What size Griffin silk would I need for pearls with a 1 mm drill hole?

I've tried to string these Tahitians 4-5 times on Serafil, using the method where 4 threads go through the pearl. Using Serafil 20, I just cannot get the needle through the first three pearls. With Serafil 30, after the first few pearls, the knots slip into the drill holes.

So I was thinking I would switch to Griffin silk with the attached needle and only have 2 threads going through the pearl since the thread would not be doubled? I think that's correct. But I don't know what size to get since the threads will compress a little bit.

Maybe I just need a decent bead reamer?

Thanks for your help, pretty new at this. I managed to string a different strand of Tahitian circles, but I fear that was beginner's luck.

Hmmm.. the drilling seems to have changed over the years. I just had to start again on a strand with huge variability of holes! My solution to this one is to make the knots as big as I need to the biggest holes as I reknot this for the second time! Maybe Pattye...can jump in with all her experience?

I find that over all, I don't ream pearls unless there is one with really small holes that I can't string any other way. I have a tiny hand drill for that so that my holes are similar across the strand. If for some reason the drill holes are uneven...one side bigger than another...I use a reamer (I got sets on amazon) and just increase the small side to big as the other drill holes on the strand.

I use different knot methods...single thread tied around my base thread when the holes are tiny....double thread knot if I have some really big holes....I have occasionally added a second loop thru on certain knots if double is too much and single is too little ( I try to make them look all the same). 1 more trick is to use my fingernail and smoosh the knot so that is is slightly bigger as opposed to longer for those bigger drill holes. I even on one weird pearl made "filler" knot to keep the pearl at the right spot..then made a "for show" knot that looked the same as the others. Again, Pattye has so much more experience than I do. Mostly I do knot manipulation, even on old beads, to make the necklace / bracelet look nice for myself and be secure.

Silk, while lovely, I find it such a waste of time...I have 1 card that is the perfect color and I probably won't use it..because I will have to remember all the tricks when the silk rots...I would use the serafil and figure out knots instead.