The Thread Thread

[jerin]

Great post, Caitlin, thanks a lot!

I was not lucky to get an answer from the Superior Thread as yet. Will give them a couple more days, then I?ll try again.

 

[Caitlin]

The thread question I have is: for a novice, who wishes to teach myself knotting, via some of the web pages members have mentioned - which thread do I start with? I have been putting some pearls on wire, but am now worried about what the wire will do to the drill holes.

Many of the pieces I put up in the past were strung with wire. When I got several kilos of large black dyed pearls from china -once- and wanted to get them strung up ASAP to sell, I used wire. With wire, the crimp bead is the key to its strength.

Those tornado crimps Pattye uses look like the best I have seen.

I still have some wire strung strands from back then- 4 or so years ago. They have not messed up any of my pearls yet. Next time I restring one of them (I kept 2 out of about 60 of them) I will photograph the wire to see how much it picked up from rubbing. I only have CFW pearls though. I imagine the ones with mother pf pearl cores would not wear at all-unless it rubs the nacre around the hole- but even silk does that after enough time........

I have used thread with a crimp bead too.

I have some natural pearls that go down to 2mm or so and even the finest thread will not go through the ends twice. I used 6lb test Power Pro but any good thread is fine. Silk, nylon,

I threaded through the crimp bead, then through the first side of the clasp. I slid some gimp on there, put the needle back through the crimp bead and pulled it tight. I tied a knot as tight as I could, then put the crimp bead on top of the knot and crimped it tight.

In this case I used a silver crimp cover to make it look like a tiny round silver bead. Then I thread the rest of the pearls on and knot them (you don't have to knot them) then attach the other end the same way-put on the crimp bead, the clasp and the gimp, put back through the crimp bead and knot. Crimp knot. Add crimp cover.

This is essentially how you do it with wire too, except for the knot at the ends.

I may not be doing this in some standard way, but it is a technique that works very well for me in this case. I am open to improvements and variations.....Go out there and improvise a method that works for you......and please report it back here.

 

[pattye]

What a great photo, Caitlin!

and helpful explanation, too! I feel it is great to try out some different ways of doing stringing and knotting, tradition is great, but so many of the pearl pieces are larger and heavier, including the fab ropes so many of us love.

Remember, when we are talking about wire, it is nylon covered and consequently very smooth, and quite flexible, too.

I have been "stringing" for just less than a year, so don't have much history to go on. I did examine the pearls on my most frequently worn rope with a loupe this morning, and expected that if there were any wearing, I would see a little pearl powder, but the edge of the drill holes were crisp and not worn looking. I will continue to monitor the items I make to watch for signs of undue wear, however. I number of the pieces I have made combine gemstones (often very rough) and pearls, which definitely call for wire.

Pattye
so many pearls, so little time

 

[Pearlgully]

I am looking forward to some posts on nylon threads and other synthetic threads, too, as some of the best professionals prefer nylon, when all is said and done.

Although, I prefer to string with silk, it is not always appropriate. I often use a product called Stringth. It's a synthetic fiber that I buy from Rio Grande and feels like silk when stringing. I have pearls that I strung years ago with it that I wear frequently.......and so far, the cord has not stretched. Has anyone else used Stringth? If so, I'm curious to know what you think of it.


Gail

 

[Caitlin]

You are correct about a lot of gem stones being rough. (Remember that lady that couldn't find a thread that didn't cut- including PowerPro? I imagine wire had to be her choice too.

I got a dremel this weekend. An adorable little battery-powered tool. ($39 plus $6 postage at Target through Amazon shopping)
(My hubby said I shoulda got one that plugs in, don'cha know. Anyway, I like it.)
I got it so I can grind my little doggies' nails, but it comes with several fittings including drills. I think I can smooth rough edges on gemstones and ream some holes slightly for just the few last end pearls so the thread can pass through twice for the knotting. I can hardly wait to try it.

This looks like a tool an amateur can buy and use without a major investment.
Wow We need a tool thread don't we?

 

[Caitlin]

I haven't heard of Stringth. I'll look for it on the net, too.

 

[knotty panda]

Stringth and PearlSilk are both Rio Grande products. They may be marketed by other names with other vendors. I haven't used Stringth but I have used PearlSilk. Here's a list put out by Rio Grande about stringing materials.

http://www.pmc-conference.com/techresources/seminars04/Handouts/PadillaStringingMaterials.pdf

 

[Caitlin]

LINK for Stringth

I just found this page. LINK. Several different nylon threads are discussed.
There are 3 entries for Stringth (or stringth-like) at the bottm of the chart.
Land of Odds has black stringth here. What I like about this page is it has the diameter expressed in Inches, so I know size 0 and size 1 are almost equivalent to Powerpro sizes 6 lb and 30 lb..
STRINGTH SIZES

She also has this to say about her favorite silk thread, which is an embroidery thread.

About Kanagawa 1000 Denier Embroidery Silk :: I love this thread! I ply it into a larger thread for beading and wrapping. I also use it for half hitching in free-form cavandoli and micro-macrame in combination with nylon #18 and C-Lon Bead Cord. It has a lovely feel and sheen. The filaments are sturdy and well plied. It does well with manipulation unlike some other silks. The color range is great!

 

[pattye]

Hi Caitlin and All,

Wanted to share the reply from Carolyn Ehret of DruzyDesign regarding the thread she uses ".......Yet recently I have switched over to power pro. I did find that the waxed linen would sometimes stretch out..And even fray a little, especially if worn in the water...For knotting I have also used the waxed linen and also a waxed thicker nylon too. I'm going to be using the power pro to knot now too."

Thanks so much, Carolyn, for sharing your experience and expertise !!

Pattye
so many pearls, so little time

 

[Caitlin]

Powerpro. !!!!!!! My favorite (so far). That is great!

I am still getting some linen just for fun and in my linen search I found a spool of hemp thread that is thin enough to string and knot, so I am going to try that too. It is almost as strong as the Powerpro and I like the natural beige, neutral, color of hemp.

I think I'll try that Kanagawa brand silk embroidery thread too. I thnk I will have to find the YLI 1000 denier silk thread online, because no one in Tucson carrys it. They carry other kinds of YLI threads at quilting shops, but not the silk......


Pattye,
You have a Druzy Design necklace strung with linen, right? How does Care attach it to the clasp? With knots?

 

[pattye]

Hi Caitlin,

I knew you would enjoy that info! Actually I have several necklaces from Carolyn, well, maybe even a few more than that, over the years. It appears she uses the high karat clasp, than a high karat gold bead and then a knot. I think perhaps a drop of glue on the knot. That is what I see through the loupe. I have never had anything from her come loose.

Looking forward to your experiments with the other threads----

Pattye
so many pearls, so little time

 

[Sueki]

Hi Pattye,
Thank you too !
Earrings, yes, when I can decide which pearls to use and also decide whether or not to use those pearls to make a bracelet.....
Does anyone else waste hours and hours deciding what looks best - this or that or t'other ?

 

[Pearlgully]

Does anyone else waste hours and hours deciding what looks best - this or that or t'other ?

ALWAYS!!! it's all part of the design process.

You did a great job on that necklace.

Gail

 

[pattye]

Hi Sueki,

Haa Ha HAA--HAAA--HA Surely you jest----!!!!!

Pattye
so many pearls, so little time

 

[jerin]

ALWAYS!!! it's all part of the design process.

You did a great job on that necklace.

Gail

I second that Sueki, lovely necklace!

 

[pearl-man]

Here is a link to a clear, step by step method of stringing pearls


Henrietta Virchick's small book is a classic:Pearl and Bead Stringing

She teaches a great hand knot method. She also teaches a method with an awl.

It is a good altrnative to the Ruth Poris book mentioned above. It is a little more detailed.

WARNING:
Just about all the methods with links in this thread and both the books- actually show pictures of one sliding the knot with the tweezers- don't do it-

No matter what method of knotting you learn, I do not recommend you insert awl or tweezers into the knot and slide the knot with them- it is too awful to do that on 45 pearls then have the knot slide off and tighten too far from the bead!

RECOMMENDATION:
Whether you use your fingers, an awl or tweezers I recommend one puts the fingers or tweezer through the large loose knot and grab the string right next to the bead and fip it through the hole. Then, keeping your thumb on the bead,start tightening the knot down to the bead. It will go to the correct spot every time.

Ok Our firm has knotted for 100 years my mother learnt from her aunts born in 1910's. I had to learn when I flunked out of UW. We use no tools just as Caitlin says.
At the very least use real high quality Stainless steel darning needles. So not use for glue or anything else.
Polish on 1200 black emry paper if necessary. SMOOTH!
This can be used to slide the overhand knot up using 2 strand of #D,E,EE,F SILK Thread. Two strands allow us
to pull each one [if necessary] to tighten the knot. A needle allows us to slip it into the knot and loosen if it is not tight. And retighten. If you are left handed you can not hand knot...you must use a knotter or pull up the knot with a needle. TWEEZERS are too rough. and not thin enough. If you do gold work your nails are too black.
Finger tips must be clean and silk must be used. Japanese silk is better than Italian silk being made with longer fibers. If you want more info e-mail me. Between myself, my mother [deceased] office personel and 3 outside stringer we have over 200 years of experience.
We learn everyday!!!
PM
PM

 

[Raisondetre]

I'm getting confused with the Gudebrod sizing ... according to calculations, size E is 0.0128mm which is 0.0005+ inches. That's smaller than the powerpro I use, and the color matches for a 6-6.5mm pearl/4mm rose quartz bracelet/necklace. Now, is that an appropriate size to use? I can't use powerpro as the knots will be too big and the pearls are probably too small for it to drape well. Is that even a good thread for this kind of bracelet/necklace?

 

[Cathybear]

Sueki, that is GORGEOUS!!

 

[Amrita]

What a beautiful sight that necklace is, Susan! Wonderful!

 

[Sueki]

Hi Raisondetre,
This is just my personal opinion, and hopefully some of the knotting gurus will be along later, but I reckon silk size E is (or knots up at) slightly thicker than Powerpro 10lb. weight.
The disadvantage with silk in this particular instance is that it is fibrous and therefore can end up thicker when knotted (and when doubling back through the end beads).
Powerpro stays smooth and compact.
This is just my personal opinion based on my experience using both types of thread.