Hi, I've decided to take the plunge and set myself up in the garage to have some fun making beads. I've had one lesson and I've read loads of information on these boards, thank you to everyone who takes the time to post, but am not sure what size mandrels are best for beginners and I can't remember what size I learnt with. I've seen 2.4mm and 1.6mm on Tuffnell's site but am not sure if a smaller one is easier or go for the bigger one. What would people recommend? Thanks for any help.
I know when I started I found it easier to twirl the 2.4mm ones.
Now I use 1.6mm most of the time, and the 2.4mm for bigger, heavier beads
I would say get some of both
I would go with the thicker ones, they are less easy to bend!
however I mostly now use 2mm from Dilunah Glass.
I found 2.4 easier to start with, and it gives you more stringing options in terms of materials as well.
I only swapped to smaller mandrels when I started using a press.
I started on 1.6mm, I don't find they feel much different to use than 2.4mm if I'm honest, so I don't think it much matters - I still have the majority of my first mandrels and only a couple have bent and that was me being heavy handed when I had troule getting beads off with an odd lot of bead release I was using! ;D
Thanks for all the replies, depending on how much I can get away with spending I may order both, if not I'll go with the 2.4 mm.
You'll need the thinner ones when you start to use presses - though I seem to recall in the Tuffnells starter kit you get some of both sizes ?
I also really like the 2mm ones sold by Dilunah - not too thin to hold and twirl and a nice finished hole size for stringing your beads.
I use 2.4mm with my presses all the time, no probs. Am I alone in this?
2.4mm are great if you want to put your beads on a leather thong.
Totally ditto what Shirley said.
I use 2.4 with my presses too - perhaps it depends on which bead release you use, I found that when I used the larger mandrels with fosterfire, it cracked badly as it goes on in such a thick layer. So with that I have to use the thinner mandrel. However, since many of my customers seem to prefer the larger beadhole, I use Terri's release on the 2.4 mandrels and that is perfect as it's a thinner layer. Trial and error and personal taste again, I feel.
I'm a 2mm girl. I find Dilunah's hard to accidentally bend. 1.6 is a bit small for some stringing materials. If I need a thicker one I use the other end of my bhb mandrel, from Mango Beads.