stringing dilemma

[flame n fuse]

I've made quite a heavy necklace from beads on 1.3mm mandrels and have purchased 0.91 mm 49 strand beadalon to thread them. The beads are mostly about 16mm diameter rounds, with 7mm spacers in between. I chose this diamter of beadalon because I thought that the beads would sit nicely on it without too much wobbling around due to different diameters of thread and bead. The beadalon is actually quite stiff and although it drapes OK, I think that it'll be difficult to make inconspicuous connections at the clasp, and I can't find a gimp of sufficient diameter to cover it. Would a thinner thread of similar type be better, or should I try something like silk bead cord (perhaps a double thickness) instead? All suggestions welcome!

[Magpie]

Looking forward to other answers for this one. I tend to use 2.4mm mandrels and stuff the holes with seed beads to stop the wobble, but now you've made the beads and got the wire that's no good. However the thinner wire seems to hang longer and not as wide as I'd like, hence the waiting for other answers to see if this may be the way to go.

My suggestion would be, can you make another pair of beads to match on 2.4mm mandrels. Then get to the end of your necklace, add the crimp, a 2.4mm holed bead, the clasp, back through the 2.4mm bead and the crimp. Then squish the crimp so the 2.4mm holed bead sort of disguises the crimp?

[marklaird]

Hi, I use wire guards where the wire goes round the clasp, and then crimps and crimp covers to hide the mechanics. I also ensure that I leave a sensible tail and pull it back through s few beads before I cut it off.

However from the wire and bead diameters you mention pulling two wires through a bead won't work.

Look forward to seeing the results when it is finished

Mark

[silkworm]

Like Mark I use wire guardians rather than gimp and take the tail through a few beads. I seldom use wire quite as thick as you have because I cannot get it back through the beads, I most often use 19 strand in either 0.46 or 0.6 mm (had to go and look because I am used to the imperial measure) as this is what suits the semi-precious stone I use, I have only recently moved on to stringing my own beads so have just worked on with what I am used to. All stringing is about a balance of wire strong enough to take the weight, supple enough to drape nicely and thin enough to behave the way you want it too at the ends! Occasionally when I could not get the tail of the wire back through any beads so have been unable to have a tail I have used tornado crimps - because they are a longer tube I thought they might be more secure.
On making beads not wobble around I find a round or, better still, bicone bead which will tuck in to the dimple is quite helpful.

[flame n fuse]

thanks for these suggestions, I have made a few spacer beads for the ends on a larger mandrel to allow for doubling over, but Magpie's suggestion of putting the crimp 'under' these beads was something that I hadn't thought of. It would also get round the fact that I can never get crimp covers to work nicely. Perhaps I'd better just get on with it and see how it goes!