I've been beading for 11 years, and I've had to learn a few things along the way through trial and error. I've included a few bits of beading advice below. Some of it may seem obvious, but I hope that, if you're a beader, you'll find something useful here.
Thread, Knotting and Threading Tips:
Silamide vs. Other Stringing Materials
I like to use Silamide bead thread more than any other kind of thread. Silamide is a 2-ply waxed nylon thread specially made for beading. Not all bead shops provide it. Silk is an alternative thread, but it's more expensive. Waxed nylon bead floss is another alternative, but floss is not as flexible as silamide, so I wouldn't recommend it for most projects.
Silamide Pros:
It's thin, so it fits through most bead holes and is the perfect thread for size 10, 11 or 12 beading needles. Silamide is flexible, so it can be used to do any bead stitch. It's sturdy. It resists being unraveled, which helps a pendant design last. Companies produce it in a wide variety of colors.
Silamide cons:
It can break if you stretch it too taut. It breaks on sharp edges of beads, too. It tangles easily.
When tying knots:
--When tying a knot, use three half-knots. Four can be too many and two is too few.
--For reinforcement/insurance, cover the cluster of knots with glue. School glue will do.
--String a bead onto your thread and tie your thread to the bead, or tie your thread to a metal base.
When Weaving, Use as Much Thread as Possible:
Never pass bead thread through a bead only once. When the thread is the only thing keeping your project from falling apart, your project will be stronger and last longer if you use as much beadstring as possible. This is why I recommend using beads with wider holes: so you can pass more thread through that bead and better secure that bead into your design.
What to do if your needle gets stuck inside a bead:
If your needle gets stuck inside a bead, you may be able to pull it the rest of the way through with the help of a pair of flat nose pliers. Clamp the pliers around the end of the needle and pull. Sometimes, though, the pressure causes the bead to break. Be prepared for either success or a setback.
Plastic lids as bead trays:
I like to use plastic lids (ex: lids from most yogurt containers, sour cream containers) because they are bendable. I can bend a lid to form a spout and pour beads easily back into a container. The various kinds of glue I use in my projects also don't adhere to plastic container lids, so a plastic lid is a good drying surface.
Chains and Jewelry Finding Tips:
Split Rings vs. Jump Rings:
I prefer split rings because they don't open when you don't want them to. Jump rings can be pulled open far too easily with just a little force, and then the necklace is broken. It's a problem easily fixed with pliers, but if you sell or gift your beadwork to other people, they may not have those tools on hand. Using split rings instead of jump rings eliminates that hassle.
Never use your nails to open a split ring:
Always use split ring pliers to open a split ring. Keep your nails intact.
About Locating Quality Chains and Jewelry Findings:
I don't have a background in metallurgy or some other field that can identify quality metalwork, so I've had to learn the hard way which chains and jewelry findings are worth purchasing. Unfortunately, 1/3 of jewelry findings and chain links, which are sold in jewelry sections of arts & crafts stores, are made of metal so low in quality that the colors fade quickly, and the metal sometimes rusts. Thankfully, up to 2/3 of those jewelry finding sections tend to have better quality pieces. The trick is to determine which things are worth buying and which things to avoid.
I have learned not to buy bright gold/brass-plated chain or bright silver-plated chain. Both are guaranteed to fade or rust. However, if you coat the metal in a transparent glaze or resin, you'd be able to avoid that outcome. That's a lot of work, though, and jewelry findings are small and can be hard to paint.
Gunmetal chain and findings are sometimes okay. Be careful with some copper-plated metals, though copper is one of those platings that can often be done well.
Another problem with plating is that the plating can chip.
Metal and platings that tend to keep their colors over time and don't rust include: high quality pewter, sterling silver, most copper-plated metals, copper, some gunmetal-plated metals, aluminum, copper-plated aluminum, bronze-plated aluminum, some steel, some plated nickel, nickel, antiqued bronze-plated metals, antiqued copper-plated metals
You may have to take a chance and hope that what you buy is good quality; time is the only true way of telling if your investment will pay off. But, if the metal piece has very shiny silver-plating or very shiny gold-plating, I would definitely not recommend buying it. I have piles of chain and findings with either plating that I can't use sitting in a box because the colors faded or the metal rusted, rendering them unusable and unmarketable.
Well, there you have it: bits of random advice that I always want to give every new beader I come across. If you bead, I hope you found this helpful.
Thread, Knotting and Threading Tips:
Silamide vs. Other Stringing Materials
I like to use Silamide bead thread more than any other kind of thread. Silamide is a 2-ply waxed nylon thread specially made for beading. Not all bead shops provide it. Silk is an alternative thread, but it's more expensive. Waxed nylon bead floss is another alternative, but floss is not as flexible as silamide, so I wouldn't recommend it for most projects.
Silamide Pros:
It's thin, so it fits through most bead holes and is the perfect thread for size 10, 11 or 12 beading needles. Silamide is flexible, so it can be used to do any bead stitch. It's sturdy. It resists being unraveled, which helps a pendant design last. Companies produce it in a wide variety of colors.
Silamide cons:
It can break if you stretch it too taut. It breaks on sharp edges of beads, too. It tangles easily.
When tying knots:
--When tying a knot, use three half-knots. Four can be too many and two is too few.
--For reinforcement/insurance, cover the cluster of knots with glue. School glue will do.
--String a bead onto your thread and tie your thread to the bead, or tie your thread to a metal base.
When Weaving, Use as Much Thread as Possible:
Never pass bead thread through a bead only once. When the thread is the only thing keeping your project from falling apart, your project will be stronger and last longer if you use as much beadstring as possible. This is why I recommend using beads with wider holes: so you can pass more thread through that bead and better secure that bead into your design.
What to do if your needle gets stuck inside a bead:
If your needle gets stuck inside a bead, you may be able to pull it the rest of the way through with the help of a pair of flat nose pliers. Clamp the pliers around the end of the needle and pull. Sometimes, though, the pressure causes the bead to break. Be prepared for either success or a setback.
Plastic lids as bead trays:
I like to use plastic lids (ex: lids from most yogurt containers, sour cream containers) because they are bendable. I can bend a lid to form a spout and pour beads easily back into a container. The various kinds of glue I use in my projects also don't adhere to plastic container lids, so a plastic lid is a good drying surface.
Chains and Jewelry Finding Tips:
Split Rings vs. Jump Rings:
I prefer split rings because they don't open when you don't want them to. Jump rings can be pulled open far too easily with just a little force, and then the necklace is broken. It's a problem easily fixed with pliers, but if you sell or gift your beadwork to other people, they may not have those tools on hand. Using split rings instead of jump rings eliminates that hassle.
Never use your nails to open a split ring:
Always use split ring pliers to open a split ring. Keep your nails intact.
About Locating Quality Chains and Jewelry Findings:
I don't have a background in metallurgy or some other field that can identify quality metalwork, so I've had to learn the hard way which chains and jewelry findings are worth purchasing. Unfortunately, 1/3 of jewelry findings and chain links, which are sold in jewelry sections of arts & crafts stores, are made of metal so low in quality that the colors fade quickly, and the metal sometimes rusts. Thankfully, up to 2/3 of those jewelry finding sections tend to have better quality pieces. The trick is to determine which things are worth buying and which things to avoid.
I have learned not to buy bright gold/brass-plated chain or bright silver-plated chain. Both are guaranteed to fade or rust. However, if you coat the metal in a transparent glaze or resin, you'd be able to avoid that outcome. That's a lot of work, though, and jewelry findings are small and can be hard to paint.
Gunmetal chain and findings are sometimes okay. Be careful with some copper-plated metals, though copper is one of those platings that can often be done well.
Another problem with plating is that the plating can chip.
Metal and platings that tend to keep their colors over time and don't rust include: high quality pewter, sterling silver, most copper-plated metals, copper, some gunmetal-plated metals, aluminum, copper-plated aluminum, bronze-plated aluminum, some steel, some plated nickel, nickel, antiqued bronze-plated metals, antiqued copper-plated metals
You may have to take a chance and hope that what you buy is good quality; time is the only true way of telling if your investment will pay off. But, if the metal piece has very shiny silver-plating or very shiny gold-plating, I would definitely not recommend buying it. I have piles of chain and findings with either plating that I can't use sitting in a box because the colors faded or the metal rusted, rendering them unusable and unmarketable.
Well, there you have it: bits of random advice that I always want to give every new beader I come across. If you bead, I hope you found this helpful.
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