Beadalon Blog

  At long last, super thin, super strong, and perfect for intricate beadweaving,  WildFire Ultra  is here! Wildfire Ultra is a .004 diameter - thin enough for multiple passes through Delicas and small seed beads. It's available in Black and Clear and in 20 yard, 50 yard, and 125 yard spool lengths. It is smooth, supple, and threadlike, does not stretch, and is very strong and abrasion resistant. The best way to cut it is with really sharp, dedicated scissors. The Beadalon Designer Scissors are my first choice. Be sure to bring the thread all the way to the back of the scissors - cutting with the tips won't work. I recommend conditioning with either Beeswax or another thread conditioner of your choice. My favorite needles to use are the Fine Big Eye Needle , the Extra Fine Collapsible Eye Needle , and the WildFire Needle . If you're using the WildFire Needle or another hard needle, flatten the end with chain nose pliers, and needle the thread by pinching the end between y...

When sports and jewelry making intersect, everyone in the Beadalon office is on board! We're root, root, rooting for our home team Phillies as they are playing for the National League Division Title against the Atlanta Braves. I couldn't resist running out to our local Hobby Lobby and picking up these fabulous sparkly pave beads to make a quick rally necklace like the major league ball players are wearing these days. Materials: Pave beads in your choice of colors - I found mine at Hobby Lobby Beadalon 49 Strand .024 Bead Stringing Wire Size 2 Crimp Tubes Clasp Tools: Crimping Pliers Chain Nose Pliers Nippers Bead Board Instructions: 1. Lay out your design on the Bead Board. Be sure to start and end with smaller beads. 2. Working from the spool, string up your design.  3. Add a crimp tube and one half of the clasp on one the end. Thread the wire around the clasp, back through the crimp tube and use the crimping pliers to crimp it in place. 4. Snug all of the beads down to the cl...

Inspired by the "Swifties" Trend of making bracelets with special quotes and song titles, I made some stretch bracelets for various members of my family for a concert that we all attended in July. One of my biggest challenges as a designer is determining the correct size for jewelry that I am making. Since I was making bracelets for guys, gals, and kids, I had a lot of different sizes to take into consideration. As I was putting everything together, I found that several Beadalon mandrels were perfect to help me size the bracelets! First, I asked everyone to send me their wrist sizes, measuring around the spot they want a bracelet to lay, and added a quarter inch. Then, I used a Beading Board to lay out my design, and an Elastic Cord Needle to pre-string. I love using what I have in my workshop and beading stash in projects, so I grabbed all of the Beadalon Mandrels that I have accumulated, and measured their circumferences. I discovered many of the Beadalon mandrels are per...

Memory Wire is often the stringing material that people use first when they are starting their beading journey. It's a great place to begin because it's easy to use and very versatile - the wire holds its shape so you don't need a clasp (although sometimes it's fun to use one!). There are ring sizes, bracelet sizes, and necklace sizes and many finishes including silver, gold color, rose gold color. and antique brass. And if that wasn't enough, there are also two thicknesses to choose from - regular and extra heavy duty. To see the whole range of Beadalon Plated Memory Wire, check out the Memory Wire section of the Beadalon website. The world was a much different place when I posted the first Memory Wire Mayhem  blog post back in 2019. All of the information there still holds true, and part two is chock full of even more tips and tricks! The first and most important thing to know about Memory Wire is that you MUST use  Memory Wire Shears to cut it. Because Memory W...

At Beadalon, we generally recommend crimping as the preferred finishing technique for beaded jewelry making. However, crimping is not for everyone - it can be challenging to get those little crimp beads or tubes closed properly. For more on proper crimping techniques, check out this infographic . Luckily, there are several alternative ways to finish off your jewelry including this week's Facebook Live feature - the Scrimp Findings . Scrimp Findings are an innovative screw finding that takes the place of a crimp. A tiny set screw inside holds bead stringing wires in place. There are also Scrimp Findings for Memory Wire and for Jewelry Cable ! To use: 1. Partially unscrew the screw in the Scrimp Finding. 2. Insert Beadalon Bead Stringing Wire into the Scrimp Finding, through a clasp, and back down through the Scrimp Finding. Be sure to leave a loop with some wiggle room. TIP: Use a Wire Guardian where extra abrasion is likely to occur. 3. Tighten the screw using the screwdriver an...

Viking Knit is an ancient form of wire weaving that only uses a couple of tools (that you might already have in your stash) to create beautiful ropes of wire that you can use as part of a design, or as the design itself. While Viking Knit is beautiful on its own, it's a great way to showcase a focal piece. I'm always looking for ways to turn my wire wrapped and seed bead bezeled pieces into finished jewelry, and they look fantastic on a viking knit rope. I recommend using a dead soft wire, like Artistic Wire or ColourCraft Wire , in 24, 26, or 28 gauge to weave Viking Knit. In addition to wire, you'll need a round object - I use the Beadalon Mandrel Set   - but you can use knitting needles, crochet hooks, markers, empty wire spools really anything round of a good diameter will work. You'll also need a Draw Plate ,  and a Beading Awl .  Of course, you'll need a good Wire Cutter , and a Nylon Jaw Pliers will also come in handy. From the Beadalon Mandrel Set, I like t...