Hey friends! Jess here from JewelryTutorialHQ.com
In this video, I’m sharing some tips to help with threading tiny beads on cord that’s too thick for using with a needle.
I haven’t tested this on all types of cord but I encourage you to experiment with other materials.
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I’m demonstrating with the .8mm waxed nylon cord that I use in a lot of my tutorials and I like to use these tiny 2mm silver spacer beads with it, but the hole is only very slightly larger than the cord (.9mm), so there’s a bit of a trick to using them together. These items are both in my Etsy shop which you’ll find if you follow the links for each item.
TIP#1
My first tip is to use some super sharp scissors and cut the end of the cord at an angle to create a sharp point, just like this.
This makes it SO much easier to get through that tiny bead.
Now this should work great if you only have a couple of tiny beads to string but if you are going to be stringing a lot of them, then you may need to keep cutting the cord as you go because it might start to fray, so be sure to start with a longer piece from the get-go to accommodate for that.
Or, another alternative is my next tip.
TIP #2
After you cut a nice point at the tip of your cord, dip the end carefully into some superglue.
Wipe off the excess and allow it to dry completely, and you should have a sort of built-in needle at the end of your cord, and this will also stop it from fraying as you work.
Today I tried the Gorilla Glue Superglue for the first time and it worked great. In the past I have also used Super New Glue with good results.
This really makes it a breeze to string tiny beads on thicker cord without a needle, but it also helps with stringing regular beads too.
You might be wondering – will this work with x type of cord or x type of glue and I would encourage you to just try it with what you have on hand and see if it works… and let us know your results either way in the comments.
I’ve personally tried this with a few different glues including GS Hypocement, and even clear nail polish, and the only thing so far that doesn’t add bulk to the cord is the cyanoacrylate, AKA superglue, so that’s what I recommend if you’re working with tiny beads.
I’ll update this post as I test other glues and materials (and hear back from you).
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I’ll see you next time!
PS – I have more cord knotting tips + tutorials you might enjoy!
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