can we talk about quality findings and components? (long)

Thought maybe we could start this discussion anew... I'm sure you "oldies"
have gone over this stuff a bunch of times for us "newbies", but I'm loving
the little nuggets I'm picking up in the other thread - just not loving the
sifting through it to find them...

so, please, tell us or comment on:

What are the best stringing materials?

Is tigertail ok to use? I like how easy it is, but don't love it when it
gets a bend in it (say if my 3 year old gets his little paws on it - I may
have to restring it if he crunches it.) I'm now worried about the first
crimps I used - they may have been sterling, but they may have been base
metal. Recent crimp purchases have all been sterling and I think they got
mixed in. My feeling has been put two crimps on because I just don't trust
this tiny little piece of metal to hold it all together anyway...

How about Fireline? I find this great when working with seed beads, but not
so much for heavier beads... maybe if I doubled it.

Is silk cord that much better than the nice colored cotton cord I just found
that looks like the silk cord necklace that was selling for $100 in a little
boutique here?

I personally have moved away from all base metal findings - not so much
because they won't last as long but because I was reading in my feng shui
book that certain metals bring bad juju to us, so we should make sure all
the jewelry we wear is made with quality metals - I agree with that, and
don't want to bring anyone bad juju. So far my acceptable list includes:
sterling, copper, and pewter. Maybe someday I will get into gold, but for
now that is too expensive for where I am and I don't like gold filled
things - I used to work in a jewelry store and always felt gold filled was
"cheap" compared to the "fine" jewelry we sold.

It does bother me a little that I buy sterling beads and findings but they
don't have the quality sterling stamp on them that I was taught to look for
and rely on when working at the jewelry store. Wondering if I can get a
little sterling stamp to put on my handmade sterling clasps? Maybe
microstamp has that (note to self.)

I'm bummed to hear that lobster claws are not necessarily a good thing to
use. I have about 30 of them on various pieces. And I bought this really
expensive sterling barrel clasp for one of my nicer peyote tube necklaces...
bummer again to hear that we should never use them. Maybe I should put a
safety chain on the necklace then too? I'm feeling though in my gut that no
clasp or finding is really completely safe. I have fine heirloom jewelry
with clasps that open sometimes... and sterling clasps that bend or even my
new hook type clasps that can come undone.... button closures slip off
pretty easy too... so... Lobster claws are the only thing I've ever used
that has never failed me personally in my 30+ years of wearing jewelry (not
necessarily making it.)

And one final question I've been wondering about... why does hammering wire
make it stronger??? I will hopefully find this out in my jewelry class that
starts Thursday, but I have been wondering the why's of this.

Thanks
Pam

Thanks Carol!! This is all very helpful

Pam

Pam, I am sorry if I my post bummed you out. again, I did not say that all
lobster clasps were bad. what I said was that it had a mechanism, and that
things with mechanisms COULD fail. and that in every batch that came from
the factory, some of them COULD be duds. I sell jewelry to folks all over
the world, folks I will probably never see again, and I just can't stand the
idea of selling them something that I myself don't completely trust. and
that is why I don't use them. but I never said they would all break and all
fail. I was just stating my opinion about why I, me, myself do not use them.

I work in a big bead shop, and we sell base metal lobster claws in many
sizes, plus 8 different styles of SS lobster (this includes special shapes
like dolphins) and 3 styles of gold filled (the ss and gold filled are
extremely good quality!). we sell tons of these clasps, and some of them DO
get brought back because they were faulty. this is my experience as someone
who sells the clasps. the percentage of lobster and spring clasps returned
because of a faulty mechanism is much much higher then the toggles or
s-hooks. your experience, as someone who buys the clasps is different. if
you like them, use them, please!

kellie
www.kelliesklay.com

ps~ I don't use tigertail anymore and I do double crimp, but I do it in a
decorate way, for instance, crimp, nice bead, crimp and then the clasp.
this way it looks like part of the design. or even better, crimp, nice
bead, crimp, nice bead and then the clasp. you can see a bad picture of one
of my double crimps he
http://www.kelliesklay.com/dblcrimp.jpg




I'm bummed to hear that lobster claws are not necessarily a good thing to
use. I have about 30 of them on various pieces.

Hi Pam! Great questions, I'm looking forward to reading answers.

I like to string on a three-ply nylon twist cord. Strong, easy to handle with
no needle, yet fits through some very small beads, and scaled well for the
bigger holed ones too. Nymo gets used for seed beads that are really small, and
I sometimes mix threads in a multistrand necklace.

Silk is stronger than cotton. Lasts longer too--If knotting between beads, as
in pearls, that's the fibre of choice.

Tigertail is great for hanging crystals and beads in windows. Metal will cut
through crystals, crystals will cut through fibers. Tigertail does NOT hang
well for necklaces, IMHO. Soflex is better, but I don't use it--I've just seen
it used.

I often do not use clasps, not liking the way I fumble around as I try to get
them to work. I am moving to silver hook and eye sets though--like the look and
the wearability of both. I have used cheaper pinbacks and barrette findings
purposely because my lines using them are not highpriced---but I am making the
move to higher quality or not at all. I'm tired of the $5/$10 thing, and its
time to move on now that my skills are also improved from where I started.

If you are concerned about the "juju" of metals, etc, then you may wish to
avoid gold and diamonds, as these are associated with some very harsh gathering
practices. Then, so are many other metals and stones--you may wish to learn
more about juju and how to cleanse whatever comes to you of its clinging
energies, or how to re-direct them.

And working makes us *all* stronger, not just the wires!!
Sarajane

Sarajane's Polymer Clay Gallery
http://www.polyclay.com

view my auctions at:
http://www.polyclay.com/Collage/auction.htm

so, please, tell us or comment on:

What are the best stringing materials?

For the most part, I only use Softflex. It drapes well, resists abrasion and
fracture and when crimped properly is very unlikely to break. For some
multistrand necklaces I still use buttonhole-twist silk, but that's pretty
rare these days. I find that even pearls work well on Softflex, and you can
mix them with things that will eat through silk in a matter of days. I don't
do seed beads, so can't comment on Fireline. On silk vs. cotton....silk will
hold color better than cotton, but if you have especially acidic skin, your
perspiration can rot silk in a fairly short time. Cotton will endure more,
chemically, but doesn't respond well to abrasion, AND will stretch a lot
more than silk over time.

I don't use base metal beads or findings, except some copper and brass beads
(and occasional copper clasps for a unified look). For gold or silver I use
goldfill, sometimes 18K (I prefer the color more than 14K), vermeil or
sterling. I use the vermeil sparingly, but nothing matches my gold leaf
beads as well as vermeil does. I try to make it "lay" in a way that other
beads protrude beyond the vermeil surface, minimizing the risk of the gold
rubbing off. It's that "rub off factor" that makes me avoid plated base
metal beads, plus the risks of chemical reactions. And (insert ego here) I
figure my stuff is good enough to deserve good metals. The one store I sell
to in Scottsdale won't even accept pieces made with goldfill, they require
sterling or 14/18K. I'm not about to argue.

It does bother me a little that I buy sterling beads and findings but they
don't have the quality sterling stamp on them that I was taught to look for
and rely on when working at the jewelry store.

My ex worked in a large findings house on Jeweler's Row in Philly. What I
learned from him is that beads (for some old reason) and findings aren't
required to be stamped, only larger objects like pendants, and usually that
stamp is representative of the whole piece. I don't remember the exact
wording, but basically that "representation" is the same for hallmarking in
the UK.

Personally I swear by lobster clasps...the squared box style. I like the way
they lay and line up with the rest of the necklace. It's true that anything
mechanical is at risk of failing, but they way they're constructed is less
risky, IMO, than a standard spring clasp. I like hook clasps a bunch
(classic for pearls) but they're pricey AND difficult for some people to
fasten. I also love EZ-lok's but again they're quite expensive in
comparison. I dislike sliding box clasps and toggles the most because I
think they have the highest risk of "structural failure" or operator error.

See my note to Carol about hammering wire. It makes it "harder" to a point
because you're aligning and compressing the crystalline structure, but too
much will cause the metal to be brittle and eventually to break.


My loose change for the day. G
KarenK

--
KarenK
Desert Dreamer Designs
http://members.cox.net/desertdreameraz/
Ebay Sto http://www.stores.ebay.com/desertdreamerdesigns
JustBeads: http://www.justbeads.com/search/ql.cfm?s=DesertDreamer

I'm bummed to hear that lobster claws are not necessarily a good thing to
use.

No, I think it's a YMMV. I don't use them because I've got painful hands, and
my idea is this: Other people may find them as hard to operate as I do. My mom
can't work them, etc. So I use toggles and s-clasps most of the time, unless I
can afford a well-made, rather-expensive clasp that clicks into itself (for a
special project)...those are usually heavier silver and gem-encrusted.

Pam, there's a ton of info, drawn from conversations we've had here and
alphabetized for your ease of use, in Bead Notes:
http://www.lampwork.net/beadnotes.html
~~
Sooz
-------
"Those in the cheaper seats clap. The rest of you rattle your jewelry." John
Lennon (1940 - 1980) Royal Varieties Performance
~ Dr. Sooz's Bead Links
http://airandearth.netfirms.com/soozlinkslist.html

At a heat usually near 2/3rds of the metal's metling point,

Karen, I'm confused -- what's "metling"?
(haw haw haw haw)
~~
Sooz
-------
"Those in the cheaper seats clap. The rest of you rattle your jewelry." John
Lennon (1940 - 1980) Royal Varieties Performance
~ Dr. Sooz's Bead Links
http://airandearth.netfirms.com/soozlinkslist.html

I do double crimp, but I do it in a
decorate way, for instance, crimp, nice bead, crimp and then the clasp.

Oh, what a great idea! I never thought of that.

For the record, I never use tigertail either. UGH
~~
Sooz
-------
"Those in the cheaper seats clap. The rest of you rattle your jewelry." John
Lennon (1940 - 1980) Royal Varieties Performance
~ Dr. Sooz's Bead Links
http://airandearth.netfirms.com/soozlinkslist.html

Karen, I'm confused -- what's "metling"?

It's the point at which you lose your nerve (mettle) when trying to anneal
something. ;-)


--
KarenK
Desert Dreamer Designs
http://members.cox.net/desertdreameraz/
Ebay Sto http://www.stores.ebay.com/desertdreamerdesigns
JustBeads: http://www.justbeads.com/search/ql.cfm?s=DesertDreamer

It's the point at which you lose your nerve (mettle) when trying to anneal
something. ;-)

Oh, you're GOOD.
~~
Sooz
-------
"Those in the cheaper seats clap. The rest of you rattle your jewelry." John
Lennon (1940 - 1980) Royal Varieties Performance
~ Dr. Sooz's Bead Links
http://airandearth.netfirms.com/soozlinkslist.html