Fireline

Noticed that the Wal-Mart here is starting to put their fishing items on sales.  I picked up some Red line for $1.00(over 200 yards) and this Wal-Mart had some smoke FireLine spools for less than $5.00.

 

My OH (a fisherman) said they mark down all fishing stuff towards the end of the year to make room for "New" fishing items.

I don't very often miss Walmart, but this would be one time *sigh*.

Do this mean fish line is usefull for beads ?

Inca,

Yes, Fireline (brand name) was intended for fishing.My hubby uses it on his fishing pole and I use it in my beading.  It was first made for fishing and us beaders, looking for a better way to weave found it and have fallen in love with it. So much so that it is now also put out by Beadsmith. Even though it says Beadsmith on it  Berkley makes all of it. The only difference is at the top of the spool it either says Berley, or Beadsmith made exactly the same.  Now some bead shop owers will tell you different becasue thay sell it packaged for Beadsmith and it is twice as much dollar wise as the sporting good stores. So that is why we tend to buy at sporting goods stores for that product This was another case of thinking out of the box by beaders.  

Now if the beading stores my friends store included were to sell the same package as the sporting stores I would buy it there. When I buy at the sporting goods store (or wherever they may sell it) I can buy the large spool (125 yards) for around $12- $15 depending on where I get it. Beadsmith spools are much smaller (50 yards) and they run from $11- $13 depending on the stores. Makes $ense to me!

 Some fishing line has proven to be quite valuable to beadweavers.  I am a big fan of Fireline.  I use the smoke and "crystal" colors for off-loom weaving and use it so often that I now buy it in big spools from the sporting goods superstores.

Not everyone likes it, though.  It needs to be conditioned to prevent knotting ("superior knotability" is one of it's selling points to fishermen), and some people are put off by the seeming stiffness of the finished beadwork.  Personally I find it to be extremely strong, thin and lightweight, which is perfect for wearables when you need to pass through beads multiple times.  Still, it has a tendency to break against the edge of a cut crystal, so many beaders will either flank their crystals with seed beads (as in RAW stitch), or just use a different stringing material.

Please avoid using any fishing line which looks like illusion cord.  They will stretch over time and are designed to be UV sensitive, breaking down with exposure to sunlight and moisture.  For illusion applications it's best to stick with a product designed for beaders.

Hey Jenny,

We are both In Michigan. I live in a small town south of Monroe. Maybe someday we will meet somewhere. Are you going to the bead show at Novi later this month? I am thinking about it. I didn't go to the last show in Southfield because I was saving for my  vacation and knew I could blow it all in a matter of minutes at the show.

I might be doing something different, but I never condition my fireline and I have never had any problems with it knotting for me. I also use Swarvoski crystals in my RAW without the use of seed beads and I have never had one break. The only time I had Fireline break like c-lon was when I used a very cheap silver colored metal bead ($1.50 for a tube) and the edges were so sharpe that it broke everything I tried to bead with. I ended up throwing those beads in he trash and buying more expensive ones ($9.50 a tube) and they worked like a charm. I have worn my RAW crystal bracelet almost daily for over a year and it still is holding up quit well.

JennyWren:

 Some fishing line has proven to be quite valuable to beadweavers.  I am a big fan of Fireline.  I use the smoke and "crystal" colors for off-loom weaving and use it so often that I now buy it in big spools from the sporting goods superstores.

 

 WOW - that was some good news, I live in the middle of nowhere when it comes to crafting. There is only 2 stores inthe area that sell beads and stuff and they only do it as a "addtion" to the main purpose of the shop. But I do live next to Norway's biggest lake... and they do know how to fish, and I think we have like 6 stores or something that most likely can sell fishing line. Not sure they have Fireline, but I cant be that picky...

 How does one condition Fireline?  I have never done so but I do sometimes have trouble with knotting especially when I need to work with a very long piece.

I have Thread Heaven and beeswax that I use with other fibers...I may give it a try with my Fireline.

I don't condidtion my fireline. I don't  have any  problems with it. I just use manageable lenghts of it.  I just add on more when I need it. I could never use all of the line I need all at one time. It surely would knot and I would more than likely throw it all in the trash. The only time I use all the line I need is when I am doing a four line RAW brascelet. This design has  you use two (Of the four) lines and two needles at one time.

There is a post on Sept 4th called " running out of wire" in the "How do I" forum  on this site. I just explained in that post how to end and add new line.  I would type it all again but it is very long.

Hope this helps.

Hello,

I have never used Fireline, but am interested in getting some and trying it.
If you condition Fireline prior to using it, what do you use - beeswax, Thread Heaven, or something else?

Do you have any suggestions for threading it through #12 beading needles? I have read a few comments that say it is a bit difficult to thread.

Thanks!

WorfTrek (currently in love with RAW, and somewhat frustrated with learning odd count tubular peyote)

 

If you use the color smoke Fireline. I use a cloth and wipe it first. It has a black greasy film on it that comes off with a few vigorous wipes with the cloth. You fingers will turn black if you don't do this.

I have been using Fireline for a couple of years and have never seen a need to condition it with anything. It is sort of a plastic like coating over a very thin wire. Why would you condition plastic? I may be mistaken of what it is made of but  I know it is very strong and thin. I wouldn't use anythin heavier than maybe a 8# for bead weaving RAW included. The weight is measured by the thickness. Unlike sterling silver  with Fireline the higher the number the thicker the line.

I have no problem with threading the needle. But if you do you can sort of pinch it in your front teeth to flatten it a little. Like I said I don't have any trouble. The Fireline is a little stiff which I find helps get it threaded. Once I have it threaded I pull enough through to have a decent tail and bend it down along side the rest of it. sort of like making a sharp u-turn.Usually doesn't come unthreaded for me.

Hope this helps you understand Fireline a little and try it I did and fell in love with it.

Sue B:

I have no problem with threading the needle.

I use both a 4" and a 2-1/2" Big Eye needle for all my beading, even with stretch line.  I just finished a short tubular brickistitch using the 4" one.  I like its flexibility.

Stan B

 

 I've had a bit of a problem with #13 beading needles and Spiderwire. It looks just like Fireline to me, save the color. I did have to pinch the end, but not with my teeth. *laughz* I just took my chain nose pliers and flattened the end and it went right in. It was a little snug pulling it through the eye to make the tail, but not snug enough to damage the line or the needle. I found some 4" big-eyed needles at Moore's and that is all that I have used since. There is absolutely NO problem threading them.

 Billy ;o)

 I will have to check out Walmart - I use Fireline almost exclusively for anything other than plain stringing - I think I've worked through about 5 125 yd spools since I discovered it a few years ago!

Recently I was working on some really dainty earrings (from a pattern in the October issue of Beadwork) so I got out my Nymo (size D), because I was using delicas, 15's and 2 and 3 mm stone beads with multiple passes.  Using the Nymo again for the first time in years, I really appreciate the Fireline - I don't need to pre-strech it, or use any beewax or other conditioner.  I don't have to worry about splitting the thread (taking out a mistake in my right-angle-weave project finally involved the scissors!) and I can pull just as tight as I need to without it breaking. 

I use mostly 6 # test, I also have 8# for any projects with heavy beads (like hematite) or seeds larger than 11. 

In this recent project I also tried a 4 # test weight (brand name Stren, comes in a foresty green), but discovered it wouldn't go thru the size 13 needles very well.

Lori in NH

 

Just want to affirm that beeswax is great on Fireline! NATURAL beeswax, that is -- not the white synthetic stuff in most sewing stores. But if you're using reasonable lengths, Fireline doesn't really need conditioning at all! I just condition it because I tend to use six or eight feet of thread at a time... =D