crimping problems with cord and cord substitution

What synthetic cord is most like cotton thread? I found that the cord is a little stiff. Or am I just being overly aware? I've been making very long strands with seed beads and accuflex and I broke one - or my cat pulled it apart. I've been threading the ends of the piece crossing by eachother through a few inches of bead including two crimps that I placed in the strand a few inches apart from one another, and crimping on either side a few inches apart. I heard that you can tie a figure 8 knot and crimp right on the figure 8 knot. Any suggestions? The crimp actually cut through my wire once! I haven't seen any evidence of this happening to anyone else.

I wouldn't use anything but coated beading wire - Beadalon, Accuflex, etc., when crimping.  The crimp will certainly cut through a spin material.

Have you considered using silk or cotton thread and knotting when you work with long strands?  The drape is much better and if a strand breaks, there's minimal loss.

Lita

 Hi, I agree with LitaC crimps will eventually cut through cotton and /or nylon thread.  Have you tried clam shells?  You can use wire gards with thread too, or french wire, Iuse both depending on the piece.  Hope this helps

 I've made a couple lariet style necklaces lately.  On the first one I didn't know better and crimped the end of the nylon thread I used.  I used clamshells over the crimp beads.  I had a little problem with the thread being cut, but not too much.

The second one I tried to knot the thread, even using a knoting tool (like is used to knot pearls) but one knot was not enough to keep the beads from falling off and trying to tie a second knot over the first seemed impossible.  I was doubling up the thread.  Is there something else I should know or be doing differently?  I'm about to start a duplicate to the first necklace (actually had an order for a second one!) and would like to know soon.  Thanks. 

 there's an easy solution to making a knot bigger... tie the knot around a seedbead! That's what I used to do when I would use the clamshells. That way you tie the knot, dot it with glue, and the bead makes it big enough NOT to slip back through the hole of the clamshell.

Lois

Thanks for the response!

Do you do this with a knotting tool (can't imagine how) or just with a head pin or wire guiding it up against the end of the beading?

Vicki

 I don't do either, I litterally tie the knot (just a basic square) AROUND the bead itself. I do use a beading needle to help snug it right down before I do the second cross over for the knot. Does that make sense?

Lois

 Yes, that's what I meant by a headpin or piece of wire.

Thanks for the info.  I'll try that with this next project!!