Stringing

Re: Stringing using stretch cord

melinda.sanchez — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 15:21:54 GMT

I hate stretchy cord! but I've used it several times to make bracelets for my girlfriends. I've always tied it really tight and put one of those crimp cover thingies over the knot. It's seems to hold up pretty well because the knot becomes compressed I think.

Re: Stringing using stretch cord

Claudette48 — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 20:45:40 GMT

Ooops, forgot to finish my square knot - right over left, left over right. Sorry.

Re: Stringing using stretch cord

Claudette48 — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 20:20:03 GMT

Probably, I should not on a beader's forum admit that I hate to crimp.

I make beaded double bands for watches with one piece of elastic. I take the amount of elastic I think I'll need and stuff the roll in a beverage cozy (those foam cup things that usually have advertising on them to keep your canned beverage cold). This way if it falls on the floor, it won't come unraveled and as long as I hang on to the other end, beads won't fall off. The elastic is the needle. If you ever have a material that needs a needle, you can make one by coating the end with super glue, letting it dry completely, and when you're done, cut it off.

I bead half the length of the watch band, then I slip the watch on the elastic and let it fall to the beads. I then make the length of the watch band and slip the elastic through the other side of the watch and bead the other half.

Leaving 2 or 3 inches on each end, cut the elastic and make a square knot - first right over left, drawing the knot tight enough to take all of the slack out of the bracelet and then a little more, then left of right tying it tight. You will now have one end on each side of your knot. lay them flat against the elastic, and slide through the bead until the bead is in the middle and now you have an end sticking out of both sides. Do not cut. Get the glue that has a needle ready. While holding the knot in place from the other side, take the other leg and pull on it gently so it's stretched just a tad. Now hold both ends with one hand, using the free hand to stick a smidge of glue in the hole. Repeat on the other side. Now take each leg and wiggle just a teeny bit so it's covered in glue. Do not cut yet. Allow glue to fully dry. Now pull the leg of elastic - it should be tightly glued. If it's not glue again and wait. If it is, snip with sharp cutters right next to the bead. Now it's inside the bead. No one will ever be able to tell how you did it or where the knot is and it will be REALLY STRONG and beautiful.

You may not be able to go exactly half, and half when you're stringing, because to make the knotting process easy, you'll want to pick a particular bead, but you'll be able to compensate for that, I'm sure.

Also, I never use any clamps or hemostats because it'll make a weak place in the elastic.

Obviously, you can use the glue and knot procedure on an elastic bracelet.

I've even found watch faces now that have four decorative bars around the face of the rhinestone face so that you can bead around the face, AND make a double band. Beautiful.

amagnetaday.com

Re: Stringing using stretch cord

carolina123 — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 04:28:24 GMT

By the way, from what i have seen, a decent pair of cutters will cost the same if not more than a jeweler's saw. You really don't need a jeweler's saw anyway. They make a hacksaw blade handle that the blade sticks straight out of one end so that you can cut freely without the bow of the saw getting in the way. I have one of these too and if I remember correctly, it was only about $10-$15 and came with several blades. Use the finest, and thinnest blades you can find for these a they take out a lot of metal. It does leave a nice flush cut on both sides that match almost perfectly though. ood luck with whatever decision that you come to.

Re: Stringing using stretch cord

Rock Wear Gems — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 00:53:14 GMT

I was going to ask what brand of this type of cord y'all like to use. I forgot to order some when I placed my last orders, so I'm just going to pick some up from Michael's. Regular elastic just seems so old-school breakable, and it also is too large for most of the gemstones I use.

Do you use a fine needle to thread gemstones and pearls onto it?

Do you double it?

No experience whatsoever. I did read some about tying the knot and then tucking it into a bead so it appears seamless.

Thanks!

Diane

Re: Stringing using stretch cord

SoftFlexGuy — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 21:19:49 GMT

Crimps could be a little rough on elastic.

Try knotting it to finish and then dabbing some glue in the knot. Special T Glue is a gap-filling glue designed to fill the inside of knots and secure them. It is also non-acidic and won't eat through the elastic. It dries pliably and isn't going to be a chunky mess on your bracelet.

Re: Stringing using stretch cord

andy88 — Fri, 28 May 2010 09:20:59 GMT

now this is great

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Re: Stringing using stretch cord

LoisB@23 — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 15:17:29 GMT

Dawn--Wire Guards! I never would have thought of using them for this, but it makes sense! (just ask SHerri )

Lois

Re: Stringing using stretch cord

Sunrise Jewelry — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 16:38:13 GMT

For Hannakah, I made a magnetic bead stretch bracelet for a friend who decided she wanted a specific clasp added to "dress it up" from the bracelets she normally wears (also made by me). Why make a bracelet elastic and still use a clasp? Well, because she doesn't like anything loose around her wrists, she likes her bracelets snug but not tight and still movable and expandable -- she has carpal tunnel in her wrists and arthritis in her fingers and her wrists and hands sometimes get swollen because of it.

I used a combination of 2 things -- a crimp cover and I now can't remember what they're called specifically, but they're like wire or thread protectors...those little things that you string your wire/thread through before attaching to a clasp or jump ring, to give it more strength and stability, especially when stringing heavy or expensive beads or pearls.

To start, I strung the elastic cord through a protector and through one part of the clasp, back out the other side of the protector and tied a knot, leaving about 1/4 to 1/2 inch tail. I strung the bracelet to length and did basically the same thing at the other end with the other part of the clasp and a second protector and also leaving a tail after tying the knot. I tucked the tails into a few of the beads and trimmed where I needed to. To finish, I used coordinating crimp covers, very carefully closing over the exposed part of the knots on each end and making sure the elastic cord was threaded through the crimp cover and not crimped over by the cover when closing it.

She loves this bracelet so much that it's now a part of her normal daily wear, unusual because she's not a big jewelry person and never wears a watch and only a necklace for special occasions. It's been over a month now and it's still holding strong and pretty. I wear magnetic bracelets everyday too and I'm even thinking of doing one up like this for myself.

Hope this helps. Good luck!

Dawn

Re: Stringing using stretch cord

Michelle Mach — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 14:01:59 GMT

On my beaded watch, I used two elastic cords, one for each end of the watch. I tied a lark's head knot on each side of the watch face, strung the beads and then tied a square knot with both cords. I tucked the square knot into one of the beads to hide it.

http://www.beadingdaily.com/blogs/daily/archive/2009/01/02/using-elastic-in-jewelry-designs.aspx

Good luck! Let us know what you decide to do!

Re: Stringing using stretch cord

Anonymous — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 13:42:17 GMT

Some people like to use crimps, but I would be afraid to for the reason you mentioned. I suppose you would just wrap the stretch cord around the bar on either side of the watch face, then go back through your beadwork and knot it. If you have enough space between the bar and the face, you could string a few seed beads around the bar to hide the cord.

I've never done a watch band before though, so someone else may have a better idea.

Stringing using stretch cord

jag@2 — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 11:19:52 GMT

Hello everybody! I am trying (for the first time) to use stretch cord when making a "bracelet" for a watch. How do you attach the cord to the watch. Do you use crimp beads? It seems like they might cut the cord. This may not be a good idea, but it seems like I have seen this type of thing in some of those catalogs I get by the hundreds in the mail!!! Any help would certainly be appreciated.