String Beads with a Bead Spinner
This Handy Tool is a Useful Addition to the Beaders Workbox.
May 18, 2007
If you are working a lot with tiny glass seed beads, then you will know the frustrations of stringing them before they are ready for use. You may be lucky and buy your seed beads pre-strung, however if you buy them loose then spending time squinting at a beading needle is a necessary evil and one that must be completed before you can really get going with the beading!
Bead Spinner
One option is to simply set aside the time, get ready with your favorite music, good lighting (an absolute must!) and use this as relaxation, letting your mind dream of other things whilst stringing hundreds of tiny beads. Another option is to invest in a bead ‘spinner’ or ‘stringer’. These handy tools are very simple in concept and will help to significantly reduce the time spent in bead stringing. There are many different makes of bead spinner available, however they all work on the same principle and that is that when the beads are spun in a bowl on a spindle with a thin curved needle held still within the bowl, the beads will be forced onto the needle. Bead spinners consist of a base and a bowl that sits onto the base and a curved beading needle. It is the bowl that spins (see picture).
How to use your Bead Spinner
Bead spinners will work on most sizes of seed beads. To use the bead spinner fill the bowl approximately half way with beads – if you fill it too much beads will fly out of the bowl and if it is too empty it is difficult to use. When you spin the bowl the beads will move to the outer side of the bowl. Hold the curved end of the threaded needle facing the flow of beads and beads will be forced onto the needle as they pass.
When a couple of inches are on the needle, move them back onto the thread and repeat the process, remembering to frequently move the beads from the needle back onto the thread.
Thread Beads on Wire
If you prefer to bead with wire, then the bead spinner will work equally well using wire instead of the needle. Simply gently bend the wire into a curve and follow the process above, moving the beads back towards the reel so there is not too much weight stopping the beads moving onto the wire.
Bead spinners can be bought from local craft stores and, of course, online. However it is also possible to make a bead spinner out of little more than a margarine tub! Take a look at this website for more information.
Tips for using your bead spinner for the first time.
A bead spinner will significantly save stringing time - however there is a knack to this. Don't be disappointed if your first attempts are less than successful!
- Do not over fill the bowl - beads will fly everywhere
- For the first few goes, manually turn the spindle to control the speed
- Work up confidence using a slow spin - spinning the bowl too fast will result in beads being distributed to all four corners of the room
- Put the spinner inside a large bowl to catch any fly-away beads
- Keep the needle to the side of the bowl - be careful not to 'scoop' the beads which will also result in them flying out of the bowl
Practice with your bead spinner and soon it will become an essential part of your beading work-box.
Further reading: Bead and Wire Jewelry at Suite101
Useful Wire Jewelry Tool – a Wire Jig
