beadwork and flying

I fly a whole lot, (Mostly Maine to Florida, to see my boyfriend down there--but I've even done Maine to Australia & back a few times--YIKES don't even ask me about being stuck at JFK in NYC for the Aug 03 blackout for 3 days on my way to Sydney once!!!)... Anyways, I go outta my mind on that pliers rule myself. But I've come up with a few ways to keep myself entertained.

I can get by checkpoints pretty easy with those small hardware store clamps (you know, shaped almost like a heavy-duty clothespin?), I use those to hold strands of finer wire for weaving. (for later incorporating into projects such as my thumbring as an example:

Only ONCE did a security dork question a clamp, but his supervisor came over and told him they were fine. I also usually bring a spool-knitter thingy & a crochet hook on board in case I get bored with the weaving as far as wire goes.. In a pinch when I caught one of my early chains (thus untumbled & weak) and it broke a link or two, I used tweezers from my makeup bag to form the opened links back together.... eventually I wanna test out a few different sizes/styles of tweezers to see if I can't come up with an almost-perfect-air-trave-chainmaking-solution-setup... thing. :-D As for cutting wire, I just bend it back & forth a few times, it snaps eventually :-)

I also bring a few options for bead projects along in case I get bored with the wire altogether (Unlikely, but lordy lemme tell you, there's a very intricate netting piece laying on my desk somewhere that was the result of a

16+ hour layover at Dulles Scareport back in July. Saved me from going anywhere near "insane"!) "Safe for flying" supplies as far as beading are just about everything I'd need for beading anyway: beads, thread, needles, small shallow tray, and rounded-tip Fiskars kids' scissors. (Which double to cut the very very fine wire that can take too long to break off by the bending back & forth technique)

When all else fails to keep my mind off the lack of pliers & torches (and man oh man, cigarettes!), I look at a Rio Grande catalog or old issues of Lapidary Journal.

-- m3rma1d

Shirley, I would have your friend check with the airline's website about prohibited materials. Some airlines do not even let their cabin attendants bring nail scissors onboard. With the passage of the new homeland security bill, a lot of the regs have changed. When I flew back from Louisville to NJ, they checked my carryon 3 times, the glass frit I bought at the Gathering was so opaque that it would not scan. I thought I would have to leave it behind, but eventually they said it was OK to take it. She should also be advised that a lot of airports, including Newark-Liberty DO NOT allow you to lock your checked luggage, so she shouldn't take anything in her checked luggage (like jewelry) that is irreplacable, there have been a lot of thefts. Continental's website has a lot of info on what they do allow on board.

but I think each airline has some different rules. The amount of carryon baggage and the size has been lowered a lot, if you violate those rules, you have to pay heavy weight charges which are steep. Patti

If she's coming to the U.S, the Transportation Security Administration (part of Homeland Security) publishes a list of what's allowed and what's prohibited on airline flights. From what I understand, the carriers are supposed to adhere to these guidelines. Note that some things are allowed only in checked baggage.

Here are my experiences, and I travel a couple times a month, and through airports around the country:

If she does any bead weaving or bead stringing or bead crocheting, those are her best bets. Beading needles, beads, thread, cord, etc. doesn't generate much concern. (I usually keep a finished piece of work in my bead case... if they see what it is you are creating, they are usually pacified.) I do more wire work than weaving and I've found it best to travel with my mini-tools - round nosed pliers, flat -nosed pliers, bent-nosed pliers, all of which have 'noses' smaller than 1 inch. Snips of any type are a problem, and there doesn't seem to be a great deal of consistancy from airport to airport, or even from agent to agent. I've prety much given up and now carry a lightweight fingernail clipper, and a heavyweight toenail clippper, and then go back and clean up any wire cuts when I get home to my needle nosed snips. Carrying jewelry wire can raise an eyebrow or 2. If you are going to travel with beading supplies in your carry-on, PLAN to have your bag searched. I bought a man's small travel shaving kit bag. I have a small 2 sided tackle box (Walmart) that perfectly hold headpins & ear wires(gold, silver, copper, and niobium) on 1 side; and crimps, clasps, clamshells, jumprings, and crimp covers on the other side. Handy as hell. I use it all the time, because I know that as long as I have that box, I'll have every thing I need in basic findings. It also fits neatly into the shaving bag. I neatly coil any wire, and put each type in a ziploc bag. All of my beads are in clear tubes or clear bags. This way, they can pull of the 'suspicious bag, rootle around in it, dump it on the table, see what everything is, and not make a HUGE MESS. I also have a 10x15 inch piece of short-napped beading fabric on which to work. It keeps everything from sliding around, and I can set up anywhere. ALWAYS carry tons of business cards, because people WILL come see what you are doing. You will answer lots of questions, and you may very well make a sale or two. My last trip with my son, he and I were making crystal ball earrings, and we were selling them as fast as we could make them. :)

One last suggestion: Go to the website (i think someone else has linked it in this thread) and print out the page that has small tools, nail clippers, etc on it. I have a copy of the current regs in my travel bag, and if there is any question, I will pull it out and very nicely say, "this is the information I pulled up yesterday (yes I reprint it every time, that way they can't say it changed) and I believe that I am within the regulations. If they hem and haw, nicely ask for the supervisor. 99.9% of the time you can resolve it quickly and pleasantly. Only once did I hit a REAL JERK who not only made me check my bag, but WALKED me back to the airline counter, and RADIOED all of the checkpoints to be watching for a lady of my description. grrrrr...... Luckily, the airport had a bookstore and I got a novel to pass the time.

Good LUCK!!!!

Katie

Shirley Shone wrote:

Yeah me too, just not on planes since... ... I couldn't bring pliers.

Ok, are you talking about the set that all 3 can fit in the palm of your hand? You get away with those? CARRY-ON? Is this a recent privilege?

I've never made it with those in my carry-on.

I've only tried twice, but they were enough effort I am hesitant to try again.. The first time I was gonna miss my plane if I didn't just let them throw them away (no time to run back to the counter downstairs to have them put with my already checked in stuff.) Talk about PEE OH'D! That was kinda more traumatic than I ever wanted to go thru again, watching some jagoff toss my tools in the trashcan (no matter if they were cheapo mini pliers to use in a pinch or my "part-time lover" the Jump Ringer--tools are tools!!) It was just.... WRONG!

So.... you can guess what happened the second time, I DID run back to the counter to have them put them in with my checked in stuff and you guessed it--missed my plane. (No biggie really, I'm very bad about being late, never leaving myself a time-cushion for any situations. I miss alotta flights :-p)

But anyhoo, the last time I tried bringing them on I guess woulda been..... this past January or so? Right around there....

Are you saying they're cool now?

Yeah but last I looked it said no pliers of any kind in carry-on. And when my clamp was questioned that one time just this past July, they kept saying "Is it a tool? No tools are allowed." playing this weird game until I said something like "No, view it like a hairclip or clothespin or tape--just holding something in place" and they let me go thru.... but the "no tools" rings in my head since it was so fresh....

But they change crap very often, I dunno. So yeah, more details on how you get away with the mini pliers?

Thanks :-)

--m3rma1d

Yes, mini tools that fit in the palm of your hand. These are also not my GOOD tools, by any means!! These are mini sets that I get at Michael's with a 50% off coupon, so that if I DO run into a TSA Prick, I don't feel toooooooo bad, but in the past 4 years, and over 100 flights, I've only 'lost' 1 set of tools; and that was because I tried to get a flush cutter through. (actually, I forgot I had thrown it in the bag)

The less bulk wire I have, and more head pins and jump rings, the less antsy they seem to be. Having a finished piece or two in the pouch is also a very good thing. As they are scanning my stuff, I watch the scanner, and if the guy/gal starts squinting at the screen and moving the belt back and forth, I usually say something like, "Are you looking at the pouch on top? That is my jewelers' pouch, I make artisan jewelry. You are welcome to take a closer look." If one of the TSA folks grabs the bag to 'inspect', I usually say something like, "The jewlers' pouch is the navy bag right there on top. Feel free to open it and dump it out if you'd like. (This is why everything is in nice neat clear baggies) I usually roll my tools in the beading mat/fabric and secure with 1 rubber band.

I also tend to wear a flashy set of jewelry when I travel, for a number of reasons:

1. it is good advertising
2. as you are chatting with the TSA person, you can reference the pieces you are putting back on (after taking them off to go through the metal detector)
3. credibility

katie

m3rma1d wrote:

Thank you for all your advice. I have passed the information on to my friend. I think she will take a book. LOL