Dyed Delicas

Feb 05, 2004 25 Replies

I'm starting to collect Delicas. It seems that many of the colors that I want are "dyed." I was told that dyed colors may rub off or get washed out.



Since Delicas are so pricey, I'd hesitate to invest in colors that may not last.



What have been your experiences with dyed Delicas?



Arondelle


In article , Arondelle writes

The few dyed ones I have seem ok so far but I havent used them in anything that gets a huge amount of wear. However, since I found out that they may rub off over time I dont buy them anymore. :-)

How can you tell which Delicas are dyed? I've never run across them. Dora

Well, it usually says "dyed" in the color name... :o)

Arondelle

Fair enough. A lot of repackaged or Delica imitations are pretty skimpy on the content info though IME.

A reminisce ... I work sometimes in an import store, and at one time we had these beads made out of the seeds of some plant that were dyed. I had someone buy a string for his wife, and she came in the same day to return them because the dye had come off on her skin. I wasn't giving her a problem about it, but she was really pissy about it, basically saying that 'they' only purchased good quality merchandise and she used a very aggressive, sarcastic voice. So I gave her her $5 back without comment, and she sailed out in triumph. I put a coat of polyurethane on the beads. If they were ever a problem after that, I don't know because some Norwegian tourists bought them. One thing about Norwegian tourists. Returns are quite low.

Of course you can't polyurethane Delicas. Dora

I don't buy many Delica's since I don't care about the uniformity usually, but I've had the same problem with Japanese seed beads. I had a wonderful lavendar silver lined color come off. I was halfway done with my project and I noticed that my hands were bright pink. I thought it was the thread I was using (Nymo, and yes, I know, I know, Silamide is superior...) but realized that it was my BEADS! How horrible a feeling it is to come to find out that your bead color comes off after all that work. I've heard that you can spray them with enamel or gloss, but IMO, that is too much work for all those little beads. I now just stay away from anything dyed. And from my experiences, if you love the color and it's a weird hue that you don't see often, it is probably dyed. :-(

Valerie Website:

formatting link
Check out my site for the RCB member links pages! E-mail me for details!

:-O

Heehee!

Valerie Website:

formatting link
Check out my site for the RCB member links pages! E-mail me for details!

On Thu, 5 Feb 2004 22:36:45 -0500, starlia wrote (in message ):

Only by a factor of about a million. But you have to buy it from a fishing place. The bead stores want way too much money for it.

Kathy N-V

Cool. Going to the fishing store tomorrow. Would Walmart have it by chance?

I buy mine at Walmart for $11.84

I buy two or three at a time.

In article , Dr. Sooz writes

So, is the Fireline flexible like Nymo and Silamide? And could you do several passes through a bead with it? :-)

In article , Dr. Sooz writes

So I've seen I shall have to see if I can find some as I think my fringe bracelets would be more secure made with that. They get about 6 passes through each seedbead. :-)

Yanno, I've been trying to use 10# PowerPro for beadweaving, and it makes me crazy. It's ok for stringing tiny beads, but...!

So, Sooz, how do you feel about dyed Delicas? ;-)

Arondelle

The 10# test is much stiffer than Silamide and I find that while it's great for some weaving projects, for others I still need my Silamide. Plus with Silamide you get color choices, which can be important when doing a stitich that shows a lot of thread.

In article , Shirley Shone writes

I did a search on fishing tackle shops in the UK and found a couple that do it, the downside was the price which was pretty bad I thought. :-)

In article , ally writes

What was the price of it? Shirley

In article , Shirley Shone writes

This is the link I found:

formatting link
they had it for £18 for 125m reel of £31 for 300m which I thought was rather a lot. Also it doesnt say what weight it is. The 125m reel is described as Fireline braid and the 300m reel as Superline I dont know if this is the same stuff as you get in the US or not. :-)

The thing that was making me nuts about the Power Pro was that it was almost impossible to cut neatly with a pair of scissors. I usually can't get at my ends with a pair of wire cutters, either, and I'm left with a mess of white, fuzzy tails. :-P

So, I sent the Professor out to Wally's for 6# Fireline this morning. It's way easier to snip than Power Pro. Yard for yard, the Fireline is less expensive than PP. I also like the fact that it's made from recycled materials. I'll try it for weaving later in the week.

Myself, I don't have problems with Nymo. I stretch good it before I thread the needle, and that also takes the spool-kinks out of it. Nymo is meant for sewing shoes; it has to be strong. Unless I've already damaged the thread, I can't break it just by pulling on it, not even Nymo 0.

OTOH, I think the Fireline should be better than Nymo for projects that require more body, such as bracelets or free-standing sculptural pieces.

Note: Fibers woven around a core *is* considered a braid, at least in the rope industry. Power Pro is maybe a continuous chain stitch?

Arondelle

I use Fiskars embroidery scissors for everything involving cutting thread. It's a no go. An Exacto knife works, but I can't always get it where I want it.

Arondelle

Join the Discussion

Have something to add? Share your thoughts — no account required.

Didn't find your answer?

Ask the community — no account required