Silly Questions

Hi Sharon, Firepolish is a term for how the bead is made. The bead is molded, faceted and then "polished" in the fire. That form of polishing removes and little edges of glass, and rounds the edge out slightly. Here is an upclose view of the difference between Firepolish, Czech Crystal & Austrian Crystal:

Scroll down past the Bali & Cast comparison. AB & Lustre are terms used to describe a finish that may be on the bead. AB is an abbreviation of Aurora Borialis, or all the colors of the rainbow. Lustre is a coating that gives the bead a translucent pearlessence. >I have

Then you should locate the other size. Nymo O is very thin, and in my opinion should only be used for repairs. Doubling it will only cause you grief. You will be much more likely to get your thread tangled when you pass through the hole of the bead and also thread through the two strands. In addition, if one strand breaks, you will have a huge mess on your hands.

The most common Nymo sizes available are OO, O, B, D & F OO being the thinnest. Other sizes can be found, but they are not as common. Depending on the size beads you are working with will determine which size Nymo you should use. There will also be people who prefer other weaving threads over Nymo...C-Lon, Silamide, Fireline, PowerPro, Etc. Here is a link to a website that offers some good information on all of them:

Beki

Beki, this is a great website! Thanks for recommending it.

Elise

You are welcome Elise. While I don't neccesarily agree with all of her comments, I do find it to be very informative.

Beki

Just a quick note on Nymo. I've used it and after reading several posts here I found some Fireline. There is absolutely no comparison. The Fireline rocks! Get the 4# or 6# size from Walmart and use it if you would like to try it. It's fishing line. I have found to absolutely love the stuff and it works in my bead loom. I'll never go back to Nymo again.

I haven't used Fireline yet, but I recently switched from Nymo to Silamide. I found Silamide sturdier than Nymo and much less likely to fray. The seed bead pieces I did with Nymo all have these little frayed ends sticking out. Blech.

(I didn't condition the Nymo. But I'd rather not condition thread if I don't have to.)

I love the "to Nymo or not to Nymo" conversation!

I have been beading for over 30 years now...I use Nymo...I always have. My beadwork does not break, nor does it fray or have unsightly threads hanging out. (for seedbead woven projects)

I used Silamide twice, both times the finished piece broke on me...it is apparently not the thread for me...lol

I have used, Fireline, Powerpro, Spiderwire, and some other similar products. I like them for certain things, but I am not able to get the "drape" I am accustom to with my tension and Nymo.

I think it will always remain a matter of preference for each individual...kinda like toilet paper. ;o)

Beki

I'm fascinated at our different experiences. Since I'm only beginning, I am probably doing something wrong that causes the fraying. Do you condition it? stretch it? How do you finish off the ends?

Well, I think with any art or craft, spending time on the fine details pays off. It only takes a moment to prepare your medium.

I will sometimes condition my thread with Thread Heaven. BTW, this product works best if you pass it thru the product and then scrape most of it back off with your fingernail (or other sharp object) creating the static it requires to help keep your thread from tangling. This also helps to eliminate any extra that may goop up inside the hole of you bead. Yuck! You should also remove as much wax (if you choose to use it) as you can from the surface of your thread to avoid goop too.

I always stretch any medium except for wire. Either the product requires a quick tug to help stretch it out, or to help remove any tension from when it was wound. Regardless of whether a thread or cord is stretchless, it does contain a certain amount of tension. Depending on the level of tension you work your beadwork with will determine whether you need that added tension in your thread. I tend to work with a medium amount of tension, so removing any additional is very helpful to me. Most folks learn to adjust their tension to their thread of choice.

I only use knots on strung pieces that I hide inside of a beadtip (clamshell). I never tie knots in my woven pieces, nor do I use any type of glue. I just weave my ends in in a figure 8, being sure it crosses over itself at least once. I begin a new thread the same way.

You may have ended up with frayed thread because you drag it across the edge of the hole. I always pull straight out of the hole (learned from beading with so many crystals) and this helps avoid fraying. Another thing that will contribute to fraying is working with too long of a piece of thread. I know..I hate adding on thread too...but the finished piece will benefit from not overworking your thread.

I suggest you try as many different threads as you can get your hands on to see which one works the best for you. I know that Nymo has a much longer history than any of the others, both on the market and with my own experience...that is why it works the best for me.

Beki

vj found this in rec.crafts.beads, from "roxan" :

]The only thing I don't like Fireline for is fringe since unless you have ]heavy beads it don't hang straight.

it will, over time. but you're right - it won't when you first use it.

----------- @vicki [SnuggleWench] (Books)

(Jewelry) newest creations: ----------- The measure of the menace of a man is not what hardware he carries, but what ideas he believes.-- Jeff Jordan

vj found this in rec.crafts.beads, from "roxan" :

]Well that is good to know since the last piece I made I have to keep picking ]at the fringe to keep it hanging straight.

**smile** it gets more flexible with age and "movement".

----------- @vicki [SnuggleWench] (Books)

(Jewelry) newest creations: ----------- The measure of the menace of a man is not what hardware he carries, but what ideas he believes.-- Jeff Jordan

Beki, I could kiss you. LOL! I too love using Nymo and won't let it go. I do use Silamide and other threads, but my choice for beadweaving in most pieces is still Nymo.

Valerie

RCB FAQ: Check out my site for the RCB Member Links! E-mail me for details on submission!

Oh please do! =o) I could use a kiss right now. I have had a Monday ever since Monday and it's wearing on my nerves. =o\

Beki