Ask the Experts Wire for Suncatchers Q&A

I am making a sun catcher to go outside, hanging on a tree. It will have seed beads (#11 the smallest) as well as large glass beads. What is the strongest wire to use that will go through these beads twice, and will not rust? Do I really need to run the wire through twice?

If you want to crimp the ends of your wire closed, we recommend .019 Accu-Flex® Beading Wire.

If you want to wire wrap, we recommend ParaWire™ or Zebra Wire™. The size of wire to use is dependent upon the hole sizes of the elements you are using. #11 seed beads can have varying hole sizes from .6mm to .8mm depending upon the brand. Be sure to check out the product page for each bead and or component for accurate hole size. Once you determine that, use our Wire Gauge Chart to see what gauge equates to mm size. Then, choose that gauge wire that is just smaller than your smallest bead hole. This will likely be a 22- or 24-gauge wire.