Ask the Experts | Fire Mountain Gems and Beads

Ask the Experts Wire Cutters Q&A

Q: I'm working on bracelets and I don't want any more stretching with the cord. I get that cord stretches some, but I want as little as possible. I'm using griffin natural silk No.12 and tying a weight of 10lbs and lifting it sit for a few days. I'm hearing about soaking the cord in water first then waiting a week. I need your help. I can't make a bracelet and sell it knowing that there is going to be a gap in the design within a few months. What is the proper way to force a stretch on cord so it won't stretch down the road?

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Ask the Experts Split-Ring Pliers Q&A

Q: I have the split-ring pliers. They work fine for keyring size, but when you get down to 4-5mm rings, the pliers only open the ring a little, and I can't keep them open wide enough to insert my focal. I've tried sliding the ring up the shaft of the pliers to open it further, but then the beginning of the ring closes, and I can't slip my focal in. Any ideas?

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Ask the Experts Wire Q&A

Q: When doing wire weaving, I am having a hard time keeping the base wires straight, so my design comes out a little crooked. I am using either 20- or 18-gauge base wire. What am I doing wrong?

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Ask the Experts Tools Q&A

Q: I have split-ring pliers. They work fine for keyring size, but when you get down to 4mm or 5mm rings, the pliers only open the ring a little, and I can't keep them open wide enough to insert my focal. I've tried sliding the ring up the shaft of the pliers to open it farther, but then the beginning of the ring closes down, and I can't slip my focal in. Any ideas?

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Ask the Experts Beading Q&A

Q: I’m having trouble with my seed bead fringe earrings. I’m always having an issue with curling. How do you keep them soft and flowy? I’m using Fireline 4lbs. Also it’s hard to find a balance between pulling them a little bit on the tighter side or having too much of a gap. Could it be the thread? What is the trick ?

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Ask the Experts Storing Metal Findings Q&A

Q: Should you store metal findings out of their original packages or is it best to leave them in the packages? I inadvertently left a lot of mine out of their packages and in drawers of the little plastic cabinets I was storing them in. Oddly some of both were in good shape and others not so much. Can you advise as to which is recommended?

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Ask the Experts Memory Wire Q&A

Q: I want to make a necklace by memory wire, but the diameter of the necklace memory wire is smaller than the diameter of the necklace that I want to make. How can I make the wire open a little bit bigger than its memory diameter?

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Ask the Experts Metal Beads Q&A

Q: I have old brass curved tube beads in varying sizes. I want to cut or file some of the outside edge of the curve to expose a little cord inside. Do I use a file, a jeweler's saw? What type of blade or file? Thank you.

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Ask the Experts Fast Seed Bead Stringing Q&A

Q: My wife uses size 14 and size 15 seed beads to make little purses, and she is always saying she wishes she had a way to string the beads onto her needle that would be faster and easier than from a saucer and one at a time. I have heard about a bowl that you turn and the beads string onto the needle; is there such an item? Please let me know if you have any ideas.

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Ask the Experts Spacer Bars Q&A

Q: Hi, I am very new to beading and have run into a problem. I made a three strand bracelet and put 3 strand spacer bars (8995MB) into it. The back of the spacer bars look so lonely with the little strands of wire. Is there something I can use for that? Thank You.

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Ask the Experts Jewelry Repair Q&A

Q: Is there a way to remove a crimp bead cover from a finished necklace? I used a 4mm crimp bead cover at the very end of my necklace. But I feel my necklace has little flexibility, and the toggle bar of my clasp does not move freely. I think removing the cover and replacing it with a smaller crimp bead cover might take care of the problem. Any other ideas what I could do without pulling my necklace apart?

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Ask the Experts Finishing Q&A

Q: When finishing a piece, I don't have a problem with crimping or threading the wire back through the finished beads but I have to pull on it a little too tight for comfort to make sure that the piece doesn't have too much slack in it...and be ruined. Some pieces cannot abide a crimp cover and the crimp will be hidden well but still, is there a secret to achieving the aforementioned task without using a winch?

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