Ask the Experts Needles Q&A
Q: What needle should I use for my seed bead project?
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Ask the Experts Tools Q&A
Q: When I use my split ring pliers to open the ring and put a charm on, I seem to "ruin" the ring. It doesn't close back up properly, but remains separated from the center. Am I opening them incorrectly?
Ask the Experts Gemstones Q&A
Q: I recently collected a lot of small stones and pebbles on the beach and want to wire wrap them and turn them into pendants. However, after the stones dried, they lost some of the appeal that made me pick them up in the first place. How can I treat the stones to give them the ''just out of the ocean'' look again? And I need this to be permanent and safe to wear. Thank you,
Ask the Experts Preventing Tarnish on Gold-Plated Beads Q&A
Q: I love the look of the gold-plated beads with my gemstones but they "turn" or tarnish with only one or two wearings, and then they look awful! Is there anything I can do to stop this? I can't afford to use the real thing.
Ask the Experts Cleaning Jewelry Q&A
Q: How do I get my pieces clean after people handle it at a show, and get fingerprints off, too?
Ask the Experts Seed Beads Q&A
Q: How can Thread Magic® help my seed beading?
Ask the Experts Bead Holes Q&A
Q: How can I remove dried glue from a bead hole so I can use the bead again? Thank You.
Ask the Experts Rotary Tumbler Q&A
Q: I recently bought a Lortone Rotary Tumbler and would like to tumble metal in it. How do I do this? The instruction booklet doesn't address this. Thank you.
Ask the Experts Sizing Q&A
Q: Can sterling silver rings be sized up?
Ask the Experts Organizing Q&A
Q: I need tips, please, on how to organize a large inventory of beads and findings. Not the physical components—trays, bags, etc.—but the logical organization.
Do the experts find it most useful to organize by color? By size? By material? By shape? Which are the main categories, and how are items sorted within the main categories?
For example, beads might be organized first by main color (pink, yellow, black), then by big category of material (gemstone, glass), then specific material (calcite, mookaite, crystal, crackle glass, lampwork). Then within material by size or shape.
What logical organization works best for you to help you find what you need quickly? Do different people organize different ways? How do you organize strands that have mixed colors or materials?
Ask the Experts Bead Reamer Q&A
Q: I was given a battery operated bead reamer as a gift, but am hesitant to try it. I was watching your bead reamer video and didn't even see a powered version mentioned as an option. It seems to me the hand versions offer more control. Do you have any recommendations?
Ask the Experts Wire Gauges Q&A
Q: What is the best gauge wire to use with the wire jig? The best gauge to make jump rings?
Ask the Experts Seed Beads Q&A
Q: I have a woven seed bead necklace that someone wants me to make earrings for. It consists of regular pink seed beads accented with matte gold seeds. The customer wants to clean the necklace. How do you clean this necklace without removing the color from the beads?
Ask the Experts Wire Gauge for a Wire-Wrapped Ring Q&A
Q: I recently purchased a bead ring from a street vendor. The ring's band is made with a smooth silver wire with two loops, then a bead is attached using a thinner wire which is threaded through the ring's loops and twisted to secure. What kind and gauge of hypo-allergenic wire can be used to make a similar ring for my family and friends?
Ask the Experts Pliers Q&A
Q: Please tell me the difference between "lap joint" and "box joint" pliers?
Ask the Experts Release Q&A
Q: I was wondering if you need any kind of release with the flex molds? I'm thinking for PMC you'd want to oil them, but what about resin?
Ask the Experts Patina Q&A
Q: Instead of Liver of Sulfur, will using muriatic acid in small amounts to oxidize metal make the metal brittle? I like the gunmetal look I achieved in gold- and silver-plated chains but am unsure how long the patina will last. Thanks.
Ask the Experts Cleaning Q&A
Q: How do I clean my pliers and wire cutters? They have become rusty and old looking.
Ask the Experts Avoid Marring Wire Q&A
Q: When I'm working with wire, I notice my tools are leaving marks behind. How can I avoid marring the wire?
Ask the Experts Cleaning and Polishing Q&A
Q: I have trouble with gold/silver filled findings darkening over time. What can I use on them to keep them shiny as if new?
Ask the Experts Arthritis Q&A
Q: Which tools do you recommend to buy when the person has arthritis?
Ask the Experts Cloisonné BeadsQ&A
Q: How should I clean cloisonné beads?
Ask the Experts Cleaning Q&A
Q: When a natural pearl starts to discolor, does that mean it is "sick"?
Ask the Experts Tarnish Removal Q&A
Q: I have quite a collection of Hill Tribe Silver beads. I have been keeping them in clear hard plastic stackable screw together storage containers. I have noticed that they are beginning to tarnish. It will be quite a job to shine them up again. Could you recommend the best way to store them (for the future) and what would be the best way for me to clean these intricate beads. Many thanks for your help.