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Also see Steve and Heather Smith of
Winslow Bobbins
for their method of spangling.
Try fine fishing line (nylon monofilament). I used 4-lb. test for mine, and was it ever easy compared to my struggles with wire (which closely paralleled yours!).
With the monofilament, I was able to get the beads on much more tightly than I could with the wire, which basically left me with a sliding ring of beads that often loosened and fell off, or just plain broke (at the place where I'd stressed the wire bending it.
I can't remember for sure, but I think others have used thread? It seems like the subject might have come up at the Tonder class I took at the IOLI convention in Bellevue, but I must have been noodling over my pillow at the time.
The trick is to have a material that is springy and makes and holds a good knot that you can draw up as tightly as you like. My method is to string up, make a surgeon's knot (oh, dear, what's the best way to describe it... weaver's knot with an extra over on the 2nd half??) and draw up tightly. It still amazes me how tightly I can draw the monofilament and have it stay. Then I thread back the ends a few beads to hide them, and cut off. In some cases I threaded all the way back around, made a second surgeons knot, and tied the ends again. This was even tighter, but I got very tired of trying to thread the filament through all those beads (not so easy when they're on the bobbin!)
By the way, I got the idea for using monofilament from this very list a couple of years ago, although the discussion at the time was to use it for spangling midlands bobbins. I use 8-lb weight for that use, twice around, and those spangles are delightfully springy and always remember their shape.
Mimi in Snohomish
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I didn't see this thread but I suppose you could do a fishing knot, which is like a reef knot with extra turns i.e. left over right and under twice then right over left and under twice or try this web site for some pictures
www.rodworks.on.ca/knots.html
Diane Whitehead
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I use fishing line to spangle my bobbins too. The way I do it is to thread the beads and bobbin onto the line so that both ends come out to the side of the bottom bead.
Next tie three knots; (reef knot and half again). Thread one end of line back through the bottom bead and give it a little pull so the knot goes inside the bottom bead, and you have an end of line coming from each side of the bead. For extra security, I then thread each end back through all the beads and the bobbin, finishing by going through the bottom bead. Don't cut the ends off until both have been threaded around, then just cut off close to the bottom bead. This works for me, and none have come undone yet:)
Angela Simpson in Newton - Le Willows
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I think that this may be the information that you need. I haven't tried it myself but I saved it just in case.
< From Chris Hancock 19 Sept '97>
Using a piece of fishing line (12 to 15 pound) approximately 15cm (6 inches) long. Start at the largest (or centre bottom) bead, thread half the remaining beads, then the bobbin, then the remaining beads.
Tie the fishing line in a reef knot. VERY IMPORTANT: put your two index fingers in the ring of beads and pull apart. If it comes apart, you have to start again, if not, you've done it right.
Thread the ends of the fishing line back through the first two or three beads and cut off as close to the bead-hole as possible.
It is done!
NOTES: a small seed bead either side of the bobbin makes the spangle appear more circular and gives a nice look to the spangle.
< From Mimi Dillman 30 Dec '97 > The trick is to have a material that is springy and makes and holds a good knot that you can draw up as tightly as you like. My method is to string up, make a surgeon's knot (oh, dear, what's the best way to describe it... weaver's knot with an extra over on the 2nd half??) and draw up tightly. It still amazes me how tightly I can draw the monofilament and have it stay. Then I thread back the ends a few beads to hide them, and cut off. In some cases I threaded all the way back around, made a second surgeons knot, and tied the ends again. This was even tighter, but I got very tired of trying to thread the filament through all those beads (not so easy when they're on the bobbin!)
I haven't found anything in my files more recent than this, but then I may have decided that I already had the info.
Eve Morton - London, UK.
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Tie a surgeon's knot. It is like a square knot except that on the first half of the knot the line goes over and under twice; there are two wraps in the loop. Finish the knot as usual. Thread the ends back through the beads. Being a person who likes extra security I repeat the knot on the opposite side of the spangle.
Betty in Tennessee
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Use line between 4 and 8 lb. test. 8 is better if you like to pull knots tight. Thread it through the circle of beads and bobbin, and then tie a knot...going over the thread twice instead of once. Pull tight. Thread line through again to opposite side of circle and tie again. Pull knot tight. Cut.
Lauren Snyder in Washington State
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I always use only fishing line for spangling. No matter which way you tie the fishing line, it can become undone. You must tie a relatively tight knot and cut the threads to about 5 mm lengths. I then take a pin and heat it in a candle flame and melt the ends. You will find that it works very easily. I also sometimes use a cigarette lighter but if you are not careful you might burn too much and melt the whole spangling thread!
As with everything else in life, practice makes perfect! I find that if I spangle with wire, the wire ends always catches onto something while with the fishing line there is nothing that can catch. I have never had a spangle made out of fishing line break. I thread the beads for the spangle on the line while it is still on the roll and then thread the end through the hole in the bobbin and then tie. I think it saves fishing line!
Jeanette Fischer, Western Cape, South Africa.
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Tie a knot with the nylon and light a match and carefully approach the knot with he flame. The heat of the flame will fuse the nylon and your knot will never come undone. Alternatively leave long tails after you have knotted them and use a dab of craft glue on the knot. Again this does not come undone, and trim the ends after the glue has dried, I usually leave overnight.
Mary
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I learned to spangle with monofilament fishing line from Freda Stevenson who learned it from another English lace maker whose name escapes me for the moment. I find it superior because:
1. I never need to find my wire cutters.
2. Monofilament is not poky and nasty like wire. The cut ends do not turn into little snaggy weapons like wire often does.
3. It is softer and doesn't wear down the borehole of the bobbin like wire does. I have many antique bobbins whose holes have worn through or become paper thin from the frictional rubbing of the unyielding wire over the many years that they were in use.
4. It does not discolour the borehole of bone bobbins like wire does. Nor does it flake off paint on the few that have paint down and around the bore.
5. It does not deform like wire, but retains its circular shape. I find this a boon when using an Avogadro's number of bobbins on something that have to be tamed by means of knitting stitch holders or other compressive devices.
6. The 8 pound test monofilament is stiff enough to go through the beads without a needle but yet fine enough to admit many passages through beads with holes too small for even fine gauge wire. I have used 5 pound when faced with ridiculously small-holed beads.
7. The transparent fishing line is less obtrusive visually than the wire.
8. In over 500 spanglings of my midlands, I have only ever had one come apart in use.
9. I have never had even a sharp cut edge bead cut through the monofilament Monofilament is fabulously tough and never brittle (except perhaps at liquid nitrogen temperatures or outside in Colorado right now (-10oF).
I cannot think of any disadvantages. Wire is traditional because it was the only reasonable material that they had for the time and it served well. Now we have material commonly available that I believe is better in the above ways.
I run the monofilament once through all beads and do a square knot, then I run one end around through them all again and put in another square knot on the other side of the bottom bead. Then both ends are run through a couple of beads on each side to secure the ends. They are clipped very close to a bead. The knots are easy to poke inside the bottom bead unless it is a very tiny-holed natural semi-precious stone bead. Then I tuck the knots inside larger-holed side beads.
I thank Freda for making my spangling life so simple everytime I get out new bobbins and beads to spangle up.
Penny Boston - Boulder, CO USA
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Using a piece of fishing line (12 to 15 pound) approximately 15cm (6 inches) long. Start at the largest (or centre bottom) bead, thread half the remaining beads, then the bobbin, then the remaining beads. Tie the fishing line in a reef knot. VERY IMPORTANT: put your two index fingers in the ring of beads and pull apart. If it comes apart, you have to start again, if not, you've done it right. Thread the ends of the fishing line back through the first two or three beads and cut off as close to the bead-hole as possible. It is done!
NOTES: a small seed bead either side of the bobbin makes the spangle appear more circular and gives a nice look to the spangle.
Chris Hancock in Adelaide, Sth Australia
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Re: fishing line for spangles..........Instead of knotting mine, I melt the end into a little ball which will hold the beads on. Not one has come undone so far.
Sandy Millikin, West Virginia, USA