Fun with Bead Caps
Have you designed with our new Flourish Petal and Magnolia Leaf bead caps yet? If not you should try them out! I would like to share a few tips, techniques, and projects with you… Keep in mind that all of our bead caps are very versatile, they are not only intended to embellish and hug your beads, they are also great for riveting and/or wrapping! Try some of these techniques out and let us know what you think. Lily Pond, Resting Wings, and Autumn Flourish are just a few examples of how to use them in a different way.
TIPS -
Riveting with Bead Caps:
1. Completely flatten the bead cap.
(use a hammer for small caps and chain nose pliers to pull open the petals of large bead caps. Flatten/texture with hammer if needed).
2. The rivet needs to fit snug through the holes of the pieces you want to connect.
(If the hole of the bead cap is too small use a beading awl to enlarge it and for larger holes layer a small flatten cap to secure rivet).
Wrapping with Bead Caps:
1. Pull open the petals of the bead cap with chain nose pliers.
2. Use your round nose or bale making/filigree bending pliers to slightly turn in the edges of the filigree.
3. Place an appropriate size stone, enamel or found object into the setting
4. Use chain nose pliers to crimp down and secure edges.
Refer to Basic Wrapping, Filigree Techniques, Bead Cap Techniques, and our new Riveting Technique for photos and more details.
Click on above bead cap titles (Flourish Petal & Magnolia Leaf) to view more project ideas incorporating these beautiful pieces!
Posted in Daily Dialogue
September 24th, 2009 at 7:18 am
I love your designs with the layered bead caps piled up and rivoted on an Altered Blank! So cool!
September 24th, 2009 at 7:52 am
Thanks for the great tip Jess! I have some of those Flourish ones and they puzzle me a bit…I will try it out! Enjoy the day! Erin
September 24th, 2009 at 8:11 am
When using the Flourish Petal cap (actually most of our bead caps) you can adjust the width of the opening to accommodate different size beads. For larger lampwork beads such as the Lily Pond necklace I linked to above, simply pull open the petals just enough for the bead to fit. You can always string a small bead or spacer inside the cap first so more of the glass bead is shown. Once you have the bead in place use your fingers or pliers to tighten and adjust the petals to form the bead. I’m sure you already know all of this but realized I didn’t mention changing the opening width as well. And that you can use small flattened bead caps as drops or charms, I love using BC80- Blossom as a cute charm!
September 24th, 2009 at 11:21 am
One of my favorite bead caps is the 16mm filigree bead cap. I use it for smaller beads, to create a “caged” bead inside the closed cap. I also use it on tube shaped beads, at both ends, and them squeeze them tight. This bead cap also comes in handy if a bead has a sharp edge or a small chip. It covers/ protects the less-than-perfect bead.
September 24th, 2009 at 11:33 am
Cynthia, thanks for sharing! I love the look of a small bead ‘caged’ inside a filigree cap. I agree and use some caps to hide imperfections in a bead as well. I also love layering two different styles of caps to add more texture to my designs.
September 25th, 2009 at 6:17 am
Love the new bead caps, especially Flourish! Thanks all for the great tips and inspiration!