How do I make glitter Stringer
 

I want to make glitter stringer to use with my beads. I bought a set from someone a while ago but I would love to be able to make it myself. Any suggestions on how to do this.

Thanks

Hillary

I've used dichro ribbons. Coat the back with clear (carefully- don't put the dichro in the flame) and then melt and pull into stringer.

Or goldstone (sometimes called aventurine) stringers. You can buy raw chunks of that on various glass sites in three colors that I know of, there may be more: gold, green, and blue/black. Simply encasing a piece with clear or other transparent colors and pulling it into stringers works well, but be careful! Aventurine is incredibly cranky stuff and has to be heated up very slowly and carefully or it will explode in your face. You'll need to work the stringer in a cool flame too, or you'll burn the glitter off.

I've used a gather of amber dipped into gold mica powder and pulled into stringer. It's more subtle than goldstone but pretty none the less.

I have used aventurine rods. You are right I have a lot of them explode in my face. These had a dichro rainbow glitter. I have some dichro strips on clear but I always seem to burn off the film. Will that layer of clear over the dichro film side take care of that before I pull it out?

It should, as long as you keep the dichro out of the flame (hold it below the flame while you're melting/applying the clear) and cover it completely with the clear.

Thanks RDC for the tips. I'll let you guys know how it turns out.

Hillary, it will also make life easier if you have high quality dichro to start. It will hold up better. I have good luck with CBS dichro, and I love the pre-fused strips that Lori Riley sells. I make dichro stringer from them all the time. Jeri

Flashy Dichroic stringers
 

To make a really flashy stringer, follow these steps:

1. Start with a dark base (black, cobalt for example) on your punty.
2. Start applying transparent tiny pieces of dichroic. (1/4 inch by 1/4 inch)
to the punty, up to 20 pieces will work fine.
3 Once you have what you think is enough dichroic, encase with clear.
4. Remember the more clear on the outside of the gather, the less flashy
5. Then pull your stringer.

Try it, you will like it.

Mike