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Tips, Techniques, and Questions -- Technical questions or tips

View Poll Results: What do you use mainly for your dot work?
Regular purchased stringer (3mm) 41 12.58%
I make my own stringer 225 69.02%
i dont use stringer, i use a regular thick rod 108 33.13%
Multiple Choice Poll. Voters: 326. You may not vote on this poll

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  #31  
Old 2010-11-27, 7:34pm
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Sheila D. Sheila D. is offline
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I do all 3 too. I like the commercial stringers for medium dots and twisting,clear ones are great for removing unwanted glass and dragging.I pull my own for decoration and small dots.
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  #32  
Old 2010-11-27, 7:47pm
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LyndaJ View Post
Depends how much room I have to work with. My favorite is a thick stringer, though, or a skinny rod
ditto
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WASHERS & TOPPERS - layering components for interchangeable glass topper and to use in other jewelry/metalwork.:
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  #33  
Old 2010-11-28, 6:05pm
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I make most of my own but I also buy stringers...
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  #34  
Old 2010-11-29, 6:38am
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I just had to add this funny (to me, anyway). I was reorganizing stuff on my bench yesterday, and discovered that I still have a few rods of the one (and only) stringer sampler I bought from Frantz when they were first introduced. Wow, new definition for "dusty."
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  #35  
Old 2010-12-01, 11:31pm
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I voted for full sized rod because I use that most often, however I use the other two methods as well depending on what I'm making.

For itsy bitsy 6-petal double florals I use hand pulled stringers because the dots are so close together I don't have enough clearance to get a full rod close enough.

I buy white and intense black commercial stringers, but that's it. I too have the original stringer sampler I bought 7 years ago from Frantz. I end up pulling the intense black ones down smaller anyway, but I like them for some reason better than full sized rod.

The reason I buy the white commercial stringers is somehow I convinced myself that they stay more opaque than the full sized rod does. I know---nuts. Can't help it.

~~Mary
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  #36  
Old 2010-12-04, 1:58am
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Most often I use my handpulled stringer, but I use a full rod for bigger dots. i never buy commercial stringer, just because its difficult to get certain colours in the UK
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  #37  
Old 2010-12-04, 7:16am
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I do all 3 too, depending on what my application is. Big less precise dots i often use just a rod. I purchase white and ivory in stringer sometimes becasue i go through a lot of it, and intense black because I only use it as stringer, but usually i pull my own stringer and use that. It's easier to get consistent sizing with stringer, and easier not to bump another dot if you are placing them close to each other.

oh, and I'm with you mary - my effetre white stringer is more opaque than my white rod, altho i suspect this is just a batch inconsistency not a guaruntee.
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Last edited by scoutycat; 2010-12-04 at 7:19am.
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  #38  
Old 2010-12-06, 9:12pm
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Marjo View Post
I use my own pulled stringer and full rod. When I'm in a pinch (forgot to pull stringer) and want to place a dot in a tiny area, I pull emergency stringer from the full rod. (Thanks, Jeri Warhaftig) You just tip your pea sized gather and touch it to the end of the mandrel a decent distance from your bead, and do a pull. Then you break it off and get an inch or so of stringer to work with.
wow! Great tip, thanks for sharing... I could have used this recently... I looked down and , well, this bead was done... no more stringer and too fine area to use full rod.
thank you thank you for the lesson!
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  #39  
Old 2010-12-07, 3:30pm
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I use all these methods, I like the store bought stringers, but I hardly ever buy them, I never have too much to budget to my glass, so I just pull my own when ever I need one. Most of the time I improvise the colors, so it is too late to start pulling them while I make my bead, though I know it can be done... so I most of the time end up just using the full rod.
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  #40  
Old 2010-12-07, 4:26pm
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Pull my own or use a full rod. I rarely buy stringer.
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  #41  
Old 2010-12-07, 4:37pm
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All of the above!

Cheers
Kathy
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  #42  
Old 2010-12-07, 6:42pm
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I pull my own stringer usually, sometimes I do the emergency stringer from a rod too. Rarely do use commercial stringer even though I too purchased it about 5 yrs ago.

Elyart
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  #43  
Old 2010-12-22, 6:48pm
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I use all three also. I too will pull and emergency stringer by dotting a blob on the end of the mandrel but I don't snap or cut mine off. I leave the stringer attached to the full rod. It gives you more control over the stringer by having a bigger rod in your hand. Usually it's a short stringer, just enough for a few dots, like eyes for my snowmen or one carrot nose.
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  #44  
Old 2013-01-03, 12:43pm
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Full rod or I pull from the full rod off a dot or waste bead on the mandrel as I am working.

I have ended up with way too many stringers in the past that I can't keep organized or use. This way I just do as I need. I only use them when they are small dots I can't get a full rod in close for. Otherwise, it is just annoying to try to control a stringer.

---------
Kristin ~
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  #45  
Old 2013-01-03, 3:18pm
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Quote:
Originally Posted by KJohn View Post
Full rod or I pull from the full rod off a dot or waste bead on the mandrel as I am working.

I have ended up with way too many stringers in the past that I can't keep organized or use. This way I just do as I need. I only use them when they are small dots I can't get a full rod in close for. Otherwise, it is just annoying to try to control a stringer.

---------
Kristin ~

I do all 3. But when I pull my own stringer, I put the leftover in the same slot as my full rods, in a soda straw, so I don't have stringer all over my work bench. Yes, I'm a wee bit anal......
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  #46  
Old 2013-01-03, 4:32pm
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You are waaaay more organized!
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  #47  
Old 2013-01-04, 12:10am
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All of the above. I use full rods for large-ish dots and pull my own for most of the rest. I buy black and white stringer and use that for medium sized dots in those colors (because they're colors that I use frequently).
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  #48  
Old 2013-01-04, 3:40am
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I use mostly full rods too, though I sometimes shape the end into a point if needed.
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  #49  
Old 2013-01-05, 10:27pm
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I only like Intense Black commercial stringer, but I never use that the way it comes and always pull it thinner.

When I am making dots, I use the rod, or I use a hand pulled stringer or emergency stringer for smaller ones. If I know in advance that I am making dots, I pull a stringer that is wider on one end than it is on the other end so that I have two sizes to work with.

This started when I was a newbie and couldn't pull even stringer, but I started doing it on purpose as prep for dotwork once my stringers got too even and I missed the old, bad way.
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  #50  
Old 2013-01-06, 2:09am
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All 3 for me too. I do buy commercial white, clear and black stringer because I use a lot of it and it's just easier & quicker. I don't mind pulling my own stringer but I usually make it very thin and I'm not excellent with my stringer control yet, so sometimes the beads come out a bit sketchy.
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  #51  
Old 2013-01-06, 9:36am
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LyndaJ View Post
Depends how much room I have to work with.
Exactly!
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  #52  
Old 2013-01-12, 6:30pm
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All 3 too. There is an occasion for all 3.
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  #53  
Old 2013-02-09, 8:36am
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Most of the time hand pulled stringer, unless I need a lot of volume in the dot, then full rod.
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  #54  
Old 2014-05-02, 12:21pm
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all of the above...depending on my need

Cathy
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  #55  
Old 2015-03-15, 7:24pm
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I would be spoiled buying stringers.

lately when I need a stringer I dot with a rod , heat up the rod real good and pull the stringer off the piece,melt it off and never miss a beat. Instant stringer.
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  #56  
Old 2015-04-05, 12:40pm
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I've been doing a bunch of layered dots in the last year or so, mostly medieval repro beads. The first few dots are placed with a full rod, then I drop to a medium hand-pulled stringer, then a thinner one, and finally a hair-thin one for the last dot or 2. My record, so far, is 14 dots. My biggest problem is that my hands shake a little because of one of my meds, so going much beyond 8 gets really tricky.
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  #57  
Old 2015-05-05, 12:10am
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All of the above.
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  #58  
Old 2015-05-25, 2:49pm
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I use all three depending on the size of the dot I want.
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