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Make Your Own Wooden Kanji Beads January 29, 2009

Posted by Rock One in beads, Hemp Jewelry Supplies, Ideas, Make your own.
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If you’re like me, and sick of all the same generic beads floating around on everyone’s hemp necklaces, here’s a relatively easy (and very cheap) idea that will help you make your own.

First of all, I’d just like to throw it out there that I am by no means a good woodworker. Or a woodworker at all, for that matter. I just thought this one up and tried it out, and it actually turned out really cool. Here’s a picture of the finished product (as is the case with many of my pictures, please excuse the fact that they are not good. I took them with my phone, and some are pretty badly lit):

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First off, you will need just a few things. You might already have some of these, but if you need to go out and buy them, it won’t cost much at all:

  • Wooden dowel (these cost a matter of pennies at your local hardware store. Literally. Less than a dollar)
  • Paint (any color, but make sure that it is for use on wood. The kind I used was less than a dollar a bottle. You can find it at Wal Mart or your local craft store)
  • Carving tools (or just a small, durable knife. I got a set of about six carving tools at Wal Mart for less than five bucks)
  • Toothpick (or anything small enough to do detail paint work on your beads. Personally, I carved down the handle of one of the cheap plastic paint brushes I was using. Worked just fine)
  • Paintbrush (you probably don’t even need a paintbrush, just something to put paint over your beads. I would imagine that you could just wipe it on with a paper towel or something)
  • Drill with small bit (or some other means of putting a hole in the middle of your beads. I own a Dremel tool, which cost me about 75 dollars. However, there are some models that are as cheap as thirty. You may already have a drill of some sort laying around with a small enough bit. Do what I do: improvise)

Once you have all the things you need, go ahead and start carving the beads out of the dowel. Make a small “V” groove all the way around the dowel, then just keep making the groove deeper and deeper until the bead comes apart from the rest of the dowel. Try your best not to let the bead break off. Here’s a (really bad) picture:

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Go ahead and carve out three or four of these (or however many you want. It’s all up to you). Once you have this done, you will need to drill a hole through the middle of the beads (so you can put them on your jewelry). After that, it’s time to add your first layer of paint. When choosing your paint, it would be best to pick one dark color and one light color. I like dark, “earthy” colors, so I chose black and a light shade of brown. Paint the entire surface of the bead with one color, then let them dry. I strung them all on a piece of hemp cord, and tied each side of the cord to something.

Once the first layer of paint has dried, you can either put another coat of the same color on (I didn’t), or go ahead and pick out the symbols you want to put on them. I used kanji symbols (Chinese writing), but you can put whatever you want on them. If you opt to use kanji, here’s a link you can use to find some symbols: Tribalshapes.com.

Once you have symbols picked out, put some of the paint you have not used yet on a plate or something similar. Dip your toothpick in it, and carefully draw the symbols on the bead. Let this dry, and there you have it! Go ahead and add your beads to a necklacke or bracelet.

Notes:

  • You can sand the beads before painting them if you want. It will make them smoother and more “commercial” looking. However, they look more natural if you don’t. I chose not to.
  • Try not to get the beads wet, i.e. don’t wear your jewelry in the shower unless you picked out paint that is waterproof.
  • For a different look, make one of your beads two or three times the length of the others. Put this one in the middle of your piece, and put two or three symbols on it (or a phrase)
  • Keep experimenting. Try new things.

Here are a few more random pictures, just to help you out:

Where to Find Unique Beads January 17, 2009

Posted by Rock One in Hemp Jewelry Supplies.
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5 comments

One thing I’ve noticed about hemp jewelry, at least around my locale: it’s all pretty much the same. One of the main causes of this is that around here, there is a limited number of places to find beads. In this segment, I will point out some places where you can find really unique, one-of-a kind beads.

In my opinion, the best place to find truly unique beads that nobody else has is eBay. Do a search for glass pendant beads, wood pendant beads, or just glass or wood beads. You will notice that there are thousands of results, with almost nobody bidding on any of them. Honestly, I think it’s just because nobody has thought to use eBay to find beads. It’s right under your nose. Many of these beads are hand-crafted by really talented individuals just looking to make an extra buck. Due to the fact that the demand for beads on eBay isn’t exactly high, most of the beads you find will be dirt cheap. The fact that a lot of these beads are hand-made means that you won’t find anyone with the same beads. Anywhere.

The next one costs a little more. If you are looking to make a piece of jewelry for someone special, or are just looking for something of very high quality that is totally unique, many independent artists (of glass beads in particular) have their own web sites.  A really good one is profoundglass.com. Once again, I promise you that nobody you know will find beads like this.

Hobby Lobby is not as unique as the aforementioned options, but they do have some great beads there for an affordable price. A lot of the people you know won’t think of it because there is a certain stigma that old ladies are the ones that shop there. A couple of friends and myself were walking in there once, and my friend said “I promise that we are the youngest, best-looking guys to ever walk through these doors”. While this is probably true (kidding), they do have some cool beads, and a much more extensive selection than a lot of places I’ve been. If you don’t have a Hobby Lobby store in your area, check out their website.

As with everything else you could possibly imagine, Wal Mart has beads. A pretty terrible selection that is geared more towards “designer” jewelry (the ugly, huge stuff) than hemp jewelry, but they do have a few good ones. I buy most of my wood beads at Wal Mart, as they are very inexpensive, and it’s hard to find unique wood beads anyway.

In a lot of areas, there are specialty shops (a lot of them sell mostly hippie supplies) that carry some pretty cool beads. I have also found some one-of-a-kind beads in small niche and craft stores in my area. Use Google or the Yellow Pages to find these.

What You Need to Start Making Hemp Jewelry January 17, 2009

Posted by Rock One in Hemp Jewelry Supplies.
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One of the beauties of making your own hemp jewelry is that it is very inexpensive. Getting started will cost you little more than ten or twenty dollars. If you plan on making just a few pieces of jewelry, you will need very little. However, if you plan on making a hobby of it, you would be better off spending a couple extra bucks and investing in a few things that will make your life easier in the long run.

Hemp

Hemp cord

Hemp cord

Needless to say, hemp is one of the most important things you need when making hemp jewelry. While this sounds simple enough, there are a few things you need to remember when selecting your hemp. First of all, consider the size of the cord in relativity with the size of the beads you are using. If you choose a wide cord, make sure the holes in your beads are not too small. Remember, you will have to fit two cords of the hemp through the bead to string it onto a necklace. Also keep in mind that using small hemp with large-holed beads will result in the beads not sitting right on the necklace. There are numerous thicknesses of hemp out there. Before using very thin cord, remember that the thinner the hemp, the easier it is to accidently break it while you are making the necklace. Which type of hemp is right for you depends on the style of necklace or bracelet you want to make.

Beads

Beads

Beads

To me, choosing beads is the best part of making hemp jewelry. There are many types of beads, and you should choose ones that you think will look good on you (or whoever else you’re making the jewelry for). Beads can be found in lots of popular retail stores (Wal-Mart), and there are also some very unique beads to be found in local craft stores. The only thing to remember when selecting beads is what I stated before: don’t use beads with holes that are either too large or small for your hemp.

Storage

Storage Containers

Storage Containers

Again, if you are planning on making just a few pieces of jewelry, you will not need to worry about this. However, if you plan on doing this for a hobby, you will want some containers to organize your supplies. As you can see, I use a tool box and a few smaller plastic compartment containers. All of these options are relatively inexpensive, but come in handy.

Bead Reamer

Bead Reamer

Bead Reamer

While this isn’t a neccesity, a bead reamer is one of the handiest tools I own. Essentially, it is an ice pick-like file with a plastic handle. Its primary use is to enlarge holes in beads, but trust me, you will find a million other things it is good for.

That’s all you need to get started. While you will find other things that will prove very useful, you will need nothing more than beads and hemp to begin making hemp necklaces and bracelets for you and your friends. Good luck.