Tips on How to Make Polymer Clay Beads - Piercing the Bead Hole

So you're learning all about polymer clay. That's Super! Making holes in beads is an important part of the process:

This article will provide you with 10 easy tips for polymer clay bead piercing…

1) Coat bead pins with water or cornstarch before insertion.

2) Twist bead pin as you are push it into the bead.

3) Push bead pin into clay lightly to avoid distortion.

4) Sand your bead pins every once in awhile between uses, to remove rust and drips of finish from the pin. A smooth pin goes into the bead a lot easier than a rough pin.

5) Wear gloves or coat fingers with cornstarch to avoid putting finger prints on bead while piercing. This is especially important when holding awkward shapes like the bi-cone bead and lentil beads.

6) Let beads cool down or rest before piercing them. A warm bead will distort easily.

7) Pierce a bead relatively soon after letting it rest. If you wait too long like a day or two, then the bead may crack when you try and pierce it.

8) Wipe down bead pins with rubbing alcohol to make sure they are really clean.

9) If you use a bamboo skewer for a bead pin make sure to coat with cornstarch to avoid having the bead stick to the skewer.

10) For large hole beads like tube beads, or beads for hemp jewelry, etc. try using a knitting needle.

I hope this info on how to make polymer clay beads was helpful. If you need to make beads with large holes, then the article at this link will be helpful too: Drilling Holes in Beads for Polymer Clay Jewelry Projects

And here's one other article on piercing bead holes.