Piercing Beads with Small Pins vs Making Large Hole Beads

Vid #31: Size Does Matter When It comes to Piercing or Drilling Holes in Beads:

Although there are ways to drill holes in beads after the polymer clay baking process is complete, it is usually easier (and safer) to pierce them beforehand.

Most bead racks come with long metal pins designed for making small bead holes. However, for large bead holes you can use bamboo skewers, knitting needles, metal rods and even plastic drinking straws to punch through the clay.

Be sure to use lots of cornstarch on your bead piercing tools. This will help to keep them from sticking to the polymer clay which can cause your beads to become distorted.

>> Polymer Clay Tutorials <<

The full version of the "Making Holes in Beads" preview video shown above, is included in my Polymer Clay Bead Making Fundamentals Course [SEE Video #27 of 39]. In it I discuss how to make both small holes and large holes in all kinds of beads including lentils, bicone, round and tube bead shapes. I even demonstrate a unique paper and leather punch tool for making holes in flat pendants after they have been baked. Finally, I show you how to do bead piercing so that the hole exits the bead on the other side, exactly where you want it to.