bead locations

[delila77]

i tried shipwreck beads but its a no go with that. where do yall get yar beads at other than the obvious (crazycrow)? i'm looking for like cheap cuts size 9 and 12 but prices are like almost 7 bucks a hank.

[OLChemist]

Orr's in Englewood CO has good prices.

[docat]

My fav is THUNDERBIRD SUPPLY

They are on the internet. They are fast and the beads are really good quality and are EVEN...which for many needs is ideal.

Some hobby stores do carry seed beads. They are made in China and are cheap...but when I got a good look at them they are not consistently even nor all true to size. You could try them and go through them and cull out the odd ones that wouldn't work for you.

Hope you find what you are looking for!

[OLChemist]

Thunderbird in Albq or Gallup? They're great. I buy silver from them way more often than I buy beads.

Do they have 9 & 12 3-cuts? I didn't see them listed.

[docat]

Thunderbird in Albq or Gallup? They're great. I buy silver from them way more often than I buy beads.

Do they have 9 & 12 3-cuts? I didn't see them listed.

I think they carry way more than they list. I call the Gallup store when I order, and I just tell them what I want and they take my debit card number. If it is something they don't have, they generally know where I can get it.

Ebay has some great beads at good prices. I didn't check those specific sizes though.

[Toolbox]

NYC bead district.

[nooch]

Black Hawk Trading in Roosevelt Utah has beads.
Sizes:
9 - Three cut
10 seed
11 seed
11 cuts
12 - three cuts
13 - cuts
8mm fire polish
and size 6 beads.
Plus they carry thread, needles, rhinestones, swarovski sew down crystals, and other supplies.
Check them out on Facebook and friend their page.
facebook.com/blackhawk.trading
Not everything they have is posted on there but give them a call and they can take your order over the phone and mail it out to you.
Also have to mention that Black Hawk Trading is 100% Indian Owned and Operated!

[Itzhecatl]

Yep Orrs or thunder is where I order from. Local PWs is a good place to get hard to find stuff (if you can find it! ha!).

[Fang]

Fire Mountain has good bead prices, if ordering quantities over 50. I tend to get a lot of seed beads and chainmail supplies from them..

http://www.firemountaingems.com/

[OLChemist]

...chainmail supplies from them.

[MENTION=199202]Fang[/MENTION] What you don't hand make the thousands of jump rings needed? Get out that mandrel and saw. Glad to know you're sane :)

[Fang]

@Fang What you don't hand make the thousands of jump rings needed? Get out that mandrel and saw. Glad to know you're sane :)

I used to! Started seeing dancing metal jump rings in my sleep!

[OLChemist]

At the risk of a minor thread hijacking... This is great little gadget:

Jump Ring Maker

You need a flexshaft to use it. Rio Grande, Otto Frei, Metalliferous, IJS, Thunderbird all carry some flavor of the device.

Hey do you solder all those joins? My head is swimming at the thought.

[Fang]

That device is great! It would save loads of time. I just wonder how it would stand against my stainless steel that I often use for larger projects. I have a few things that I use a lot of 18-16g steel for, and can't imagine trying to do the rings myself. But it sounds great for my aluminum! Will have to check it out, thanks!

Depending on the project, material, and weave I'm doing, I may or may not solder them all. Right now I'm working with some red and bright silver aluminum with an inner diameter of about 3mm, in an attempt to do the Oglala flag. Can't imagine trying to solder each ring..

[MENTION=168680]delila77[/MENTION] Why was Shipwreck a no go? I just placed a small order from them a few days ago for the first time, since they were having a sale. Haven't seen any of their items in person yet. Are their products alright?

[subeeds]

The only issue with Shipwreck that I have is they don't-or didn't used to-specify if the beads are dyed or not. I found out when some garnet color beads I was working with started turning the thread pink. Besides the above mentioned places, I like Rings-n-Things for beads. They carry TOHO's and have some different sizes you won't find everywhere.

[LeannB]

Amazon has some too....Czech beads, anyway, when I looked yesterday. So Amazon might be worth a look.