Stupid question of the day

[davidrei]

I've been neglecting the development of my beading skills and figure it's time to fix that. My earlier efforts resulted in OK small beads, but I effectively destroyed them either by sanding them down too much or by putting too much CA and "gunking up" the valleys between the beads (please excuse the technical terms[:I]).

So my question is: what's the proper way to sand and finish small beads so that they look consistent with the rest of the pen while not having flat tops on the beads?

 

[Skye]

While I havent done them much, you may want to mention if you're talking about wood or acrylic.

 

[DCBluesman]

Watch the Ed Davidson (YoYoSpin) video in our library. He not only shows how to make them, but how to sand and finish them. His work is first rate.

 

[davidrei]

Lou - I did watch Ed's videos, but missed the finishing part, hence my question. I'll take another look though.

Skye - My attempts so far have been with wood. I suspect that with acrylics, it's not quite as big of an issue since the skew can leave things pretty darn smooth and there isn't much to finish other than polishing.

 

[bradh]

I have found that fine work can easily destroyed by sanding. Carefully get a good finish with the chisel then skip the rougher grits of sandpaper.
For the CA coats, I use an edge of the paper towel to reach into the gap between the beads and smooth the finish there.
Hope this helps,
Brad Harding