![]() ![]() ![]() My pin vise is about 5″ long and the bits are conveniently stored inside. A similar one can be found here on Amazon. I purchased mine through Polymer Clay Express, although it appears they no longer carry it. There are a variety of sources for these drill sets. Because the drill itself is pen shaped, it’s comfortable in your hand and you will have no trouble using it. And drilling slowly with the pin vise allows you to have extreme control. Polymer clay is soft, and you don’t need a powered drill. I can even drill a hole all the way through a flat focal bead, crosswise!Īnd because the drill bits are tiny, the action of drilling doesn’t tear apart the bead around the drilling hole like I’ve had happen with larger bits. I’ve been happily drilling tiny holes through the middle of beads with no trouble at all. In fact, it exceeds my wildest expectations. So I bit the bullet and spent the money to buy this incredible little Micro Drill set. Recently I’ve been making a new line of Rustic Beads and Components and sometimes I want to drill holes after baking rather than embedding connector wires. But that cost money and I just didn’t want to part with my funds! Drilling such a large hole in a tiny bead seriously compromised its strength When I asked at my local hardware store it seemed that smaller diameter drill bits were not available. But as my skills increased I began to want to create fine art beads with tiny stringing holes that more resembled those of commercial beads. That seems small, but it creates a huge hole in your bead that works well if you’re using hemp as a stringing material. It turns out that the smallest bit commonly available in drill bit sets is 1/16″ or 0.062 inches (that’s about 1.5mm in metric). So off I went in search of a tiny drill bit. If only there were a way to drill a hole in a bead after curing. That gave better results, but the action of piercing a bead created more distortion than I liked. ![]() So I started using a large tapestry needle. Well, that didn’t give a very good result. So I used a toothpick to poke a hole through the middle of my polymer clay beads before baking. I’ve been working with polymer clay since 2001, and like all new clayers I made lots and lots of beads. Once you get one of these indispensable tools, you’ll wonder how you ever functioned without it! I’ve got a few of these wonderful tools in my studio and today I’m writing about my newest love…a micro drill pin vise. When you work in any art, craft, or hobby, there are always those certain tools that change everything. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |