Bead Pens and Letter Openers

[laurellanestudios]

If you've made beads for pens and/or letter openers, would you mind sharing any tips? I'm thinking about ordering a few for holiday gifts. Found several suppliers on line - prices seem to be consistently around $10. Questions:

Can you recommend a supplier?

Do the pens/letter openers feel good in your hand or are they uncomfortable to write with/use?

Must beads be made on a 3/32 mandrel?

Thanks for any help. Would love to see pictures too!

Kathy

[xtweeksx]

Glad you asked this. I was thinking along the same lines!

Hope you get a reply

Cheers Jenny

[SassyCassie]

I just bought letter openers and beads on a 3/32 mandrel work great. Got them from Penn State. Pens are the same. :)

Cass

[xtweeksx]

Oooooo thanks for the info! Much appreciated.... :D

Jenny

[Cheddarlander]

I was just searching for information on bead pens, too. Are there some that are better than others? I'd like to make some for gifts but I'd like them to be nice quality. 3/32 mandels are the standard? Who do you buy them from?

Lots of questions today!!! Oh, I wish it was Friday!!!

[Julz]

I love the metal pens from the BeadPen guy- they are about $10 retail, but if you buy more than 8 I think, you can get the price a little lower. I do not really like the plastic ones that they have discontinued- they are funky colors, and some are lots of fun, but also, the stems for them say they are for 3/32 mandrels, but none of my 3/32 beads will fit, so I have had to use 1/8. This QC problem has been remedied in the metal pens. Too bad you missed the bead pen buy last month- though we just got our mailing last week. The letter openers from BP are not nice. Get them else where. I know that there are several different suppliers- maybe generationsglass is one place I have seen letter openers.

So, I love the way the pens feel when I write with them, I find them very comfortable. I make very sparkly beads for them, and they are very elegant with the right selection of beads. I have seen some made up that looked 'clunky'. KWIM?

Julz

[danelady]

We just did a Bead Pen buy as a group and I believe Mine were $4 each I bought 10, I am unsure what the total but was, but it was hefty. We bought from Bead pen guy and I am happy with the pens

Lynnie

I love the metal pens from the BeadPen guy- they are about $10 retail, but if you buy more than 8 I think, you can get the price a little lower. I do not really like the plastic ones that they have discontinued- they are funky colors, and some are lots of fun, but also, the stems for them say they are for 3/32 mandrels, but none of my 3/32 beads will fit, so I have had to use 1/8. This QC problem has been remedied in the metal pens. Too bad you missed the bead pen buy last month- though we just got our mailing last week. The letter openers from BP are not nice. Get them else where. I know that there are several different suppliers- maybe generationsglass is one place I have seen letter openers.

So, I love the way the pens feel when I write with them, I find them very comfortable. I make very sparkly beads for them, and they are very elegant with the right selection of beads. I have seen some made up that looked 'clunky'. KWIM?

Julz

[graphic]

The metal Beadpens are available from the Beadpen Group at www.beadpens.com. They come in 17 colors and are all metal with a 3/32 mandrel. There are cheap knock-offs on the market which claim to be 3/32 but are actually 1/8 rods.

[SuzFromOz]

Heritage glass have some cool accessories

Suzanne

[chrisdd]

You can get them for $2.98 each at Namebeads.com. (http://www.namebeads.com/penparts.html) They don't have all the available colors and you have to buy the components in packs of 5, but for that price, I'm happy with the basic colors. They also have 3 different rod lengths and refills.

[Julz]

Chrisdd- have you used those pens from that site, and are the stems the "right" size- for 3/32 mandrels? It looks like a great deal- especially the refills. And, well, I do still like the funky plastic colors- I just do!

Thanks for the link!

[chrisdd]

Chrisdd- have you used those pens from that site, and are the stems the "right" size- for 3/32 mandrels? It looks like a great deal- especially the refills. And, well, I do still like the funky plastic colors- I just do!

Thanks for the link!

No, I haven't bought anything from them yet. I got in on the bulk buy, too.

[UCBYCINDY]

I have ordered from the beadpen group...started the order in September and still haven't received...maybe I am just having bad luck...but no pens and I have many christmas shows booked :shock: !!

When you buy 10 you get them for pretty cheap...it is worth it...or so I think!! I am excited to get them...but it has been a long painful wait!!

[Julz]

UCBYCINDY- did you order directly from bead pen? We did a bulk order that we started in Sept and got delivery on about 10 days ago. gunmetal pens are discontinued, and there were some other colors that put our order on back-order status. It was a long delay, but worth the wait for the pens.

[ChristyPhelps]

I got openers and magnifiers from Molly at Heritage Glass. She's very nice to work with. Our Lampwork Group had a bulk buy and we got good prices. Silver & gold tone - make sure you specify that all the "spacers" match, so you don't get some that are brushed and some that are shiny. Here's a sample set.

[xtweeksx]

They are just so yummy Christy.... :)

Will have a look at heritage glass.........ta!

Jenny

[ChristyPhelps]

A few others and they feel great! They have a nice weight to them, so they feel substantial.

[xtweeksx]

Awwweeee they are really really lovely!!! Thank you for showing them....

I did take a look at Heritage Glass but I couldnt get the catolgue page up.... I'll have a go on the works computer tomorrow (might be my computer misbehavin).

Cheers Jenny

[River Horse Studio]

Nope.. Jennie... not your computer.. I had the same problem with Herritage glass site. ~Holly

[xtweeksx]

Holly,

Thank you for letting me know! Hopefully they will get it sorted soon.......... I'd love to put an order in.

Thanks again

Jenny

[SpitFire]

Hi Y'all -

I work for Molly at Heritage Glass and we are working as fast as we can to get our website put back together again. Our hosting company lost our shopping cart and we are having to rebuild it from scratch. We really appreciate your patience during our "rebuilding time". You can call or email us and we are always happy to call you back on our long distance. We can accept orders over fax as well.

Just wanted to let you know that we are still there!

Blessings....

[xtweeksx]

Ooooooooooo thanks for the information SpitFire! I shall run off an email tomorrow.........(Im in the uk so wont call hehe)

Hope you get it sorted, must be frustrating.

thanks Jenny

[Islandgirl]

I got one of the magnifying glasses in a geocache box and made it for my mother for her birthday, she has macular degeneration and unfortunately the m'glass arrived the same time as her notice saying she was loosing her drivers licence! Oops. The glass looks ike the ones from Heritage glass, I found that the way the components in it are finished that it is much easier to make one long bead and have it look nice... (that doesn't make a great deal of sense... but the beads on't have to be as big to look like they belong!)

The beads for the Bead Pen Pen's have to be so thick at the end that they weigh a ton...

I liked the Heritage glass Magnifying glass but I don't think they make pens....

Lynne

[SpitFire]

Yep, we have the pens as well.....in 5 colors: silver, grey(gunmetal),blue, red, and black.

[Islandgirl]

I posted a new thread under gallery called bead pens... so far I haven't got any response to my questions, will try again here! All prototypes .... 6975

1) would like some silver findings with a big enough hole to fit onto the pens...don't like the little spaces.....
I have a ton of Bali beads etc, but nothing has nearly big enough holes!

2) I bought a couple of the Bead Pen Fountain pens in a bulk buy, they end up way to long and akward because the 'rod' is the same length as BP uses on regular pens, any source for shorter rods?

Will stick the picture here too, didn't put the beads on the fountain pen , looked too wierd....

Lynne
www.fireballbeads.com

[UCBYCINDY]

Hi Julz,

I missed the bulk buy on here, so I bought directly from him...started in Sep...was promised I would have them 2 weeks ago, and still nothing:O!!

I am disappointed as I was hoping to have at least some made up for the Christmas rush!!

Cindy

[SassyCassie]

Here is where I got some big hole beads...I used the discs for wine stoppers....perfect fit and fast fast shipping!

http://stores.ebay.com/Michey-Bali-Silver-and-More_Beads-Large-Holes_W0QQcolZ4QQdirZQ2d1QQftidZ2QQtZkm

Cass

[Islandgirl]

Thanks, I'm off to Toronto on Sunday will take a bead pen rod with me, if I find something that i have personally fondelled (sp?) I will buy otherwise have this site book marked and will buy next weekend!

Thanks, should I email the bead pen gurrus in person and tell them that the rods need to be shorter for the fountain pens or do you think they monitor this site? ](*,)

Lynne

PS I love writing with fountain pens and there is no way I could write neatly with these!

[graphic]

Just a quick note to let everyone know that we have resigned the Fountain pen Beadpens with a new cap design and shorter rods. Also only the metal beadpens offered by www.beadpens.com are the only metal beadpens made with the 3/32' metal rods and the all metal construction. The pens offered by Heritage Glass have the 1/8" metal rods and the barrel is plastic covered with metal.

[boobiebeads]

I bought 50 of them this Summer and have a few on the website for sale but the BIGGEST problem we found was finding spacers with large holes. This was such a big deal that it became a mission for me.

Now I sell the big holed spacers for the bead pens on my site.

It took about 3-4 weeks to get my order........

Michelle

[glasslover]

Heritage Glass is very good for these supplies, Karen Thomas Designs also has bead pens, letter openers, magnifiers and yippee-large hole beads!

[hotflashwanda]

If you are in need of large-hole beads for bead pens, I highly recommend Karen Thomas Designs--she also has really nice magnifying glasses and letter openers. She provides great customer service, too!
Anita

[eyecandy]

Karen Thomas has new metal bead pens that have a 3/32" mandrel and make a great match to her letter openers. She has five colors and more coming. Plus she has super cool new appetizer forks and canape knives. They're brand new and should be on her site this week. Her website is www.karenthomas.us.

[lainee733]

thanks eyecandy!