Strong lanyards needed please help

Mr.Smeeth · #1 2012-04-24, 8:45pm

Hi I have been stringing beads on beadalon nylon coated steel cable and securing it with crimp beads. I have been making lanyards for some nurses that my wife works with. They all put keys on their lanyards and a retractable reel. The beadalon or tiger tail is not handling the strain. They are breaking their lanyards. The crimp beads are holding well but the cables has been snapping. Does anybody have a strong stringing medium that will hold up to these nurses and their lanyard abusing ways. I have thought about the braided fishing line called spider wire. But I don't know how to finish the knotted end.

Thanks,
Steve

jaci · #2 2012-04-24, 9:02pm

Could we get a pic of what you are making? There may be other options.

steiconi · #3 2012-04-24, 10:41pm

I was going to suggest fishing line. I'm not sure how thick your braided line is, but you could knot it onto the finding, leaving the loose end long and feed it back through a few beads. Use a little super glue or nail polish to glue the end of the line to the main line and slide a bead over to hide.
Lee

Eileen · #4 2012-04-25, 6:04am

I'm not sure it would work, but how about 2 strands?

mewkittie · #5 2012-04-25, 8:46am

I never use Beadalon. It seems to break easier than Soft Flex and I use the thickest they make. If they are so rough, what about using some kind of utility or rubber cord instead? I made my fishing license holder with 2mm utility cord that I got from REI. Not exactly sure how you are designing your lanyards so it's hard to give advice on how to do the knots or finish the ends.

tivydave · #6 2012-04-25, 9:18am

electrical cord? vinyl covered, diff sizes/colors. we used vinyl flat 'cord' in the 60s in crafts class. would stretch but didn't break. how are the nurses using them that they will break?

Mr.Smeeth · #7 2012-04-26, 4:32pm

I found some 80 lb fire wire braided fishing line. me and my son could not pull it apart after we made it. Hope it stands up to nurses.

Steve

Dragonfly Queen · #8 2012-04-26, 5:10pm

I also use the same material that you use in your lanyards. The only issue I see using a more unbreakable material is for safety reasons. The breakaway "issue" is actually a safety feature. If you use some "unbreakable" material, the wearer runs the risk of getting injured if the lanyard gets caught in something and yanks their neck.

I wear lanyards at work and have had very few break, but I take care not to fold or bend the lanyard to the point of creating a crimp in the wire. I roll it then tuck it away in my purse so it stays in this position.

The other suggestion I have is to ask in the Jewelry section, you may get more information on similar or better material.

eregel · #9 2012-04-26, 6:15pm

A lot of people are required to have a "breakaway" in their lanyards - particularly nurses and teachers working in facilities in rough neighborhoods - to prevent the use of the ID lanyard as a garotte. When requested, I use inexpensive magnetic clasps.

Beadalon does come in different weights, with different tensile strengths. I've almost never had a lanyard fail, either at the crimp or through the wire, but when I have, it's usually been nurses - they hang SO much stuff off them, I don't know how their necks stand it! AND one of them admitted she was clipping hemostats to her lanyard, which can't help. The other big issue, I had a friend at work who constantly slammed her lanyard in her desk drawer - broke beads, and eventually just killed the wire. I don't think it's possible to make lanyards that are totally foolproof.

Steph'sBeadCorner · #10 2012-04-27, 3:53am

Many of the beaders I know prefer softlex over beadalon for durability.. and it's more expensive. However, that doesn't guarantee that it will hold up for the lanyards..