This entry was posted on Friday, February 1st, 2008 at 6:26 pm and is filed under Supplies. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
I recently wrote up a review of The Bead Spinner, a tool I find to be a little challenging to master, but otherwise helpful. One of its limitations is that it requires use of a needle for stringing beads. So, if you normally string with beading wire like SoftFlex or Beadalon, you’re out of luck.
But wait . . . The Beading Gem’s Journal has alerted me to the existence of a needle accessory offered by SoftFlex called Speeder Beader. Apparently, it’s a sort of “slip on” needle for SoftFlex wire.

According to Soft Flex:
The Soft Flex Speeder Beader makes threading Soft Flex or Soft Touch beading wire fast and simple. Push Soft Flex or Soft Touch beading wire into the pan at a 30-45 degree angle. The pan will guide the wire into the hollow part of the Speeder Beader. Beads slip over the Speeder Beader and onto your wire quickly and easily.
Now, this is a straight needle, so if you prefer to use a curved needle with your bead spinner, you may not care for it. But if you’re O.K. spinning with a straight needle, it might be worth a try.
You’ll need to purchase the correct size Speeder Beader needle to match the size of Soft Flex you use - and if you purchase more than one size, be sure to keep them organized so that you’ll know which needle is which.
I’m going to pick some up for a review and see how they “play.” (Stay tuned.)




February 19th, 2008 at 1:37 am
You can bend those speeder beader needles with your pliers…I prefer a bent needle for my bead spinning fun and I gave my SB needle a gentle curve that makes it work a bit better. Be careful, though, you can break them, too.
February 26th, 2008 at 6:02 pm
Thank you Cynthia! I prefer the curved needle, too, and I will definitely try that when I review the needles.