All you need to know about scissors and thread burners - Better Beaders Episode 55

[@bevriley7638]

You might laugh at me, but I never knew that my Thread Zap II operated on battery power. Recently mine has not been as effective as it once was so I thought that it was time to replace it with a new one. Thanks to you, Allie, I now know that all it needs is a new battery. Thanks for that very useful piece of information. I enjoy all of your beading KZbin episodes especially the Better Beaders.

[@Potomacbeadco]

Hi Bev, the battery lasts a long time, so you probably forgot you put it there. 😃

[@susanchamblee2549]

I absolutely LOVE my Zuron cutters!! And I always take great care in using them in projects as well as storing them properly - especially putting the CAP back on them!! I also have all 3 thread burners but my favorite is the same as yours - and I always keep extra batteries in my beading supplies just for their use as well. This was a great and informative video - Thank You Allie❣️

[@stephie640]

I love using my thread zap on the ends of my fire line so I can add thread to a beading project by connecting the new piece of thread to the end of the old piece. One of my favorite uses for my burner.

[@KathrynRBlake]

I tried to use it to fuse two threads together or my connecting knot, but I couldn't seem to get it to work. Glad to see someone did.

[@stephie640]

@@KathrynRBlake there are a couple of really helpful videos on KZbin that helped me out quite a bit. Not sure I'm good to link them here though..

[@KathrynRBlake]

@@stephie640 Thanks. I'll have to go You Tubing, then.

[@Dreadnought242]

I am 1000% with you on the Thread Zap Ultra. All of the ladies at my LBS love it, I can't stand it. It gets way too hot and is impossible to control what happens to the thread - I've lost hours of work because the TZU burned half my project. I love my TZII and won't give it up for love or money. As for scissors to cut woven threads like Fireline (I don't use Wildfire), I have stolen a few tools from the sport fishing industry - ceramic blade scissors that have a micro serration on them. I also Fireline nippers from the Boomerang Tool Company. They are great for getting thread off of the spool, not so good for trimming from a piece of bead work. And lastly, I've discovered that the Fiskars 3" trimmers I bought for bead embroidery are also excellent for cutting Fireline off the spool. I have the Xuron cutters and they are good, but they have dulled over the years.

[@Potomacbeadco]

You can get them resharpened at your hardware store.

[@melissadoucette278]

Thanks so much for this informative video. I bought the xuron cutters especially for my favorite thread fireline. It cuts thru them so easily ,also gets really close to end of thread to cut it off from tail,etc. I have noticed it's not cutting my 8lb. Fireline as well as it used to. I have had horrible luck with the ultra thread zap. Sometimes it works and most of the time it doesn't. I've replaced them 4 times and each time it doesn't work. I'll be replacing it for my 5th and final time unless the store I use has any of the other burners. So i don't recommend the ultra thread zap but highly recommend the xuron cutters especially for fireline. Thanks so much again. Much love Melissa Doucette

[@donnahoefler2748]

Thank you Allie, I love my Thread Zap also for use on my Wildfire. I find that the cheapest scissors I can find work the best to cut the Wildfire when I need to do that and the more expensive ones don't work well at all.

[@KathrynRBlake]

Cutting Wildfire and Fireline can be a challenge for me.

[@cindybrook0520]

Thanks for the info, Allie. I did not like the Thread Zap Ultra either. After numerous fails with the Thread Zap II, I moved into a Max Wax made by Eurotool. It's similar to your Wild Fire zapper because it takes two AA batteries and it lasts a long time. The Xuron thread cutters are the best!

[@butler140]

I've always been using the side rather than the tip like you were in the video. Maybe I'll have better luck using my thread zap now! :) Thank you Allie!

[@mjanechipser7640]

I have been wanting to get some Xuron cutters! Now, I definitely will!

[@SusanSmith-ft5zr]

Thank you. This is so helpful. I need to look at my cutters. I have thread zap11, and love it.

[@kathiewinecoff5776]

I am not happy with any of my snips scissors cutters or burner. After watching this I will be trying a thread sap II though! And I will also remember Not to use my xuron cutter for thread and fire Line! Maybe I was doing it wrong all this time!! Thank you so much for this video it is exactly what I needed!!!❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@dutchbibi3241]

I always use my fiskars pair of scissors, they have a bladescover with grindstone in it. Something standard from the 80ies sewing-box from my mother in law.

[@lorrainerauert1237]

Love my Xuron cutters and zap

[@KathrynRBlake]

When I started making brick stitch delica seed bead pattern earrings, I would occasionally (not always) make a mistake a couple of rows in and have to undo my work and try again. When that happens, I try first to unstitch the project, since that process is gentler on the beads. I prefer to use the 4lb (thin) Fireline for these projects, and the very thin thread doesn't always hold up to multiple passes, and yet I often have difficulty cutting through the thread. It'll fray on the sharp edged beads, then break, but resists cutting. Go figure. Xuron worked really well for a while, but then my precision micro shears seemed to dull. I don't believe there is any way to sharpen them once that happens, and they are too expensive to continue buying when they stop working as well as they did at the start. I often use the satin finish delicas, but they are very fragile and tend to break when you're undoing your work. I still haven't found anything that works 100%, so I'll usually switch off between my implements to minimize damage to the beads. The Xuron construction separates the beads a little before cutting which makes it easier to avoid the fragile beasties when snipping through the connecting thread between them. So, I'm looking for something that is really good at cutting Wildfire or Fireline, and yet can be sharpened when needed. At this point, my search continues. May need to check out Fiskars. As for ending the project I use my ThreadZapper II for the tail and the working thread. It's less visible than cutting since you can get in really close. I also use it in a way that minimizes creating a ball at the end since I want the finish to be invisible.

[@Potomacbeadco]

You should be able to get your tools sharpened at the hardware store.

[@gloriacohen7795]

I have tried getting my xuron sharpened but it didn’t do much. Xurons are great but they dull too quickly. It’s frustrating to spend so much and not get the time out of them especially since the don’t sharpen well. It’s frustrating waiting for someone to come up with a good product. Have tried the fishing line cutters but the are not good for precision cuts.

[@loycehake7151]

Love my Xuron cutters!

[@rosedrummond3594]

love my wildfire burner. just starting micro macrame and don't like the burned look on the ends. Is there an alternative? ty for all your tips in this series! Rose

[@1015SaturdayNight]

I love my Thread Zap II but be so careful, I did burn through a project once. Get close, but not TOO close! 🤣

[@Potomacbeadco]

If you knot the thread then pass it through several beads before burning it off, you won't be so close to the knot.

[@mariaestrada2740]

Thank you, I was using my thread zap to wrong Way. ☺ I was putting the thread in side the inside of the needle. 😔

[@KathrynRBlake]

I use mine that way, too. I don't get as much of a ball at the end that way.

[@ProfessorChaosKitty]

I prefer the Thread Zap Ultra to the Thread Zap II. I'm always losing lids, and the Thread Zap II lid never seemed to want to stay on. It was so annoying and I was always worrying about the filament, or whatever you call the burny wire bit, getting bent or broken if I was carting beading stuff anywhere.

[@Potomacbeadco]

It only goes on one way and locks into place. Perhaps you had a crack in it that made it loose.

[@ProfessorChaosKitty]

@@Potomacbeadco Quite likely. I always put it on the right way, but it was really loose. With my history of losing lids in general, though, I'm really happy with the Ultra