Part II: How to Paint Lettering on Clear Glass

Painting lettering on glassware is similar to painting lettering on wood.  You need to start by choosing a font and a font size as described in Part I.  Of course, the lettering is likely to be much smaller on a wine glass than on a wooden sign.

Once you've printed your letters onto plain white paper, the steps are a bit different from lettering on wood.  A biggest difference is that there's no sealing or basecoating required on glass and there's no need to trace the letters onto the surface of the glass before painting! 

On the other hand there are some unique requirements for painting on glass.  Regular acrylic paint will quickly chip, peel, and wash off of the glass.  There are a variety of paints that were created to stand up to the wear and tear that glassware receives.  I've used a few of them and they all have their good points.  My favorite is FolkArt Enamel, but that doesn't necessarily mean that those paints are the best.  Whatever I write about here is based on my experience with FolkArt Enamel paints.  They are water-based, so the paint is easy to clean up with soap and water before it is cured.

FOOD CONTACT:
Another thing to consider is that, although most glass paint is classified as non-toxic, it isn't necessarily classified as food-safe.  Therefore, there should be about an inch at the top of a drinking glass that is left free of paint.  This also protects the design because acids from food, lipstick, and saliva can damage the paint over time.  If you want to paint on a clear glass plate to be used for food, you should paint the underside of the plate, so that food does not touch the paint.


GLASS PREPARATION: 
When you paint on glassware, you need to wash the item throroughly with warm soapy water and let it dry completely.  Just before you begin painting, wipe down the surface with alcohol.  Be VERY careful that you don't touch the surface where the paint will go after that or you'll leave fingerprints or oils from your skin that will interfere with the adhesion of the paint to the glass.  This can happen no matter how clean you think your hands are.


PAINT A FLAT-SIDED DRINKING GLASS:  Placing the lettering on a cylinder-shaped glass is fairly easy because the glass is the same width from top to bottom.

1. Print the letters onto plain white paper.
2. Cut away most of the excess paper around the outside of the lettering, but I don't recommend cutting the letters apart.  If you do that, you'll have to spend a lot of time lining up the letters.
3. Clean the glass and wipe it down with alcohol.
4. Place a rubber band at the top of the glass, about an inch down from the top.  Try to make the distance between the rubber band and the top of the glass somewhat even, but it doesn't need to be perfect.  Just eyeball it.  This is simply a guideline that will keep you from painting on the area where your lips will touch.
5. Tape the paper onto the inside of the glass, below the rubber band, with the letters facing out.
6. Paint the letters.  You'll most likely need to paint 2 or 3 THIN coats.  If you don't let paint dry between coats it will lift—about 15 to 20 minutes between coats should be fine.

PAINT A CURVED-SIDED DRINKING GLASS:  Placing the lettering on a curved drinking glass, or one that is not the same width from top to bottom can be a litttle more challenging.

• Steps 1 through 5 are the same as for a flat-sided drinking glass above.
• If the paper with the lettering doesn't conform to the curve of the glass, you can cut slits into the paper (don't cut into the letters themselves) so that the paper can move and spread, so that it will fit better.  Add more tape if necessary.
• Paint the letters.  You'll most likely need to paint 2 or 3 THIN coats.  If you don't let paint dry between coats it will lift—about 15 to 20 minutes between coats should be fine. 
• These instructions would also work for a curved glass bowl.

PAINT A FLAT GLASS PLATE:  The paint must be applied to the underneath surface of the plate so that it doesn't make contact with food

1. Print the letters onto plain white paper and turn the paper over. 
2. Retrace the letters with your Ultra Fine Sharpie on the back of the paper--those letters will be in "mirror image."  If you have a hard time seeing the already-traced letters on the front of the paper, just put your paper on a window with light behind it.  Put the already-traced letters against the glass while you retrace.
3. Cut away most of the excess paper around the outside of the lettering, but I don't recommend cutting the letters apart.  If you do that, you'll have to spend a lot of time lining up the letters. 
4. Clean the glass and wipe it down with alcohol.
5. Tape the paper onto the TOP of the plate, on the eating surface, with the normal letters facing UP.  As you look at the tracing paper from the underneath surface of the plate, you will see the mirror image of the letters.  After you paint the letters, when you look at them from the top of the plate they will be normal.
6. Paint the letters onto the underneath surface of the plate.  You'll be looking through the plate at the letters from above when you're finished.
7. You'll most likely need to paint 2 or 3 THIN coats. If you don't let paint dry between coats it will lift—about 15 to 20 minutes between coats should be fine. 

TIPS:

• Remember that you don't want to transfer fingerprints or oil from your skin onto the surface to be painted.  
• Sometimes  you can fit your non-painting hand inside the glass to hold it.  Other times you can hold the glass by its stem or by the top edge above the rubber band.
• Wearing a disposable latex glove on your non-dominant hand will allow you to hold the glass without transferring fingerprints or oil.  Be careful not to smudge wet paint with the glove.  I can almost guarantee that you won't like wearing a glove on the hand you paint with.
• Remember when you're painting around the side of a drinking glass that you have to be careful not to smudge wet paint as you move around.  You can't lay the glass on it's side and roll it along as you paint, or you'll be rolling the paint onto your table and smudging the paint all over the glass.  Ask me how I know this!
• One of the nicest things about painting on glass is that you can fix mistakes and smudges pretty easily before the paint has cured.  A cotton swab dipped in alcohol can often be used to remove a mistake.  There are also tools that look like paintbrushes with  the brush part replaced by rubber tips of various shapes.  They can be used to remove mistakes and smudges, but they work best when the paint is very wet. 
• If the paint has dried, but is not yet cured, you can scrape off small mistakes with a toothpick or craft stick.  I don't recommend using a razor blade or craft knife because it can scratch the glass.
• For more specific information on FolkArt Enamel paints, see these FAQs:  http://www.plaidonline.com/eduPDF/FolkArt%20Enamels%20FAQs.pdf
• Even though the company says it's OK to put your painted items in the dishwasher, I prefer not to.  I definitely will not put a stem glass in the dishwasher.

CURING THE PAINT:

FolkArt Enamel paints must be cured so that they are permanent.  This can either be accomplished by air-drying them for 21 days or by baking them in your oven.  Some people swear that the paint is more durable if you bake it, but the manufacturer says that it's the same either way.  If you air-dry, that means you can't use or wash the item for 21 days.  Here are the instructions for baking:

1. Let the paint dry for several hours.  If you bake it too soon, some of the paint can spread slightly and make clouds around your design.  I usually like to wait at least 8 hours.
2. Remove the rubber bands!
3. Put a cookie sheet into a COLD oven on a shelf that leaves enough room for your glassware.  You'll want to keep the glassware away from the heating element.
4. Put the glassware on the cookie sheet in the still cold oven.  Don't let the painted areas touch the cookie sheet.  With most stemware, I like to turn the glasses upside down so that the top is against the cookie sheet.  This is just for stability.
5. Turn the oven on to 350 degrees. 
6. When the oven temperature reaches 350 degrees, set your timer for 30 minutes.
7. After 30 minutes turn off the oven.  DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN DOOR.
8. Let the glassware cool completely in the oven before you open the oven door.  I like to do my baking at night and leave the glass to cool overnight. 
9. In the morning I remove the cooled and fully-cured glassware, one glass at a time.  If you try to remove the cookie sheet and all the glassware at once you're courting disaster.

If you open the oven door while the glass is still hot, cool air can hit the hot glass and crack or break it.  I'm told that the thinner the glass, the more likely it is to crack or break.  Some people say that even if you do everything right, you might lose a glass here or there because of flaws in the glass itself.  So far, I've never lost a glass to baking.

© Copyright 2011 Linda's Art Barn. All rights reserved.

Part I: How to Paint Lettering on Wood

I just realized that I've never posted anything about decorative painting on this blog!  I guess that's because I've been so focused on jewelry lately.

Recently I was hired to paint a plaque that is going to be given as a present to a man who will hang it on his deck.  He jokingly refers to his deck as "The Martini Deck," so that's what the plaque needs to say.  Of course, there is other embellishment as well—after all, this is "decorative" painting.

The person who hired me gave me a few ideas that she had for the plaque and asked me to think about it.  A few days later we talked and we had very similar ideas about the design.  We quickly came to an agreement and I painted a sample for her to check out.  She liked it, so I got to work.
   



This is the photo I sent to my customer for approval before I begin varnishing.  I don't like the way the yellow "t" in martini looks and she agreed with me.  I'm going to re-paint it the same deep pink as the glass at the top.





Here's the finished sign with a pink "t" and some minor adjustments in the design of the glasses.


The first thing I needed to do was to design the lettering and that is the main focus of what I'm going to talk about here.  An important thing to consider is that lettering can be tricky to paint, so you don't want it to be too fussy—Victorian serifs would drive me crazy—but it does need to be interesting.

For simplicity, let's say that I'm going to paint a sign that says Linda's Art Barn.  Before I start the lettering, I would have already decided on the size of the sign and have a pretty good idea of the placement of the words.  These are the steps that I follow:

I open a word-processing file and type Linda's Art Barn.  I personally use Microsoft Word, but there are other sources of lettering on your computer that you might prefer.

1. I enlarge the text to a size that looks like it might work.  If necessary, I change the layout of my page to Landscape or even change the size of my page so that I can make it wider to fit the words.  Of course, how you do these things will vary depending on the software you're using.
2. Sometimes when I want really big lettering, I put each word on a separate line.  I've even split a single word onto more than one line when I wanted extra big letters.
3. Next, I Select my text and browse through my fonts until I see one that I think will work.  Then I change the font of the selected text.  At that point, I might decide to readjust the font size.
4. Now, I'm probably going to want to test out a bunch of different fonts before I make a decision and I want to be able to compare them.  So I type Linda's Art Barn several more times.  Then I change each occurrence to a different font.  I always make a note below the text that says which font and font size it is.  That way, I don't have to depend on my memory when I make a final decision.
5. When I've made my font decision, I finalize the font size.  Then I change the lettering to Outline.  This is because I don't want to waste all that printer ink/toner by printing solid letters.
6. Finally, I print the lettering onto plain, white paper.

Now that I've printed my letters, I'm ready to transfer them to tracing paper and then trace them onto the plaque/sign.

My husband cuts the wood for my signs.  Then I sand, seal, and basecoat the cut wood.  It's important to let the sealer dry completely before basecoating and then to let the basecoat paint dry totally before continuing.

My next step is to trace the lettering onto the basecoated sign.  Decorative painters usually know how to do this, but for anyone who doesn't, it's fairly simple:

1. Trace the letters from the printout onto tracing paper with an Ultra Fine Point Sharpie.  If you don't mind the price, tracing vellum is wonderful.  It's stronger than regular tracing paper so it stands up to repeated usage.  It's also easier to manage than regular tracing paper.
2. Now tape the tracing paper/vellum onto the prepared wood.  Make sure it's exactly where you want it before you tape it down.  Use Scotch Magic Tape because you can remove it without damaging the paint.
3. Slide a piece of graphite paper or Chaco Paper between the tracing paper/vellum and the basecoated wood.  Be sure that you've done this with the colored side of the graphite or Chaco Paper face down.
4. Using a fine stylus, empty ball-point pen, or other device, trace the lettering.  This will transfer the design onto your wood.  Don't press too hard or you'll dig into the wood and make dents.  You will probably also rip your tracing paper.
5. Now you're ready to paint.

Graphite paper comes in gray or white and is inexpensive.  If you have a dark background, use the white; if you have a light background, use the gray.  I have pretty much stopped using gray graphite paper for several reasons.  First, new graphite paper leaves very dark lines. Second, even the light gray lines of older graphite paper can be difficult to remove after you're painted over them.  It can be a real bear to clean this up because some colors of paint are just too transparent to hide those lines.  Even worse is that while you're resting the palm or side of one hand as you're tracing with the other, you can leave a messy smudge.  I don't find it to be as much of a problem with the white graphite paper.

Instead, I prefer Blue or White Chaco Paper, depending on my background color.  It's more expensive, but SO much nicer than graphite.  What makes it so wonderful is that most of it will disappear when you paint on it with acrylic paint.  If there are some marks left after your paint has dried, you can remove them with a damp cloth.  Be sure your paint is fully dry before you do that.

You do need to be careful of moisture while using Chaco Paper.  If you're in a humid environment, you might find your transfer disappearing before you've completed your painting!  It's not a huge problem; you can just retrace the design.  Be careful that your Chaco Paper doesn't get damp or wet because the transfer color can disappear from the Chaco Paper itself.  You should store it in the paper folder and plastic bag that it's sold in.  It wouldn't hurt to seal it up in a zipper bag, too.

Another tip I'd like to pass on is to tape a piece of waxed paper over your tracing paper before you begin transferring the design onto your wood.  First, it helps your stylus or pen to glide over the design as you trace.  Second, you'll scratch the outline of the design into the waxed paper as you trace, so you can always tell what part of the design has already been transferred and what part has not!

I don't recommend using a pencil to do any of your tracing because you can get black marks on your hands and smudges on your project.  A ball-point pen that still has ink in it can also make a mess.  My preference is a stylus.

I almost forgot to say that if you don't find a font on your computer program that you like, you can search the internet for free fonts and download them to your computer.

Don't forget that your finished, painted-wood project needs several coats of water-based varnish, especially if it's going to be hung outside.  Also, be sure that if holes are drilled into the wood for screw-eyes or other hardware for hanging a sign, you need to go back and seal those holes so that moisture doesn't enter that way.  If there is even a single spot for moisture to enter the wood, the moisture will keep collecting until it touches the paint from the inside and makes the paint peel off.

If you plan to hang your sign/plaque, the hardware needs to be stainless steel, aluminum, or something else that won't rust or develop a patina that will run onto the sign and stain it.

Although there are other ways to do some of these things and there are people who have other preferences,  what I've shared here are my opinions and my favorite methods.

© Copyright 2011 Linda's Art Barn. All rights reserved.

Gold & Silver Prices August 2, 2011

My husband was just watching one of the business channels on TV and they were talking about what a great day it is for metals--their words, not mine.  Apparently the debt ceiling upset had caused precious metal prices to drop for a few days, but as of yesterday, they're back up again.  From their perspective, if the prices are rising, then investors are doing well.  For those of us who make jewelry, it's just more bad news.

Ending prices on August 2, 2011:

• Gold closed at $1664 per ounce, the highest price yet in 2011
• Silver closed at $40.09 per ounce
• Copper...I can't find the closing price of Copper from yesterday, but I did find a site that quotes Copper currently at $4.33 a pound, which is about $ .27 per ounce.  That's almost no change from the $ .25 per ounce that I told you  about in my blog last August 14, almost exactly a year ago.

On May 5 of this year I blogged about the new (at the time) Silver-Filled wire.  I included links to a couple of companies that sell Silver-Filled wire.  I've just learned of two other companies that have added Silver-Filled wire to their inventory: 

• http://www.wire-sculpture.com/silver-filled-wire-1.html
• http://www.bluemud.com/Findings-C6209.aspx

Blue Mud.com sells Silver-Filled findings, beads, and clasps, too.  I imagine that means that other companies are selling Silver-Filled findings as well.

I've also heard of local bead stores that are now carrying Silver-Filled wire and findings.

August 2011 Jewelry Classes at Michaels

This is the schedule of classes that I'm scheduled to teach at the Rutland, Vermont Michaels store during August 2011:

- Tuesday, August 9.....Fundamentals of Wire Wrapping
         6:00 to 8:00 PM
- Wednesday, August 10.....Kid's Friendship Bracelet
        10 AM to Noon
- Monday, August 22.....Bead Night
        6:00 to 8:00 PM
- Monday, August 29.....Fundamentals of Wire Crochet
        6:00 to 8:00 PM



UPDATE, JULY 9, 2012:  If you live in the area, I'd love to see you in one of my classes.

For class details and photos of the projects, go to my website:
http://www.lindasartbarn.com/jewelryclassesatmichaels.htm

Upcoming class schedules are here:
http://www.lindasartbarn.com/apps/calendar/

Online Friendships

I retired five years ago and now I'm able to work on the art that I never had time for when I had a real job.  I also spend a good amount of time on the computer each day, reading email messages and newsletters and looking at endless websites and blogs with information on decorative painting, polymer clay, and jewelry-making.  It's so easy to get lost for hours when those sites have links to other sites--it's like being on a treasure hunt!  My husband thinks I'm just wasting time, but I've learned so much from all those places I visit.  It's sort of like going to art school where I get to determine my own curriculum!
 
I've also joined several decorative painting, jewelry, and polymer clay groups, forums, and blogs.  I'm amazed at how many friends I've made in those groups--people I will probably never meet because they live in places that it's doubtful I will visit at this point in my life...although you never know.  They're all so generous with their help and information. 
 
One of my friends is Bonnie from Arizona.  She has a fabulous blog and she posts there frequently with all the gorgeous new polymer clay beads and jewelry that she makes.  I'm amazed at how much she gets done on a daily basis!  She also has a wonderful, dry sense of humor.
 
A couple of weeks ago Bonnie was helping me with some information I needed and she informed me that she was going to send me a pair of earrings that she had made.  A few days later the mail arrived and there were two, not one, but two pairs of earrings!  They are both beautiful and I love how they sparkle.  What makes them even more special is that Bonnie designed them herself.  She is one very talented woman.
  

These are the earrings that Bonnie sent to me. Aren't they beautiful?

The light green ones go with my favorite summer dress.  The irridescent blue/black ones go with almost anything because they pick up so many colors.  They work really well with the Manhattan Skyline bracelet that I made, which is great because I didn't have earrings that looked right with that bracelet. 

Thank you, Bonnie, my friend.
 
Check out Bonnie's blog at and plan to spend some time there!
 
http://bleekreations.blogspot.com/2011/07/celebrating-200-and-oh-my-its-resin.html

Can't Make a Comment to Blogger?

It's funny what a small world it is.  I was having a problem with Blogger and spent quite a bit of time searching around the Help files trying to resolve it.  It took me about a week to find the answer.  OK, so I wasn't searching constantly for a week--but I did use up a lot of time trying to find an answer.  Tonight, I was reading info from a polymer clay artist's Blog and linked to a second Blog from the first one.  Wouldn't you know?  Both of those Blogs told me how to fix my problem!  If only I had found them a week ago!

The problem was that I was unable to enter a comment on my own Blog.  Therefore, I was prevented from replying to a question that was asked in a comment to my last Blog entry.  I had no difficulty going to my Dashboard, where I was automatically signed in and able to work normally.  I ran into a roadblock when I viewed my own Blog. 

I tried to reply to the Comment but I couldn't because I was not signed in.  Every time I tried to sign in, I was redirected to my Dashboard page, already signed in.  So...I was signed in on the Dashboard, but I couldn't get signed in to my Blog page.

The first solution I found was to try a different Browser.  My computer is kind of tight for space, so I really don't need to be installing Browser files that will use up more of my computer's space--and I really don't want to spend time learning how to use a new Browser.  This was not an option for me.

The second solution was to Sign Off (from my Dashboard) then Sign In again.  This time, I was instructed NOT to check the box that says, "Stay Signed In."  Or words to that effect.  BINGO!  This solved the problem and I now can reply to comments on my Blog entries.

So if anyone is having problems getting signed in or staying signed in to Blogger, try out one of these two solutions.

TIPS ON HAND-KNOTTED PEARL NECKLACES, PART 1

I got into a discussion online tonight with a beader friend about how to hand-knot pearls.  She was just learning how and I was offering some tips.  I decided to share them here.

As far as I'm concerned, the pearl-stringer's bible is Pearl and Bead Stringing with Henrietta, by Henrietta Virchick.  It's a small paperback book with most everything you need to know if you want to string pearls like a professional.  I Googled the book and found that it's available for $10.95 on several sites.  I do NOT have any connection to either Henrietta Virchick or her publisher.



This is my well-worn copy of Henrietta Virchick's book. 

    

I've seen other books as well as online tutorials for stringing pearls.  In my opinion, none of them will give you the same professional results as Henrietta's instructions will give you.  Henrietta says silk thread is best and that French wire should always be used to protect the thread next to the clasps.  I do as she says!


You can see the French wire attaching the pearl to the clasp.  This French wire is enveloping and protecting the silk thread from wear and tear.  By the way, filligree clasps are traditional on pearl necklaces.

Some of you may wonder why we use silk thread when stringing pearls and why we knot that thread.

First, let's talk about pearl basics, starting with the nacre.  The nacre is what gives a pearl it's sheen and color.  It is the material that the mollusk, usually an oyster, uses to cover an irritant that has gotten into it's shell.  Over time the irritant is covered with many layers of nacre.  Basically, there are natural and cultured pearls.  They are both REAL pearls and it is often difficult, even for an expert, to tell them apart without an X-ray.

A natural pearl is begun when an irritant invades the mollusk's shell naturally—without human intervention.  It is likely that the pearl is almost entirely made up of nacre, meaning that the nacre will be very thick.  Natural pearls are rare and getting enough round pearls of the same size is extremely rare, which makes it prohibitively expensive for most of us to own a natural pearl necklace. 

A cultured pearl begins when some sort of a sphere-shaped bead is deliberately inserted into the mollusk's shell by a human.  After that, the process is the same as for a natural pearl.  Ideally, the nacre will be thick around the bead, but sometimes cultured pearls are started with large beads and are harvested when only a thin layer of nacre has been formed.

This website has information about cultured and natural pearls:
http://www.pearlsintime.com/pearl-jewelry-education/cultured-vs-natural-pearls.html

Wire or threads that are more abrasive than silk can damage the nacre of the pearls, especially at the drilled openings.  Pearls with a thinner nacre are especially susceptible.  Silk thread is very strong and has a beautiful "drape."  There are two reasons for knotting the silk thread between the pearls.  First, the knots keep the pearls from rubbing together, which would be damaging to the nacre.  Second, if you break your strand of knotted pearls, only one pearl gets loose from the strand, so you only risk losing that one pearl.  On the other hand, if you have a strand of unknotted pearls, a broken strand means pearls are rolling all over the floor.

 

This Swarovski Crystal Pearl necklace has nice, tight knots, which are up close to the pearls.  However, I just noticed that the necklace needs to be restrung because some of the knots have been discolored by makeup.

            
It's very important to pre-stretch the silk thread or it will stretch as you wear the necklace, which will cause it to grow gaps between the knots and the pearls. Also, never hang your pearl necklace when you're not wearing it or the silk will stretch some, even if you already pre-stretched it.  Always lay your necklace flat when it's not being worn.
    

This silk thread here is so badly stretched that the knots actually became elongated and some of them slid into the holes of the pearls!  When I made this necklace I didn't know enough to stretch the silk.  To make matters worse, I didn't make the knots close enough to the pearls and then I hung the necklace for several weeks on the hanger of the dress that I planned to wear it with.    

    
Never store pearls in plastic bags or containers. Pearls need to breathe; they will dry out in plastic. I've heard of people who store their pearls in fabric bags in the bathroom so that the pearls get moisture from the steam of the shower. NEVER wear your pearls in the shower or when swimming. If you should accidentally get the thread wet, let the necklace dry completely on a flat surface. Avoid handling it while it dries. . .and while we're in the bathroom, be sure to apply your makeup, perfume, and hairspray BEFORE you put on your pearls.  As you can see in the second photo above, if you have makeup or sunless tanner on your neck, it's going to discolor your silk thread and could damage your pearls.
    
Stretching the silk is the one thing that is not addressed in Henrietta's book. I don't know why. I learned all about knotting pearls from that book, so I had no idea that silk needed to be stretched—until my necklaces started getting gaps between the pearls and the knots after I wore them a couple of times.

I restrung the necklaces and it happened again, so I went online to see if I could figure out what the problem was.  I was quickly able to learn that I needed to stretch the thread, but after hours of research I couldn't find any good instructions on how to do that.  I found that some people stretch their silk thread by hand, sort of yanking on one small section at a time until the entire length is stretched.  I was not pleased with my results when I tried this.  I think it's hard to get consistent results throughout the entire length of thread.  I just don't think you can be sure that the thread is fully stretched using this method.

After a lot of thinking I decided to try hanging the thread from a plant hook in the ceiling, with a weight attached to the thread at the bottom, and leave it overnight.  This allows for knotting the thread with the two-strand method—this is actually a single strand that is doubled.  This works great and it's how I stretch all my silk thread now:

1. Measure and cut the silk thread.
2. Run the silk thread through Thread Heaven Thread Magic*.
3. Thread the silk onto a beading needle made for pearls.  It will have a collapsible eye.
 



I cut a very short strand of silk for demo purposes and ran it through the Thread Heaven.  You can see that Thread Heaven is a silicone substance that comes in a little, square container.  Then I added a collapsible eye needle and tied the ends with an overhand knot.
*UPDATE May 22, 2022:  I have just learned from a friend that Thread Heaven is no longer being made.  After some online research I learned that Thread Magic is the perfect replacement, and is actually better!


4. Tie off the ends of both threads with a single overhand knot.
5. Separate the doubled thread with your hands so that it is sort of a circle and hang the thread from the top of the circle, with the knot near the hanger.  Don't pierce the knot.    




Here I've looped the thread on a nail to hang it.  At the bottom I hung the pearls that I'll be restringing onto the thread and let it hang overnight to stretch the thread.  Notice that the thread has started to twist. 
UPDATE May 22, 2022:   I used to think that it wasn't possible to avoid getting twisted thread, until I accidentally did it!
See TIPS ON HAND-KNOTTED PEARL NECKLACES, PART 4 to prevent the twisting.



6. Now drape the pearls you'll be stringing later—don't remove them from their original strand yet—over the bottom of the oval and let them hang on the silk thread as a weight.  Be sure to separate the two strands of thread (created by doubling the thread) when you hang the weight, and find a way to keep that separation while the thread stretches.
7. Leave the thread to stretch overnight.

  

By the way, if you're stretching a single strand of thread, or you're using silk cord on a card, which comes with a needle embedded into it, see Part 2 and Part 3.
   
If I'm in a hurry and don't want to wait until the next day to start work on the necklace, I add another strand or two of pearls if I have them, or even a finished necklace or bracelet to make more weight on the thread.  Then I let it stretch for a couple of hours.  The extra weight should make up for the shorter time.

If you let the thread twist when you hang it, not only will you battle tangling while stringing and knotting your pearls, you will have to be careful not to get the "weight" tangled up in the twisted thread as you remove it.  You'll have to carefully untwist the lower part of the thread first.

See TIPS ON HAND-KNOTTED PEARL NECKLACES, PART 4 to learn how to prevent the silk thread from twisting.  If it isn't twisted it is so much easier to string and knot the pearls.

Because it makes a static charge that causes the threads to repel each other, the Thread Heaven Magic should help to keep out tangles and unwanted knots.

I don't use beeswax because I think that it stiffens the silk, makes it bulkier, and discolors it—that's strictly my opinion.  I believe that can be a problem for use with pearls because they have very small holes.  Anyway, I think it ruins the sheen and the feel of the silk.  Others may disagree with me, believing that the wax keeps the silk thread from getting dirty and that a buildup of wax outside the hole of the pearl can protect it.

  

When the stretching is finished and you've removed the "weight," gently untwist the rest of the thread, if necessary.  Rearrange the thread so that the needle is on one end and the knot is on the opposite end and run the thread through Thread Heaven Magic again before you start adding pearls.  If you didn't prevent the twisting while the thread was stretching, you will occasionally need to untwist the thread as you work.  Use the Thread Heaven Magic whenever then thread becomes difficult to manage.

  

I'm not going to get into the steps for actually knotting the silk or adding the clasps in this post.  Henrietta's book has all that information with very nice graphics to show you exactly how to make the knots.  Part 3 has some good tips on the actual knotting process.

When knotting with a single strand of silk thread I prefer to use a knotting tool rather than tweezers.  Even with the knotting tool, it can be very tricky to get those knots close enough to the pearls—and if the knot tightens up before you get it in place, you have two choices:  

1.  Try to undo the knot (frequently impossible).

2.  Cut off the pearls and start over again with new thread.  
 

I find it faster and easier to use two strands of silk thread. When knotting with two strands of silk, make an overhand knot in the same direction every time, as close to the pearl as possible.  I like to use a needle tool (like an awl) to pull the loose knots close to the pearl.  Then I gently tug the two strands away from each other, with one strand in each hand, to tighten the knot and pull it up tight against the pearl.

Because silk thread will still stretch a bit even if you pre-stretch it, I like to tie my knots up snugly next to the pearls. It may look a little too tight at first, but it will quickly loosen just enough to hang well.  If the necklace doesn't hang smoothly at first, just give it a gentle tug or two. That should make it drape nicely.  If it's still too tight, just wear the necklace around for a couple of hours and it should relax enough to drape beautifully.
   

I should mention that these tips will work if you knot silk thread with many other beads, not just pearls.  However, as a general rule, silk thread should not be used use with crystals or other beads with sharp edges around the holes that could cut the thread.  

These are fossil beads which have been dyed to look like turquoise.  The holes were very large, so I had to use thicker silk thread.  You can see how large the knots are.    

    
I'm going to mention one more thing.  If you knot a pearl bracelet with silk thread, be very careful to make it exactly the right length for your wrist.  If the bracelet is large enough to slide down around the lower part of your hand, the silk thread is probably going to stretch out quickly due to the motion of your hand.  Another problem is washing your hands while wearing the bracelet.  If you get the silk wet, you must remove it immediately and lay it flat to dry.  Otherwise, the thread will stretch and the bracelet will grow.  Also, when wet, the thread will attract dirt if you continue to wear it.  If you take the bracelet off to wash your hands, DON'T put it on the side of the sink.  It will get wet there as well.  If you take off the bracelet you also run the risk of forgetting to put it back on and losing it, so put it in your pocket, purse, or other safe place.  You may forget to put it back on right away, but you won't lose it.    
   
   
For almost everything you ever wanted to know about pearls, as well as a forum of really knowledgeable and helpful people, check out this website and join their forum:
http://pearl-guide.com/
        
     
"Tips on Hand-Knotted Pearl Necklaces, Part 2:"  Part 2 addresses silk thread in detail, including how it is sold, and choosing sizes. 
  
"Tips on Hand-Knotted Pearl Necklaces, Part 3:"  In Part 3 I show you how to make knots with both single and double strands of thread, along with tools that are used for knotting. 

"Tips on Hand-Knotted Pearl Necklaces, Part 4:"  In Part 4 I share some tips for keeping the thread from twisting, as well as a few other tips that make stringing and knotting easier.
  
  

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