Making Rosaries

AMDG · Sep 29, 2008

Sianelle said:
I think I might need to buy a cheap pair of craft pliers and get someone to grind them into a better shape

Buy the RosaryMakers pliers from the site I mentioned. You won't regret it! At first I didn't believe it--got needle-nosed craft pliers instead. Even the other more experienced wire RosaryMakers in our group just gave up trying to use them! So I got the RosaryMakers ones. Both are needle-nose, but the difference is unbelievable! The RosaryMakers ones have tiny grips that easily hold the wire and a place for the bead that my needle-nose craft pliers do not have.

BTW RosaryMakers have free instructions for making wire Rosaries. The instructions even show where to hold the pliers on the wire to make the loops easily.

Sianelle · Sep 29, 2008

AMDG said:
Buy the RosaryMakers pliers from the site I mentioned. You won't regret it! At first I didn't believe it--got needle-nosed craft pliers instead. Even the other more experienced wire RosaryMakers in our group just gave up trying to use them! So I got the RosaryMakers ones. Both are needle-nose, but the difference is unbelievable! The RosaryMakers ones have tiny grips that easily hold the wire and a place for the bead that my needle-nose craft pliers do not have.

BTW RosaryMakers have free instructions for making wire Rosaries. The instructions even show where to hold the pliers on the wire to make the loops easily.

Oooooo thanks for the advice

Something I am finding though is that folk keep asking me if I'm making Rosaries to sell and seem to be amazed when I tell them I give them away.

Mom2Alex · Sep 29, 2008

Sianelle said:
Now I am impressed! I have a metal linked Rosary that I'm painfully making by hand and I must say that it's looking encouraging, but it is hard work. I think I might need to buy a cheap pair of craft pliers and get someone to grind them into a better shape so I can form the chain eyes without so much painstaking messing about. I've been using 20g silver plated wire to make the links btw.

Here are pics of a rosary I made for a young man who entered the Church at the last Easter Vigil...

Sianelle · Sep 29, 2008

Oh my word that's simply lovely.

isabella1 · Sep 29, 2008

AMDG said:
Then you should try the RosaryMakers site I listed before. They have a kit (with instructions) a cord Rosary. The kit comes with a tool for making those knots (but in the RosaryMaking group belong to, they are able to bypass that and use old cutdown umbrella stays instead. )

ya, thats a great site. I loved it, and bookmarked it. But food and living expenses before extra spending, ya know.

Sianelle · Sep 29, 2008

isabella1 said:
ya, thats a great site. I loved it, and bookmarked it. But food and living expenses before extra spending, ya know.

This is my problem too, - well not really a problem, - but beads and bits cost money even if I have scouted around and discovered that the kiddies craft corner at the local general store has the cheapest beads in town.
Having very little money doesn't worry me normally, but it means that I can't just rush off and buy things like crucifixes and other fittings. While I was down at the township this morning I called in at the library and I was able to borrow some excellent books on beaded jewellery. What I wanted to find out was how use jewellery findings to neatly join things together, but in one of the books I found instructions for making beads from polymer clay. Now that would certainly be an interesting way to make custom Rosary parts.
I want to see if I can find any of the lemon tree prunings in the firewood store so I can have a go at carving a wooden crucifix. The Irish Penal style of crucifix is a design that interests me a lot and I wouldn't mind having a try at making one.

(this isn't one of mine!)

AMDG · Sep 29, 2008

I just love that penal Rosary--both this one and the earlier one you made. I never even thought of them before, and I sure wouldn't mind making a few. (Just had to tell you that.)

Can't help you with the wood prunings, but since the Rosarymaking group that I belong to makes Rosaries only to give away, price was always a consideration. By purchasing the mission Rosary pieces, we were able to obtain really inexpensive beads, crucifixes, cord and wire--surprisingly cheaper than if the pieces were purchased in a regular store.

And you know that you can practically make your own findings from just the wire itself--you really don't have to purchase the more expensive, but convenient ones, but they are available if you want. Those free RosaryMakers instructions tell you how--how to make wire bows, "eye"-pins, jump rings, chains, etc.

As for cord--you'd be surprised what we've used. Fairly thick nylon fishing line--it takes a nice dye color with the store dye.

Sianelle · Sep 30, 2008

I really like using a Penal Rosary. I hadn't really thought of using one until I forgot my big Rosary when I went to the Monday morning Marian group one day and found I only had a souvenir Irish Penal Rosary in the bottom of my bag. That reminds me I must get that one I made blessed so I can keep it in my pocket for prayer emergencies. My big wooden bead Rosary is all very well and good, but it can be a bit fearsome to haul out in some situations.

Thanks for the tip about the metal findings btw. I must do a few experiments.

Sianelle · Sep 30, 2008

This evening while working in the garden I found some nice dry close grained prunings that seem to be nicely workable with handtools. I don't like using powertools for handcrafts because they make far too much noise and scare away the angels. Besides I like to pray while making things and it's just a wee bit hard to do if something is going RRRRRRRRRRRR in your ear.

This is as far as I got with carving a crucifix before I went to say Vespers. It's roughed out and oversize at this stage of things, but ready for the next more delicate stage of things. These prunings have a nice close dense grain and I think they should be nicely suitable for the purpose.

isabella1 · Sep 30, 2008

Sianelle said:
This evening while working in the garden I found some nice dry close grained prunings that seem to be nicely workable with handtools. I don't like using powertools for handcrafts because they make far too much noise and scare away the angels. Besides I like to pray while making things and it's just a wee bit hard to do if something is going RRRRRRRRRRRR in your ear.

This is as far as I got with carving a crucifix before I went to say Vespers. It's roughed out and oversize at this stage of things, but ready for the next more delicate stage of things. These prunings have a nice close dense grain and I think they should be nicely suitable for the purpose.

LOL (the rrr in your ear). A woman of many talents! Impressive. We certainly don't want to scare the angels away. They are far to helpful.

I like to pray while I am beading also. I believe it adds that much more to what you are giving out. A special prayer is said on each rosary, rosary bracelet, or rosary with a religious charm. It is just something that is important for me to give. Kind of like saying I made this especially for you in Love.

Sianelle · Oct 12, 2008

I thought I'd show you all this little Penal Rosary I've made. Being entirely flexible it's the sort of thing that can be readily carried in a pocket without having to worry about it too much.

I recently discovered Alphabet beads and I love using them in my Rosaries.

Sianelle · Oct 20, 2008

I mentioned using oven drying clays like 'Fimo', 'Du-kit', 'Sculpty' & etc as an aid to making low cost Rosaries. I'm busy with trying this out at present and the results have been pretty encouraging
(btw, I've since cleaned away the traces of red staining with some fine glasspaper.)

I'm working on a Crucifix at the moment and even though I'm no great artist I'm managing to make a pleasing job of it. Sorry, no picture just yet as it's not baked and I think I'd damage it if I attempted taking an in-progress scan.

isabella1 · Oct 20, 2008

Pretty impressive. Do you know its durability? well I guess if you are just trying it out, time will tell. Nice work.

Sianelle · Oct 20, 2008

isabella1 said:
Pretty impressive. Do you know its durability? well I guess if you are just trying it out, time will tell. Nice work.

From what I can see the oven drying clay is quite robust and it sets off not exactly rock hard, but retains a slight rubbery flexibility. The White Cross and Sacred Heart design should last reasonably well since it has no thin sections, but I am wondering how something more detailed like a Crucifix will hold up. Quite a few modern jewellry designers and bead artists use OD polymer clay in their work and in one book I have the bead artist says she tests for durability by hurling new bead designs down onto the floor!!
I should make myself a test Rosary, get it blessed and use it exclusively for the next month or so and see what happens.

Sianelle · Oct 21, 2008

More polymer clay work by me
I was amazed just how well this crucifix turned out and how strong it is after being baked despite the detail.

My elder sister asked me to make a Rosary for her. It's wonderful to be able to return the favour because she gave me a Rosary many years ago now when life was not going well for me at all.
This is the cross I've made for her Rosary.

ukok · Oct 21, 2008

Mom2Alex said:
Thank you for sharing pictures of these lovely rosaries! I too make rosaries, usually with either sterling pins, chain, joiner, crucifix or using base metal. I have yet to venture into making them with cord and I would like to make rosaries using only nylon twine. I have also made many rosary bracelets and have repaired them for others as well.

There remains a constant need for rosaries donated to various missions.

That video is fab. Even i might be able to make something like the all cord rosary. Thanks for sharing that Rosary Army, Rosary making link!

isabella1 · Oct 21, 2008

Sianelle said:
More polymer clay work by me
I was amazed just how well this crucifix turned out and how strong it is after being baked despite the detail.

My elder sister asked me to make a Rosary for her. It's wonderful to be able to return the favour because she gave me a Rosary many years ago now when life was not going well for me at all.
This is the cross I've made for her Rosary.

Wow!!!!! You did this? Amazing, I am speechless. I want to try one. He He. I love the crucifix you made, and this cross with the roses. Very nice. (I need to learn how to do those knots).

AMDG · Oct 21, 2008

Those are impressive.

I just want to ask, have you ever found penal crucifixes? I haven't, but I understand that they are quite distinctive--having several symbols of the crucixion on them (not only the three spikes, but the [bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse] that crows and even the pot and I believe others too.)

Sianelle · Oct 21, 2008

I haven't seen a genuine Penal Rosary to actually hold it in my hand, but I have seen pictures. Though I was thinking of having a go at making a polymer clay replica of this Penal cross......

After trying to carve wooden crucifixes and having quite a bit of trouble I'm absolutely delighted by polymer clay. It works so easily, - takes me back to Plasticine and play dough when I was a kiddie to tell the truth
The tools I use are nothing special and include such things as odd bits and bobs from cheap manicure sets, a small art knife, etc etc....

Sianelle · Oct 21, 2008

Isabella, - this is the simple knot tying tool I made from a piece of umbrella spoke and a short length of dowel to make a handle. Once I had this tool my knots improved 500% and I had a lot less trouble forming them.

Making Rosaries

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All is in God's hand!

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