Instruction Book

These are the things librarians wear to keep track of their glasses. I've tried to find out what the name of it is but no one seems to know. My favorite message in these is "Jeepers, creepers, where'd you get those peepers!" There's also "I only have eyes for you" or to your favorite elected official - "The eyes have it."

Be sure to use the strong wire cable when making these. The .024", 49-strand, 40 lb. breaking point wire is probably strong enough. You don't want it to break and drop someone's glasses. Most bead stores have the elastic or plastic grippers you'll need to attach to the ends of the cable. Make one for your grandma. She'll love it!

These necklaces use bullet slugs for beads. Since the slugs are rather big, the necklace should have a short one-word message. I made one with my name on it, and then wrote "This one's got my name on it" in the seed beads between the slugs. I use Barnes 22 CAL .224D solid copper slugs. You don't need to wear lead jewelry next to your skin so get solid copper slugs, please. For a dash put two slugs back to back, and for a dot use one bead by itself. I put the tip of the slug pointing to the right.

You'll need a small drill press and a vice. Drilling with a hand-held drill won't work. Drill bits tend to come out the side of the slug, or break off inside. Put a small piece of leather around the slug before you put it in the vice to keep the vice from scratching it. It's easier to drill into the back of the slug than into the tip. I suggest you use a 3/32" drill bit, and to use cutting oil. Next grind the tips down a little and sand them smooth. Then wash the slugs to get the oil and metal pieces off. You should use the stronger cable for this one, because the slugs will wear out the wire faster than typical beads. You may not have a sword to beat into a plowshare, but anyone can turn bullets into beads.