In my line of work (designer for a Medical Device company) I end up having to make all kinds of show-and-tell, custom trade show type items. And much of that work involves taking anatomical models, modifying them to illustrate how a device will work etc.
So…I’m taking apart a skeletal model to modify a particular bone. And the bones are connected by a cord that is finished with what looks to me to be a bead similar to the kind used by necklace beaders. But there is such a huge number of those things, and places to buy them from I’m having trouble finding exactly what I need.
I am calling it a ‘cord end bead’ because it is at the end of this connecting cord. Most of the ‘cord end’ bead seem to have an eye, or a hook. That makes since if you are making jewelry – but I’m not. And I hope not to have to replave ALL of the beads on this thing just so it looks right (consistent).
The bead I want has a end that resembles a rivot, or the head of a finishing nail – it is a very low dome. The material is stainless steel, and the dimensions are; overall length .2 in (5 mm), dome diameter .14 in (3.5 mm), and the tube / the part you actually crimp looks to be around .07 in (1.75 mm). That last one is hard to tell since it is already crimped.
Any help pointing me to a source for these would be great, or even correcting me if what I’ve described is not a ‘cord end bead.’ Thanks in advance.
I’m having trouble visualizing this; can you link to a picture?
My favorite large bead suppliers are (or were; I don’t do it much anymore) Rings ‘n’ Things, Rio Grande, and Fire Mountain Beads. All should be easily Googlable. You might try giving them a phone call; the folks at Fire Mountain have been especially helpful in the past, as many of the people who work there are beaders/jewelers themselves.
OK, I’ve had a chance to poke around. Check out the links on this page under the heading “Crimps.” Does anything there resemble what you’re looking for?
Also scroll down further and check out the link for “Bead Tips” and the various types of “end caps” under the heading “Terminators.”
but much shorter and hollow so it can be crimped. I spoke with customer service at fire mountain, and they didn’t have anything matching my description. My camera would not take a clear picture of something so small, so close. So here is a quick sketch that might help you visualize it.
Hm. So is the purpose of the flat end to hold the bone piece? Like does it slide into a slot? If you didn’t need that, you could just use a plain crimp bead, which is just a very short hollow tube. But I’m guessing you need the domed flat part.
The other idea I just had is, can you contact the manufacturer of the model and see if they can send you a few?
Yes the flat just rests flush against the bone to hold it in place. I wanted to find matching hardware to keep the whole model consistent. I only need to modify one section of it, so either I have to live with mismatched hardware, or I have to replace all the other fasteners.