Bead Pendant Bail Tutorial

When I first started making glass beads I was frustrated by my inability to turn them into pendants.  I wanted them to have an elegant yet easy to make bail, so I started experimenting with PMC (Precious Metal Clay).  This is the result of those experiments which I am pleased to share with you.  This tutorial assumes a basic knowledge of metal clay technique.
Materials Needed:  PMC3 - clay and slip (Paste) 28 gauge 3/32 fine silver bezel strip shaping tools - roller, cards, tissue blade, paint brushes, knitting needles, round tapered chop stick, texture sheet or rubber stamp mold for accent piece if desired 8 mm rod finishing tools - emery boards, wire brush, burnishers or tumbler 2 part epoxy particle mask kiln
	Roll out a small piece of PMC3 2 cards thick.
	Use a texture sheet or rubber stamp to add texture to the PMC.
	Using a tissue blade, cut the PMC to 1/2" x 1 1/2", rounding one end.
	Roll the PMC strip onto a 8 mm rod (I'm a lampworker, so of course I use a glass rod :), adding a small amount of PMC slip at the end to secure it.
	Use a small paintbrush to run a bead of water around the joined edge.  Allow bail to dry to leather hard stage and remove from glass rod.  Use an emery board to refine the shape.  Always wear a particle mask when sanding.  PMC is non-toxic, but inhaling any small particles is bad for your lungs.
	If you desire, you can add a small molded PMC accent using PMC slip.  Allow to dry.
	Drill a hole in the bottom of the bail using a 9/64 drill bit. Fire the piece at 1650 degrees for 2 hours.  Allow to cool.  Brush with a wet, soapy brass brush and then tumble for 1 hour or burnish by hand.
	Cut a piece of bezel wire about 2 times as long as your bead plus one inch and fold it in half.
	Insert the folded end of the bezel wire into the hole on the bail and partially open it up (it start opening with the tip of a craft knife and then use two sizes of knitting needles).
	Mix two part epoxy and apply to inside of bail with a toothpick.
	Pushing the bail onto a tapered chopstick will fully open the inserted bezel wire and push it into the epoxy. If you prefer not to use epoxy, you can use PMC paste to attach the bezel wire to the tube and then refire, but you will need to burnish it again by hand afterwards - the bezel wire gets mangled in a tumbler.
	Your bail should now look like this.  Insert the bezel wire into the bead and pull through.  Trim the wire 1/4" longer than your bead and use a file to round the ends of the wire.
	Put a small amount of epoxy into the holes in the bead.  Insert the bezel wire into the bead and pull through.
	Spread the bezel wire apart and up over the sides of the bead.  Allow the epoxy to set.
Sit back and admire your work.

Enjoy!