I hate repairing beadwork. I don’t like restringing. I don’t like reweaving. I don’t want to add a new clasp or replace a broken bead either. I really, really don’t like repair work. If I’m beading, I want to create something new, not fix something old. So when it comes to my own jewelry, I never fix anything. Instead, I recycle. The broken bobble is disassembled, then I sort the beads, and return them to my stash. Not only do I avoid a dull and probably time-consuming repair, but I have new beads in my box (well, kind of). By recycling instead of repairing, my bead stash and my wardrobe stay fresh.
When someone I know hands me a sandwich baggie filled with knotted thread or kinked wire and a bunch of miscellaneous beads that belong to their neighbor’s cousin’s daughter’s BFF, my instinct is to drop to my knees and plead with the heavens: WHY ME? It isn’t that I don’t like helping people, because I do, but I love the “give a man a fish and you’ll feed him for a day, teach a man to fish and you’ll feed him for a lifetime” philosophy. I would rather spend two hours with my co-worker’s neighbor’s cousin’s daughter’s BFF teaching her to make and fix her own jewelry, than spend one minute repairing it myself. Teaching people to bead is fun, repair work is boring. It is that simple.
But doing pro bono repair work comes with challenges beyond the snooze factor. Missing beads, broken clasps, and old or improper materials can make doing repair work for others a pricey, or even impossible task. Be honest with people when you take on these tasks. Honesty will help you avoid feeling resentful or stressed out and can help make a repair job more palatable. If the money matters to you, let the person you’re doing the repair for know if you’ll have to spend any replacing a clasp, beads or switching out fishing line with Soft Flex. Heck, you might even get lunch out of the deal. If too many beads are missing, the repair might not be possible. Make sure you tell the owner up front that you might not be able to find the right beads for the job so they aren’t disappointed when they get their baggie back instead of their favorite necklace. Be honest with yourself about your availability. If you’re like me, a toddler, work, and the three zillion undone things on my “to do” list can make a sandwich baggie of beads feel like an anvil hanging over my head. If you can’t do it, it’s ok to say so. Direct your co-worker, friend, or whomever to your favorite bead shop, many of them do repairs for free, or for a small fee.
I am repairing a right angle weave necklace today. My mother-in-law gave it to me months ago and I figured the least I could do was fix it before her birthday next week:)
