Brooke, thanks for asking. Try using a hair flat-iron, or curling iron, slightly warmed.

I haven’t worked with leather cord much for this very reason, but I think that is about to change.

My dad same.

Hi Terrie. Try this. Put one end of your wire in a vise. Grab the other end with pliers, pull it straight, then give a firm but gentle tug. This is usually enough depending on how kinky the wire started out. If some spots need a bit more, roll those spots between two steel bench blocks. Or, on the bench block, gently tap the link with a rawhide mallet or rubber hammer. Gently is key here. And do not use a metal hammer as this will work harden your wire and even worse, flatten it. Good luck.

Theresa, thank you so much! 🙂

Hi Carolyn! In the next issue of the newsletter I will include your question about straightening rubber tubing so others can share their tips for that. Thanks for asking!

Lalah, thanks for asking! Go to google and type in a search for “bone beads”. You’ll find several sources for them. Have fun with your leather cord projects! 🙂

Great idea, Barbara!

That’s wonderful to hear, DeShawna! Thank you for taking the time to let me know! 🙂

Working with wire – is there a similar technique you would suggest? I recently bought a pair of nylon jaw pliers, but find they only take “just so much” curve out!

Hi Cheryl! Thanks for asking. Here’s the best way to find out whether it works on your type of cord:

Experiment with this technique on a small piece of your cord that you wouldn’t mind using as a guinea pig, and see what happens. That’s the only way I know of to find out for sure whether a technique will work with the materials you have.

I have only used this particular cord-straightening method on leather, but it’s possible that it may work on other types of cord too.

Sandy, thank you so much for the mink oil / cuticle cream tip – I didn’t know that, but it makes perfect sense. 🙂 Thanks for sharing that!

Here is something I do with both wound leather and with kinked leather.

Take your piece and pull it just like you would to stretch your beading thread. Use an even pull on both ends and remember leather breaks too so pull slowly and evenly. If your piece is long do it in sections. Then put it in your palm and very slowly run it through, several times if it is really kinked or has been on the spool for a long time. Your palm will heat up the leather and relax it, then you can pull it again. Leave a kinked section in your palm for awhile longer.

This would be another way if you don’t want your leather to look “distressed”.

I’ve never worked with kinked leather cord, so I really don’t know how it would work for that. I would cut off a test piece of your kinked leather cord – about a foot long – to experiment with.

Then as you run this test piece of cord back and forth through your bead, try to really scrape those kinked spots to relax them. You might have to run it through your bead several times.

I’d be interested to hear how it works for you! 🙂