Tiger tail wire (also called tiger tail or tiger-tail) is a thin wire encased in nylon often used in beadedjewellery, and particularly suited to stringing heavy beads and sharp beads, which tend to fray other kinds of thread.[1] For this reason, tiger tail is the thread of choice for gemstones.[2]
Some tiger tail has multiple intertwined wire threads under the nylon coating.[3] The wire threads are made of stainless steel.[4]
Tiger tail cannot be fashioned into a knot in order to end a sequence of beads as other kinds of thread can;[5] instead, crimp beads are often used for this purpose.[6] Crimp beads are also used as spacers between other beads strung on tiger tail.[7]
Among the types of wire used for bead stringing, tiger tail is the most common.[8] Tiger tail is easier to use than many other kinds of thread, and it does not require the use of a sewing needle.[9] Tiger tail has high ultimate tensile strength and is therefore extremely difficult to tear,[10] but if it is creased or twisted, tiger tail has a tendency to kink and then become brittle in the kinked area.[11]
↑Sara Withers; Stephanie Burnham (2005). The Encyclopedia of Beading Techniques: A Step-by-Step Visual Guide, with an Inspirational Gallery of Finished Works. Running Press. p.16. ISBN076242043X.
