Assembling the Bits
The first task in making a
Rosary is assembling all of the necessary parts. You will need:
1. 59 beads
2. 59 "Eye" Pins
3. 3 Small Rings
4. 1 Crucifix (with ring)
5. 1 Center Piece
6. 8 inches of chain
The only tools you will need are a pair of pliers, the slim Round-Nosed type, and a pair of sharp scissors
Step 1
Pick up one of the eye pins and insert it as far as it will go through one of the beads. Then with your fingers or pliers (whichever is easiest for you) bend the straight portion of the wire over at right angles.
Step 2
With the pliers in the right hand, grip the bent over section of the pin (now pointing to your right) near the nose of the pliers and near the end of the pin. Circle your thumb toward you and put a little bend in the end of the pin.
Step 3
Pick up two of the beads and hook the new eye of the one through the original eye of the other. This is the first step in assembling the Rosary.
Step 4
Cutting the chain is the next step. Fourteen pieces are required, each four or five links long, as you prefer. These are easily snipped off with a pair of scissors, but in cutting the chain, be careful to have exactly the same number of links on each of your fourteen pieces.
Step 5
Open one end of the small "jump" rings by bending the prongs sideways. Opening the ring in this manner makes it easier to close without losing its shape. Slip the ring through one of the upper openings in the center-piece and a piece of chain to close it.
Step 6
The final Assembly consists of joining together the
various parts of the rosary. In connecting it is necessary to slightly open the closed end of the last eye pin of each decade, in order to attach the chain.
Before making the final assembly of the long string of beads and the centrepiece, hold the string up up by one end and let it dangle freely. Then when you attach the free end of the centerpiece, see that there is no "twist" in the string. Even a light twist will cause the Rosary to kink, something easily avoided with a little extra care.
Cautions
Use as little pressure as possible on the pliers while forming and closing the eyes. The wire is delicate and too much pressure will make marks which cannot be removed.
Be sure when you are assembling that EVERY eye is closed. No one wants a Rosary which comes apart.
