How to make a DIY Begleri at home
Bead options:
Hex Nuts
Hex nuts are easily the most popular way to create inexpensive begleri set. Many people will have spare hex nuts laying around the house, and if you have a hardware store around you, they usually sell hex nuts individually, or in packs. Just string hex nuts on a piece of thin, comfortable string and tie a knot on each end.
Popular hex nut sizes for begleri:
- 5/16" (M8)
- 1/2" (M12)
- 5/8" (M16)
Monkey Fist Knot
Making monkey fists takes more time than hex nuts and is less customizable after they are finished, but the pride you are able to feel after hand making such a magnificent creation is quite amazing.
Many people will add weight by making the monkey fist knot around a marble or ball bearing. Then leave a little room for the joiner, and repeat on the other side. It's safer to make the joiner too long than too short, because you can tighten the knot after it is finished, but it's hard to reclaim more cord. See this tutorial on YouTube for an example of how to make one.
Keep in mind, the smaller grade of paracord you use, the more passes you need to cover the whole core. This means more cord is needed.
Bearings
You can use small r188 bearings commonly found in fidget spinners, or skate bearings (although these are a little bigger than most begleri sets). These are generally used the same way as hex nuts, just put the cord through them and tie a knot. It can also be helpful to tie one or two loops of cord around a multiple-piece bead to keep them from moving (a la Hydras).
Spacer Beads
These are found in the hardware store, in small packages near the hex nuts. These are steel cylinders that looks similar to Modern Standards. Thread them onto paracord and tie a knot. Simple.
Brass Cap Nuts
Similar to hex nuts, but with less variation, are the brass cap nuts. These are usually used in tandem with black o-rings in begleri videos online. The most commonly used size is 10-32, with #31 o-rings.
Bouncy Balls
You can use bouncy balls from the small vending machines in stores to make begleri by just drilling an appropriately sized hole in them for the paracord to fit through. This can make sets as inexpensive as others, with the added perk that if you drop them, they bounce back up to you -- they just require a little more work to make than other methods.
Metal beads tend to be preferred due to their weight and durability. While the size, shape, and weight of begleri are generally a player preference, most sets tend to be within a conventional range of shapes (round or partially rounded without significant protrusions), sizes (generally from 15mm to 25mm in diameter), and weights (generally between 10g and 20g per bead). Beads outside of these ranges may be awkward for average players to handle. Light materials such as most plastics and woods can be used to make begleri, but are often given a metal core, since they are too light for the preference of many players on their own.
String Length:
String length is a personal preference, and begleri players use a variety of lengths.
However, different lengths of string tend to make certain tricks, transitions, or styles of play either easier or harder because of the amount of string required to wrap around the fingers, or to span the width of different numbers of fingers. Some tricks may be impossible with a string that is too long or too short. There appear to be two emerging “standards” in string length, which players have been referring to as the “short game” and the “long game”.