Begleri can be made of all kinds of everyday objects lying around the house. Here are some popular methods of making cheap begleri yourself instead of buying professionally-made beads.
Hex Nuts[]
The ever-popular and incredibly inexpensive begleri set. If you have a hardware store around you, they might sell hex nuts individually, or in packs. If you can find them individually, you can make a very inexpensive begleri set. If you can find them in packs, you can make a few sets for your friends as well. Just string hex nuts on a piece of paracord and tie a knot on each end.
Popular hex nut sizes for begleri (Metric in parenthesis). Mix and match any of the following for your ideal weight, if you use the metric system, there are websites for conversion:
- 5/16" (M8)
- 1/2" (M12)
- 5/8" (M16)
Monkey Fist[]
Making monkey fists takes more time than hex nuts and is less customizable after they are finished. But they are arguably as cheap, and you might even have the materials required already in your house.
You simply make a 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.