The primary purpose of a bead reamer is to clean out irregular holes in beads. Many beads aren’t drilled straight through, but from both sides, meeting in the middle. This can cause some rough patches or an irregular path for your bead wire or other stringing material. Start with the smallest tip of the bead reamer (they usually come with at least 4 different sizes) and progress to the largest one possible, moving it in a slow circular motion. This is the time to be gentle and patient! Many semi-precious stones are fragile and can break if you are too rough. It is best to do this in a bowl of water to avoid breathing bead dust and to prevent breakage. Bead reamers will not work to make a bead hole dramatically larger – a drill is usually required for that.