For the fabrication of small metal bead crystals a gas flame is used to melt a wire forming a liquid droplet which solidifies upon cooling into a single crystal metal bead. Due to oxidation under ambient conditions bead crystals can be formed only from noble metals using this method. Here we describe a method how to fabricate bead crystals from a wide variety of metals and metal alloys (Cu, Mo, Ru, Rh, Pd, Ag, Ta, W, Re, Ir, Pt, An, PtPd, Pd80Pt20, PtRh, AuAg, and PtIr) by electron beam heating under vacuum conditions. Narrow x-ray diffraction peaks confirm a high crystal quality of the bead crystals. (c) 2005 American Vacuum Society.