Frogatha's Icicle Tutorial

[Frogsongstudio]

Okay, I made my first tutorial on making an icicle in soft glass.
My Demo Icicle didn't turn out well because I had to keep manuevering my hands in awkward positions so the photographer could get the shot. But it'll give you an idea of how I'm doing them. I'll post pictures of the icicles I made today tomorrow when I get them out of the kiln. Okay, here goes.

First make a small donut shaped bead on your mandrel using clear. I used 1/8" mandrels for mine.

[Frogsongstudio]

Next, place a large gather on one side of your bead like so.

[Frogsongstudio]

Now keep adding to that until you get enough to make your icicle as thick and long as you want it. You'll have to figure out how much you need for what you want. But something like this.

[Frogsongstudio]

Now take your mashers and mash the round part into a paddle shape.

[Frogsongstudio]

Next, you're going to put your color. Any color you want and you can put it on any way you want. One stripe down the center on each side. Two striped on the edges on each side or whatever. For this one I put 4 fairly thin stripes on each side. One side has red stripes and the other side has green stripes.

[Frogsongstudio]

Your stripes don't have to be perfect. Once you get all the stripes on you want to encase your stripes with clear.

[Frogsongstudio]

Once you get your stripes encased, mash it again.

[Frogsongstudio]

Again, it doesn't have to be perfect.
Now heat up the paddle part of it being careful not to let your loop get too cool. Attach a heated up punty to the bottom. I used a 1/8" mandrel for a punty.

[Frogsongstudio]

Okay, it gets a little squirrely from here.

Now you've got a mandrel in both hands at odd angles from eachother and you need to heat everything up. Heat the glass up as evenly as you can but try not to heat it up so much that you lose the flatness of it. You want kind of a ribbon of glass rather than a blob.

[Frogsongstudio]

While heating it you want to make sure you get both ends heated well which I didn't do in this one. I flubbed up. once you get it heated up good, take it out of the flame and allow it to cool just a little before you start pulling and twisting. The longer you allow it to cool, the thicker your icicle will be. I didn't let this one cool long enough, but you get the idea.

[Frogsongstudio]

Once you get your length and twist, burn it off at the bottom with the torch flame. Then get your icicle back in the flame and heat it up a bit all over so there are no cold spots. Make sure you don't melt it though.

[Frogsongstudio]

And Viola', you have an icicle in frogatha fashion. Put it in your kiln and anneal it just like you would a bead.

I'll show pictures of the icicles I made this way in the morning as soon as I can get them out of the kiln and photographed.

[bead crazy]

I am very new to all this but I am always afraid to shock things that I am making that are large. How do you keep this from shocking?
Nice tutorial I can't wait to try this one
Lori

[Karen Hardy]

I am very new to all this but I am always afraid to shock things that I am making that are large. How do you keep this from shocking?
Nice tutorial I can't wait to try this one
Lori

Personally, I'd make it in Boro. Less problems with shocking that way.
But I'm a boro-whore, so I'm a bit biased.

Great Tute Frogitha! Timely too. I'm rating this thread as #5 excellent!

[Kikki]

Cool tutorial!

Question for boro users: If I make this in boro can I just leave it out to cool and batch anneal it later? I don't think I could fit many icicles in my kiln if I don't put them down on the kiln floor (which I can't do if the are on a mandrel).

[jana]

=D> =D> =D>

Great tutorial!!!! Thank you so much for the time you and your hubby put into it.

[hummingbird3172]

Wonderful tutorial! I'll bet these would make some wonderful Christmas gifts! Thank you so much!

[Frogsongstudio]

Lori, you have to be quick. Once you get it twisted you have to get it right back in the flame and flash it up and down and around so that it's all nice and warm than put it in the kiln.

There's an excellent tutorial on wetcanvas for making icicles in boro, but you can't stop and make yourself a loop on a big long icicle in morretti like you can with boro so I wanted to find a way to make the icicles that didn't require that step.

I'm getting ready to get mine from the kiln now. :)

[squid]

<waiting to see pics>

:-\"

[FourTailsLampwork]

Me, too!! I was wondering about that technique for loops,a ctually, so it's great to see it done. I use the same basic idea when making the feet for my bead snakes.

[jhana]

Regardless of the glass used the pics are clear at every step.
Thanks for taking the time!!!
I appreciate it!

[Frogsongstudio]

Rule# 256. Make sure you put your icicles in the kiln flat or you'll get some curvey icicles. I made the mistake of piling them on top of eachother so some are a little curvey but they'll look good on my tree...LOL I'm going to make some more today and this time make sure they are laying flat.

I definately need to figure out a better way to take pictures of them. But this will have to do for now.

Oh yeah, not one single one broke so that's a good sign. :)

Now, the ones on the left are the first ones I made and I didn't flatten the paddle again after I laid on the stringer and encasing. I just heated it round and pulled, so you get more of a smooth twistie look. The ones further to the right are the ones I decided to flatten the paddle a second time and you get more of a twisted ribbon look. The longer you wait to twist and pull, the more ribbony it will look like the pink one on the end at the right which I think is the best one of the bunch.

[Moth]

Can you say...Christmas Presents?

Thanks for the awesome tutorial. I've been making these offhand with the loop but mine were much smaller because making the loop when you aren't usually an offhand worker can take some time. Time you can't really afford with soft glass. It is doable...but you really have to be careful. Making them your way allows for a huger icecicle and I'm definitely going to give it a whirl!

Thanks so much, I waited all night for pix and they were worth the wait!!

I've got color combinations swimming through my head already!!

~~Mary

[EmtSue]

5 Stars on this one!
Thank you so much for this awesome tutorial! I can't wait to try this tonight.. I was making them with punties, and then tipping them upside down and winding the mandrel on the "head" end of it by holding it with heated pliers.
I needed 3 hands to do all I needed to do, and keep it warm at the same time.. you are an angel for sharing this!! So much easier!!

[mintleaf]

Very Nice! Also regardless of what you think, your pictures of each step are fabulous.

I know my niece and nephew will love these since they are amazed by the things you can make with glass!

Thank you!!!!

[Just Nancy]

Great idea. I'm thinking of ways to run with it. I can't wait to try some.

[Frogsongstudio]

Thank you and you're welcome. :)

I'm hoping to get better at making them myself as I keep making them. I'm glad someone posted about making icicles or I probably never would have tried tomake them.

I have to say that while I was making them I got ideas swimming in my head for making other things that I can't wait to try. As you guys are making them, I bet you get other ideas too.

I'd love to see your icicles and anything else you might come up with while making them.

Now, I'm off to make more icicles. Christmas is coming fast and everyone I know is getting Icicles...LOL

[Kim V]

Kikki,
I'm just a boro newbie here, so take this from where it comes :-) I have been making icicles to help me work on learning how to work the glass and heat control. It IS different from soft glass. :-) And added benefit is that I have a little bit of stock built up for a bead show that I'm doing in a couple of weeks. What I do is make the icicle and then put it into vermiculite to cool down. I batch anneal when I have enough. Seems to have worked so far, no breakage of the icicles.
Kim V

Cool tutorial!

Question for boro users: If I make this in boro can I just leave it out to cool and batch anneal it later? I don't think I could fit many icicles in my kiln if I don't put them down on the kiln floor (which I can't do if the are on a mandrel).

[valerie_folly]

Great job on the tutorial! =D> =D>

[Frogsongstudio]

Kim, I've just got to tell you. I absolutely love that bead you have on your signature banner there. That's electroformed right? I really need to learn how to do that!

I just bought Kate Fowle's book and can't wait to get it.

[acmegirl]

=D> =D> =D> =D>
Thanks a bunch! great tutorial!!!

[Kim V]

Thank you for the kind words. Yes, it's electroformed. Kate's book is good, I still refer to it. If you can, I'd highly recommend her classs. She is a wealth of information...and such a sweetie! Here's a little reading for you to read while you're waiting for your book: http://www.katefowle.com/tips.htm
To keep on topic, I wonder how an icicle would look electroformed? Hmmmm, the weekend's coming, think I'll try one :D
Kim V

Kim, I've just got to tell you. I absolutely love that bead you have on your signature banner there. That's electroformed right? I really need to learn how to do that!

I just bought Kate Fowle's book and can't wait to get it.

[Marie C]

Excellent tutorial! =D> I'll be making some for Christmas gifts, as well. You're pictures are very good. Since I'm a visual learner, tuts with pictures are most helpful to me. I gave you 5 stars.

Thanks, again, for your kindness in sharing your talent and time with us. :love:

Warmly, :hotgirl: Marie C

[HONEYBUNNY72_99]

Excellent tutorial!I will have to try this out today:)
Tina

[Michelle Walsh]

This tutorial is just wonderful! Thank you!!

~Michelle

[one-eared pig]

This is great, Frogatha! heehee

[Bruna]

10724
wow! this is a great tutorial! Thank you!
I have some boro that I haven't tried. I think this is just the inspiration I needed. :)

[Frogsongstudio]

Kim thank you for that link. I read it all and I''m just getting more excited about it. Now I just need the book and Tinks electroforming kit which might take me a while to get dernit! But at least I can read the book and get ready... :)

So, has anyone tried making the icicles yet and did it work for you?

[CalamitysClan]

Great tutorial. Thank you.

[torchie]

Wow thanks this was a great tutorial.
I am going to make a bunch for my pitiful little Christmas tree this year. That ought to spruce it up a bit.

Ruth

[hulagirl]

very nice...Thanks for posting that!

[Teague]

I love these! It's so hard to keep them from becoming all catywampus.

Teague

[J. Savina]

GREAT TUT!!!!! I love it. Thank you for sharing and taking the time to put it all together for us. I know the effort involved. Your so great to do this!!!! http://smilies.sofrayt.com/fsc/thumbs-up.gif

J.

[HONEYBUNNY72_99]

Bumping this up for the holiday season coming up!

[Cathie]

Nice, can't wait to try this!

[Rose Leslie]

Will have to try this. Yes coming up on the holidays. They will be great for the show season as well as selling in the shop. Thank you for sharing this.

[Mitosis Glass]

I hadn't seen this before. Thank you very much! This looks like an awesome idea for gifts.

[yellowbird]

great tutorial
thanks

[Leigh-in-AK]

I have just come across this tutorial. Thank you for sharing, back in 2006!

So, for those of you who did make these ornaments, in 2006, how have they held up? I read there was discussion of boro vs 104, so I am curious to read the results people had.

I just might have to give this a try.

Thanks in advance.

[queenofsheba52]

Bump.

This came across my Pinterest feed and, although I'm on LE every day, I had never seen it. Even though it's just the start of summer, I'm going to try to make some ice!

--Helene

[PattyK]

Thanks for bumping this Helene .. it looks great!

Don't know how I missed it.

[Katerinoula]

Thank you so much for sharing this tutorial! I love the 'icecle' effect; perfect for the season!

[Raquel]

thanks for sharing this tutorial!