One bead per mandrel? Am I a turd?
 

Sooo, I see you guys cranking out 4 or more spacers on one mandrel. I've tried this, I suck massively at it. Instead I have loads of mandrels and I use a set of sized 'example' beads to try to keep everything the same size.

Is there a benefit to more than one bead on a mandrel? I am seriously not that coordinated nor that able to focus... :(

the best i can do is 2 small, small ones. shocked to see 4 on one rod:shock:

Look at Davina's photo in this thread http://www.lampworketc.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=183562
Amazing

AND I think those are 1/16" mandrels (which I find harder to work with)

You said 'tard. I'm so offended. 8)

^^^ Oh no! Not again!

As for the spacers... I put 4-6 on a mandrel. I can't get a consistant size unless I do. I make earring pairs on the same mandrel too. It's the only way they'll even come close to being a pair. The trick is to either work fast or keep bathing them all in the flame.

ugh.. didnt ya learn from the last blow up about using that word?

but the secret is.. keep everything hot all the time, so keep rehating the other beads on the mandrel all the time. I can get about 6, but know others who can get 10

I've been gone for two weeks...I didn't realize there was drama. I have since edited the title :D

It's still the same title here. I didn't think you could edit titles after a couple of minutes.

I think it matters what kind of torch you have too (coupled with supreme skill level of course....:)). The broader flames on the larger torches and some of the smaller ones would help to keep everything warm. The most I can manage on the Cricket with its focused flame is 4 (and one is always iffy). I usually will do two for earrings, but solve the spacer problem by using Swarovski crystals instead in my sets for sale. I figure there are plenty of beadmakers who do production sets of colored spacers, so I don't bother. :)

I don't keep all the beads warm. Nope. I'm not that freakin' coordinated nor am I that focused. If you never take the bead you just made back into the flame, it won't crack. Make a bead. Travel an inch or so down the mandrel. Make a bead. Travel an inch or so down the mandrel. Make a bead. (You can put them even closer together if you aren't using striking glasses.)

I have a question about that very thing, Chrissi. I've heard you can do that, but how big can you go on each bead with your multiple beads on the mandrel if you don't keep them warm? I would think that there is a limit on the size unless you kind of "flame anneal" them before you start the next one so they are less likely to crack.

I dunno...maybe 10mm-12mm could be a good stopping point with regard to how much you allow a bead to grow. The largest I think I've gone has been maybe 3 8mm beads.

I make all of my earring pairs two-per-mandrel.

It was a gradual process though. I started with just making two evenly sized spacers per mandrel. Once I mastered that, I graduated to two spacers with just dots. After that, I worked on more complex, multi-layer decoration with dots, lines, twists, bumpies, whatever. After that, worked on two encased beads per mandrel.

You asked about the advantage, and for me it's about making two beads that are evenly sized (more appealing to sell as earring pairs) - and - it helps me to keep the same deco on both beads. Otherwise, if I do one at a time, I don't know if I'm starting with the same sized base bead and I'll forget my decoration pattern after the first one is in the kiln.

I make spacers in three-per-mandrel doing what Chris describes . . . make a bead and move on, don't reheat it.

Thank Chrissi! I tend to work big. Your sets could probably fit onto one of my earring beads. lol

I've done about 5 or 6, and do reheat (if i do more than 6, i definitely lose some, so 5 is pretty much the safe zone for me. I should learn the 'no reheat' method.

If you do them close enough, the flame will keep the ones to either side warm, while melting the middle one down. then it's a matter of playing some sort of leap frog game with the keeping warm. (smaller beads lose heat quicker...) yeah, they crack, but if you're lucky, they'll just pop and stay on the mandrel,and you can melt them back down again.

What she said. The important thing is DON'T GO BACK! That's the surest way to crack a bead, in my experience.

I'm going to try the spacer trick of not going back into the flame. :)

I don't have much trouble making two beads the same size, I have my "standard" base size down pat in my mind's eye. ;)

But it would be really nice to make a few spacers per mandrel just to save on dipping and bead release!

I make a bead then move down with no reheating. The one mistake I make is that I forget to reheat the mandrel so the bead release breaks. For that reason I usually can make 3-4 beads

Since that thread is gonna flush tonight and no one after today is gonna have a clue to refrence...
http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...ads021-2-1.jpg
(Davina's photo)

I think it's more important to make perfectly shaped bead one or two on a mandrel than to load up the mandrels with slightly wonky ones . . . so the answer to the OP's question is: No, there is nothing wrong with making them one at a time on a mandrel, imho!

Having said that, I do make them 3 on a mandrel but do reheat them when I am encasing the beads. Had too many breakage otherwise.

If I make more than two to a mandrel, the first one I made tends to crack and I'm not even going back into the flame, just right in the kiln. They're not even that big, maybe 10mm spacers. I just stick to 2. I'm not that fast.

I learned to do multiple spacers on a mandrel as a personal challenge. When I first started I used to make spacers as a warm up every session. When I got so they were easily cranked out I started to work on multiples. It was a great technique to master. Now I can do big hole bead multiples on my rods which makes them evenly sized as well as letting me get more beads made with my limited number of big mandrels.

I would certainly say it's something you have to work at and not an easy thing for people to just do.

Ooo, big holed bead multiples! I can't even get 1 bhb without making it wonky.

here's my pictorial contribution. Encased beads.
Done with the "Reheat" method.

I've done as many as 15-16 mini spacers without reheating but lost a couple. Only do about 5 reg size or so now since I don't deep dip my mandrels that far and it seems faster in the long run. Also have over 100 1/16 mandrels.

I did not know about the "no reheat" method! Do they not crack when you put them into your kiln at the garage temp? Or is this only for batch annealing?

They usually don't crack when you garage them. I may lose one out of 50.

If I decide to go with more than one bead on a mandrel, it's just about 2-3 at the most. When my mandrels wear down from the flame, I can at least salvage a good portion of the mandrel.

Besides, I have serious issues with bead release falling off the mandrel while trying to make one bead. I'd be cussing up a storm by the 3rd bead when the release starts to flake away!

I can do 3 to 5 on a mandrel. ON A GOOD DAY. Not all the time, just some times....
I could on my HH, and then absolutely could not on my minor for like a year! Now I can get like 3 on my minor before I start having anxiety about adding the last 2, and one of them always turns out wonky if I make more than 4

I make tons of spacers and I like to have really consistent sizes so I make at least 6-7 of my 10mm and up to 10 of my 8mm beads. I fire a mid-range bench burner that I can tune to a nice fat flame, which helps.

I'm sorry...I'm still stuck back where someone said they made multiple BHB's on one mandrel!