Dichro Noodle/Strip help
 

I think they are called noodles? Prefired thin sticks or strips.

I normally use scrap that I slump, but for pendants, my mind is so dyslexic on bead application. I should draw a photo but lets see if I can explain.

If I'm laying it down as I normally would with any glass, back to front (with the dichro down), the flame hits the dichro. Do I go opposite and apply it from bottom, so it's winding bottom up towards me so it stays out of the flame? I tried and it felt so awkward, I'm wondering if I'm missing something super simple.

Maybe I do need a pic haha

Can't you hold it with a tool down at the bottom of the flame instead of above? How about sideways, as long as the bead is solid and not hot enough to droop?

Sideways the flame will still hit the dichro and not melt it enough to wind, right? I just tried drawing it in photoshop and it didn't go well. Will try on paper tomorrow.

I haven't torched since I posted so I still don't know if winding the opposite will work. You know like toilet paper over or under? I wind "over", but seems to not burn the dichro I have to wind from "under".

Here's how I wind glass on, funny enough I just googled and it's a video from devardi on applying dichro. The noodles/strips I have are not this thin and to heat up the bead it burns the dichro off. Not sure why this is so hard for me ha



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NfTCCGJgZC0

Yes, that is what I was saying, to hold it with the "tail" going down and roll up and away, but you might need a tool to hold it depending on how your torch is set up. I do it with my hand, but didn't want to suggest you do that and end up with you burning yourself. When I said from the side, I pictured holding your mandrel more vertically or angled, so your hand could be at the side. You need to hit the clear glass side with the flame and not too close to the torch, however you do it.

I melt the glass side of the dicro until it's a little melty and stick the dicro side on the bead. Then I drop the bead underneath the flame and heat the top glass side of strip and wrap from underneath the flame

I have some Pixie stix, or Hotstix, I forget what they are called. They have the best dichro combos, but they are thick enough that the sides always ALWAYS haze up. I hate to use them for anything but making encased dichro stringer, which always seems a waste of those beautiful patterns. The only thing I might recommend for ones like that is to use your tweezers and clean up the margins when you first melt it on the base bead, to reduce the scumming it invariably has. Otherwise, to wrap it all face UP on the bead, and then quickly encase it all, making sure to hit thoe edges first.


But I have more luck with fused flat strips. I hold them dichro side up and hold them above my flame. I melt or soften from the underside and then I flip quickly and wrap down onto the bead underneath. I move it all beneath the flame, so more heat will go on the topside if I need it. I tend to flame cut, even though it is a bit messier. Also sometimes I just cut into small pieces, flash in the flame and place on the bead, face down. Then I heat it up after it is on the bead and shape & encase.

haha ok thanks everyone, I will try it tonight :)

I got these from Howaco years ago, the only scumming I saw was user error where the dichro melted off where I joined with the beginning.