I think off mandrel boro was easier for me when I made the change from soft. You may try Brent Grabers heart video. It is a great shape for many different effects using boro color. Once you learn about the colors you can better choose how to get them in more shapes.
I burned a lot of mandrels before I got good at the bead work with boro.
You can find the videos on
Mr. Smileys web site