Esc,
Thank you. I want to keep those first beads as a reminder.
KJohn,
I saw your beads in the gallery. They are amazing! So many people are so crazy good.
I was definitely twirling way too fast. Are you a teacher? After the first couple days, I went and re-read the Tettinger chapter on making a bead and she warned of that, so these last couple days I've tried to be more mindful of that.
Yes, I've been soaking the beads in hot hot heat too much so they get goopy. Gauging depth in the flame is proving difficult for me. I will work on keeping the mandrel a bit lower, under the flame, when i am decorating.
I warm the rods first by flashing them in the top part of the flame until i see some black forming on the rod and then stick it in until i see some molten glass at the tip and then i bring it down into the hotter parts of the flame.
Today was the only day I have tried to be mindful of what area of the flame I've been working in and tried to keep it at zone 2 for the donut formation and zone 3 for dots. I keep melting in the dots because they mostly look horrible, and i want them to disappear. Lol
I am enjoying the process, though! Kristina Logan is someone I really admire, and I want to get into that meditative zone she talks about. One with the dots.
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