[Speedslug]

I am trying to gather these instruction into a shortened group so I can print them out for use at torch bench.

Originally Posted by Moth

Originally Posted by Moth

Thanks guys! Hope you enjoy playing around with this. Don't forget, you can use any opaque glass in place of the white for a totally different effect. The final dot of clear can be replaced with nearly any pale transparent to completely change the colors underneath. Really expands your color palette.

Try four layers of dots. Try 2 creases per petal for ruffly looking flowers. Rake out the tips. Try this same creasing technique with all different numbers of petals. This is still just basic creased petals but by adding extra layers it really pumps up the intricacy. You can achieve totally different looking flowers with the same technique...really fun to play with this.

Please share pictures of what you make, I'd love to see them.

~~Mary

Originally Posted by Moth

Nope, not the pic...they really are huge bubbles. When I plunge the centers of the flowers, I use a poker the size of a 3/32" mandrel and plunge almost all the way to the mandrel...really deep. The bigger the hole, the bigger the bubble.

Thanks you guys!
~~Mary

Originally Posted by Moth

After you have creased the petals, add your dots of clear and be sure to make the dots of clear go beyond the edges of the petals. The smooshing you are struggling with can be caused by several things.

#1- the clear you put on top is spreading out and dragging the petal edges with it...this won't happen if the edges of the clear go past the edges of the petals. and...

#2- if you are heating the core of the bead too much and/or marvering the clear down onto the petals. Don't overheat the center of the bead until after the clear is smooth. You can't rush this step or you will be manipulating the petals instead of just the clear layer on top. A good rule of thumb to always remember when encasing is only heat the glass you want to move. Anything you heat to molten will move during reshaping, so if you don't want a petal or leaf or murrini to move...don't melt it.

#3- Once you get all the layers of glass smoothed out and married together, you can more aggressively heat the entire bead but as long as the clear layer is still bumped up over the petals, it will drag the petals as it smooths out. Patience is the key.

Your bead wants to be round and it will do whatever it must to get that shape. Heat control is your best friend.

Have fun practicing!
~~Mary

Mary you have Mad Skills.

Thank You for sharing them with us.

The print thing worked.
First I clicked this post number link (66) to get this one post on a tab by itself.
Then I opened print preview in IE11 and set it to portrait and the size 150% then printed page 2 then I set it to 155% and printed pages 5,6 & 7.