Quote:
Originally Posted by Lyssa
I've been struggling with the Impress Bead Liner. I haven't been able to get consistently nice bead cores. For a few beads a couple months ago, I thought I'd "gotten" it, but I was wrong. Then last night I think I finally DID "get it!" Sadly, it was the last bead in a batch of 10 I was coring, now I have to wait until I've made, annealed, and cleaned more to see if I really do GET the technique to make the core perfect or if it was just dumb luck. Blah.
The technique I used on that last bead was this (can anyone tell me if they've discovered the same thing):
(I think this will only work with silver.) Instead of turning 90 degrees, then flipping, over and over and over until it's done, I turned almost a full 270 degrees, maybe even farther, until I had a big flare, then I flipped the bead over and turned about the same amount until the first flare had pressed flat and gotten the same shape/size flare on the second side, then I flipped the bead over again and turned the crank only until the second side flare became flat. Contrary to everything we know about work hardening metals, I noticed with the silver that once I got the big flare on one side, when I turned it over the and pressed down, the flare folded over really easily, like it had almost been "work softened". Weird, huh?
I'm gonna have to make a video of this so people can see what I'm talking about. I don't think what I wrote made any sense.  |
Lyssa,
You have pretty much re-discovered the standard "recipe" for a domed rivet I published in the original Impress instructions on the artintheround website.
http://www.artintheround.com/article...he-Impress.htm
.
Here it is again for your convenience:
(By the way, for the math and trig challenged, Lyssa's 270 degree turn is simply 3/4 of a full turn)
Cut a tube 3.6 mm longer than the bead width at its widest point.
Debur the inner edge of the tube on each end.
Place the tube and bead onto the alignment peg.
Screw the cone down till it contacts the tube, but apply no force at this point.
Slide the bead to the mid point between the top and bottom, and keep it there with thumb and/or forefinger as you perform the following steps:
Screw the cone down till it is good and snug, but not enough to begin flaring the tube.
Don't forget to keep your bead near the center of the tube, away from the part that is being stretched by the cone, or it will crack. Glass does not flare very well!
It helps to imagine a clock face with twelve o'clock placed at whatever position the handle is in at the beginning of each turn.
(1) Turn the handle 3/4 turn. (9 o'clock)
(2) Flip bead and tube together, end for end. Snug it.
(3) Turn 3/4 turn.
(4) Flip. Snug.
(5) Turn 1/2 turn (6 o'clock)
(6) Flip. Snug.
(7) repeat 5 and 6 three times.
With a soft mallet such as rawhide or plastic, or a very small smooth faced metal hammer, gently tap the edges of the rivets down all around the circumference while turning the bead, until the core is tight.
There are video links there too.
http://www.artintheround.com/pages/videos.htm
Regards,
Dave