Thanks Heather for your informative post. It has given me much to think about and consider when I start making beads tonight. Since I am OLD, and have trouble holding my arms up high, I developed a different method which is in the tutorial I wrote that I linked on the wet canvas thread you mention above. So the problem I would have using your technique is the position of the rod above the bead - means my arm has to be up in the air putting strain on my shoulder muscles. I always have to consider the ergonomics of how I do something, so I don't end up hurting myself with repetative motion actions. One thing I have noticed in the video's of the long time bead makers, which is never really discussed, is how they rotate the rod when applying glass. This is because the rod is being heated on the underside of the rod, and rotating it while applying glass causes a new colder side to be heated while applying the hot glass from the 1/3rd opposite side - this way you are applying continuous stream of hot glass rather than waiting for the rod to get hot all the way through. I saw Leah Fairbanks do this, and she did it unconciously without even realizing she did it.
I am going to try the swipe method, although I don't believe Jim really demonstrates it that way, to see if I can get more uniform round shaped disk beads.
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