Color Tips (Mosaic Green):
There is no intense black in the bead. Just done on the end of the mandrel so only one hole, and a base bead of Dark Ivory and tiny dots of MG. It will spread like crazy and web by heating with lots of heat.
If you use a lot of it, it will overpower the bead, so make tiny dots and watch it do the magic.
Random Color Tip:
opal yellow, silver foil and Rubino and copper green
Wonky Beads at a Show:
I also put out a bowl of beads, that didn't quiet make the cut into the jewelry. I give them away to the kids, as I have so many of them. But what I find is if I can give them to the kids, they look and look trying to decide which one they want. Only one per child, and no you can't take one for your invisible friend or brother who is not there. So as the kids are happy as can be getting a free, bead their parents will be looking longer, and therefore I have more time to try and sell them something. Plus some of them want to buy something as I am usually the only one giving away anything for free.
Stringer and surface decoration:
When putting surface decoration on a bead with stringer, Sometimes your first dots or stringer scroll work will melt in, right? To avoid this, after you make your base bead, tap your bead on my marver to make sure it tinks (not tink as in, bead cracking) knowing it is cool enough to add your design on top without melting it in. You will melt in the first part of your design because when your stringer touches the hot bead, it starts to melt too quickly.
Bubbleless Transparent Glass:
You know how your transparent glass bubbles very easily? Well most of us know it will help it you pull off the first bit of each rod, where it has scratches in the glass form where they cut it. But if you do that then let it cool, and heat the transparent glass from the side of the flame, slowly, you will get a clean transparent color with little or no bubbles.
Pulling Stringers:
Pulling stringer, Most people try and pull from side to side (width). Use gravity, and when you first start to pull do it lengthwise, flipping it to keep the bigger blob at the top letting gravity to help you to get a nice long even pull.
Twist count to 5 and then twist and pull, in opposite directions.
Moons:
Was talking to someone today about making landscape beads. So thought of this tip. To make a crescent moon. (if your background bead color is blue) make a white dot with your stringer, melt it flush with the bead, then take the same blue as your background color and make a smaller dot on the white dot, but off center. Melt in flush, and what you are left with is a wonderful crescent moon on your bead. Alternate the color on top of the white to match your base bead color.
Full moon Sorry no pic of crescent.
Color Tip (Pale Lavender):
Transparent base bead of Pale Lavender (very small)
rolled in Ruby Gold and melted in (twice)
rolled in silver and burnished well
added threads of the pale lavender without melting in the silver
melt in and shape
encase in the pale Lavender
Easy frit.
Take a beer mug, or a similar heavy glass, fill it up with ice water, put a coffee filter in it so the bottom of the filer is touching the water. Secure the filter with a rubber band around the glass. Heat up your rod, nice big molten glob and dunk in the water. Then all you have to do is take out the coffee filter, and let the frit dry. Works like a charm.
Pull the coffee filter so that some of it is around the outside of the beer mug, then secure the coffee filter with a rubber band to the outside of the glass, so it doesn't fall to the bottom of the beer mug.
Next light your torch, then slowly heat up your glass rod, with your torch, get a nice big molten glob of glass on the end of your rod, and dunk the rod in the coffee filter, to where it hits the ice cold water.
Whimsical Eyes:
Make your white dot, always make the one that is furthest away from your hand first, as you will be able to judge the one that is closest better to get it the same size. Once you have your 2 white dots, smash them flat. Then add a transparent color on top, maybe light topaz if you want to keep with the color scheme, or some with blue and green eyes would be cute. Melt the transparent in a little but not too much you want it to still be raised. then add your black pupils on top. Add the black very last, right before you put it in the kiln, and melt it down flush to the transparent color.
Bead Features:
Draw out a bunch of eyes with the eyeballs going in different directions. They can show so much expression on your beads. Looking up- looking down crossed eye. , etc., then when you are making the bead you have an idea of which way the eyes should go with the sculpture work as the eyes will match the bead. Also we made some big beads, as you said, but put as many different noses on them as would fit. then we made one for lips, and mouths, some with teeth, some with tongues etc. When I make my sculpture beads, I get out these beads, so I can decided which nose, mouth fits the critter I am making. Sometimes it is hard to decide in the middle. Most of the time I draw mine out on paper first. But sometimes it just happens when I am going for something else, and it doesn't work then I turn it into a critter.
Tip for pulling filigrana into stringer:
I have a bunch of filigrana, and had no idea how to pull it into stringer. If you want to make letters or write on your beads it is wonderful to pull out black or any color into a thin stringer and then when you melt it in the clear melts in completely leaving you with a thin black line.
So how do you pull the dang rod out without messing up the thin color inside the clear?
Heat the rod up and down in the flame, do not let it melt onto itself. Till the rod is hot about an inch and a half take your tweezers and pull the end of the rod into a stringer.
it was a duhh moment for me. You may have already know this but I kept trying to melt it onto itself and pull it out, or attach two rods to it together and pull it out, neither of which works.
Now I have a use for all the wonderful filigrana I have.
More on Organics:
Materials needed:
Dark Ivory
Silver Foil- Yes, leaf could be used
Transparent Aqua, OR, Teal, Emerald green, Grass green
Intense Black Stringer
Marver or BBQ Mashers
1. Make a base bead out of Dark Ivory. Since this bead seems to look better in a tabby shape make sure you have enough base bead of the ivory in order to flatten in the end. An egg shape to start with will end up looking better than a donut shape.
2. Roll base bead of dark Ivory with the silver foil, and burnish the silver in well. This can be achieved by running the silver on your marver to make sure it is stuck well to the bead. Do Not melt in the silver.
3. Now pick up your color of transparent glass, in the pic I showed I used dark Aqua stringer and the other bead is done with Dark Grass Green stringer. Make swipes with your stringer right on top of the base bead with the silver still on the bead. The amount of color depends on you. But I do suggest that you add more then you think you need.
4. Step four is optional try it with and without. Thread on intense black stringer. To thread on stringer, you hold the bead, (still with the silver on and the transparent glass) behind the flame, your black stringer in the tip of the flame till it is molten, not touch the bead to the stringer and twirl the mandrel, The intense black stringer will go onto the bead in little threads.
5. Melt all in. You may want to use your marver to spread the transparent glass, as it will melt slower then the other colors and so it does not all end up in one place. let the bead cool slightly. Heat only one side of the bead and flatten on your marver. Now let that side cool and heat the other side and smash it flat on your marver. Or if you have BBQ masher just flatten it that way.
Same bead different way:
Step 1 is the same
2. Add silvered ivory stringer to the bead, and the transparent stringer, and intense black stringer threaded on the bead. Melt all in at the same time. Flatten the bead as directed above. This will give you a slightly different look, as the silver will not cover the entire bead, and only where you decide to put the SIS.
Variations: Add goldstone stringer, topaz and intense black.
Just add intense black and heat low in the flame,
the black will give you the "webbing effect"
Try on a black base, adding silver and Dark ivory
along with transparent glass.
Start with a transparent glass, add SIS, (intense black if you choose)
Or transparent glass, rolled in silver then add ivory and intense black
From Fay:
Quick directions on Goddess Bead:
1. start by using a transparent...black....it is much easier to do it with
2. make a long bicone
3. flatten out
4. use razor or knife and cut in to crease where thighs would be
5. can add glass for belly
6. shape belly and then poke belly button with pic and V crease
7. butt...add dots to form butt
8. shape and define by cutting between cheeks and around
9. add breasts one at a time...shape...can add nipple dots
10. redefine as needed
Done or you can add a neck and head
*keep flashing bead to keep warm at all times...
Wine Stopper (I forgot who posted this!):
White base
splotches of Trans amber
splotches of clear
Ocelot spots...get a good THIN covering, NOT real thick, let the transparent peek through.
DO NOT REDUCE...gets dark real quick.
LOTS of OXYGEN! Oxygen is the ocelots best friend.
Another really pretty frit for stoppers is the copper blue.
Ivory Base
Silver Foil-DON"T melt it in
small amounts of trans. teal and aqua (if you want it bright, use lots)
rolled in copper blue.
More Wine Stoppers:
Another really easy, neutral color for a stopper.
Ivory Base W/ white swirls and or splotches
rolled in silver foil, burnished well
rolled in Apricot Sorbet Frit.