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Tips, Techniques, and Questions -- Technical questions or tips

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  #1  
Old 2011-04-07, 11:34am
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2tumblingdragonz 2tumblingdragonz is offline
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Default How do YOU encase thinly?

When I try to encase with clear I heat the rod to drippy drippy and try to wrap around it. I get such thick encasement.

How do you encase? Do you go around the bead? Do you go up and down the bead? Do you use clear stringer? Shards? Thick rod? thinner rod?

I've heard of forming a ball and dropping it onto the bead but I haven't figured out how to do that.

How do you get a really thin layer between dots (of clear)?

and anything else that might help with encasing with clear--heck or any other encasing tips.

thank You.
Namaste
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  #2  
Old 2011-04-07, 11:52am
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thinner rods, end-to-end, working hot and moving fast, and at a sharp angle to the work. So, not perpendicular, the way your rod is oriented to the bead when you wrap around it, but at a 45 degree angle to the work, like if you were raking with the clear.
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  #3  
Old 2011-04-07, 12:54pm
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get the rod soupy hot and swipe it or push it, don't just lay it down. The bead has to be cool so the design doesn't smear while you're swiping..

ALso, you could lay down a roll of clear in the middle of the bead, and take a marver and marver it down flat so it covers the rest of the bead. The base bead also needs to be cool, and the clear should be the only thing hot enough to move.

With longer beads, i swipe end to end, overlapping each swipe with the next.
I've also tried to do little overlapping dots, but they may make a thicker encasement, and affect the pattern.
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  #4  
Old 2011-04-07, 1:54pm
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How I encase really depends what I'm doing. If i have something that is very flat, especially tube or cylinder beads, I will pretty much always stripe encase, as described above. If i have raised elements, I will generally spot case those bits, then fill in with clear afterwards. For a fatter, rounder shape, I will go all around in a spiral ( but this is not always very bubble free, and is as thick as the rod I'm using).

There is a book, Encase it! http://www.beadmakingbooks.com/ that seems to be a really good resource.
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  #5  
Old 2011-04-07, 2:11pm
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So, I can get a nice thin encasing. This is how I do it, for a bead that is smooth- no raised, sticky- outty things.
Instead of applying the glass as I do in regular bead making, with the cold end of the rod more or less facing me, for thin coverage, get the glass you are adding nice and soupy, and apply it with the rod straight up, or even pointing away from you a bit. With the rod straight up, push down with the encasing rod as you turn, covering your bead. This leaves a smaller swipe of glass behind.
I do this multiple times traveling across or up and down the bead.
Clear as mud?
You keep the base bead pretty cool so as not to smear anything.
A lot of practice helps too.
jo
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  #6  
Old 2011-04-07, 2:18pm
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And, Rowan,
Here is how thin you can get it.
This bead is completely encased. If you look, you can see bubbles, and just look at how yellow the silver leaf turned!
good luck!
joanne
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  #7  
Old 2011-04-07, 3:32pm
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arrghhhgghhhhh--i'm still getting honkers.
I will keep trying.
Thank you sincerely for the help. I will have to look for that book.
I also get places where the glass from underneath bleeds thru and devits. I know there has been alot written on encasing, I've read lots and there's plenty I'm sure I haven't read, it's getting it thin that seems to really allude me.
I wonder if it would work to start with stringer and work my way up? stringer just burns up so fast.
Joanne, that's what I'm talkin' about. thin, and when you can layer--so it has to be real thin.
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  #8  
Old 2011-04-07, 4:13pm
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sideways swipe with the glass in front of the rod, the rod pushs the glass across the bead.
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  #9  
Old 2011-04-07, 5:40pm
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  #10  
Old 2011-04-07, 5:49pm
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I have the opposite problem - even when I try for thick encasing it is still ends up thin except on tiny beads.
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  #11  
Old 2011-04-07, 7:25pm
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I am also having problems with encasing..

I tried to make a big glob and put it over but it only gets a big blob on one side of the bead and it tapers off.

I wonder if I can not melt it hot enough or enough glass with my poor little HH.
I try to wrapping it starting from one side to other, but unless I am totally careful, there is tiny little color peaking out of the clear(where the clear encasing got missed) or I get massive bubbles.

So, encasing is definitely giving me unnecessary heartburn.
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  #12  
Old 2011-04-08, 4:39am
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Rowyn, do you have a website or online gallery of pictures somewhere? I'd really like to see some of your pieces because sometimes that can help troubleshoot encasing issues.

Vivian...thanks for the plug!

~~Mary
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  #13  
Old 2011-04-08, 11:21am
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I use stringers, and use the "around the world" method. I start at one edge of the bead and wind it around and around until it's all covered. There's a couple tips and tricks with that method, but I can't seem to find the thread. Regardless, it seems to make a nice thin encasing.
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  #14  
Old 2011-04-08, 11:27am
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It all has to do with the angle of the clear rod when you are encasing. If you apply it with the cool end angled towards the torch, you will get a thick encasing. If you apply it with the cool end angled away, you get a thin encasing.
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  #15  
Old 2011-04-08, 3:51pm
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I encase with stringer
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  #16  
Old 2011-04-08, 4:58pm
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I am no encasing queen or anything, but if I need really REALLY thin encasing and the bead is not too lumpy I just use some clear blown shards.... lovely and even and thin.

Nat
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  #17  
Old 2011-04-10, 9:01am
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Cosmo View Post
It all has to do with the angle of the clear rod when you are encasing. If you apply it with the cool end angled towards the torch, you will get a thick encasing. If you apply it with the cool end angled away, you get a thin encasing.
How do I angle the cold end away from the torch on a HH which is basically upright? I have mine tilted a tiny bit but it's still no/so not east/west. My hand almost ended up in the flame several times. I appreciate hearing from you Chad.

oh, and my shards come out lumpy.

Thank you everyone who has answered me. I'm still having a rough time with encasing and I appreciate all of you.

I hope to be able to get pictures to show today. The bead with the really thin encasing, that's what I want to be able to do.
I did try going away from me instead of towards me, that made it thicker.
When I have some $$ I will try Mary's tut. I'm squeezing that ssi chk as thinly as I'd like to encase--ha ha ha (sorry--sometimes I need to make myself laugh).
Namaste
Rowyn
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Last edited by 2tumblingdragonz; 2011-04-10 at 9:02am. Reason: added about lumpy shards
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  #18  
Old 2011-04-11, 10:19am
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I use the 2 to 4 mm Lauscha stringers when ever possible.
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Old 2011-04-11, 10:25am
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Get Moth's tutorial. That's how I do it.
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  #20  
Old 2011-04-11, 12:41pm
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I am thinking you posted you are on a HH right? What I have done on a HH is to pull thick clear stringers and encase with those. A little more prep work but it does help
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  #21  
Old 2011-04-11, 1:40pm
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This is good
I too need help with encasing. I've only managed one good bead in the umpteen times I've tried! If I get good coverage, it might be sooty, or bits of whatever's underneath seeps through the holey bits. Rather than pine for a hotter torch, I really do need to perfect it on a hh first. That's my wish, anyway.
More PPP, it seems.
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  #22  
Old 2011-04-12, 5:05am
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I encase from side to side, the trick is the angle of the encasing rod to the bead. Get a bnit of glass hot and PUSH it on in a quick swipe. If the rod is at 90 degrees it will be a thicker encasing, if it is closer to parallel to the bead it will be much thinner.
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  #23  
Old 2011-04-12, 5:41am
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Quote:
Originally Posted by patienthand View Post
I encase from side to side, the trick is the angle of the encasing rod to the bead. Get a bnit of glass hot and PUSH it on in a quick swipe. If the rod is at 90 degrees it will be a thicker encasing, if it is closer to parallel to the bead it will be much thinner.
This is what I do. For thick encasing I hold the rod at a 90 degree andgle and use the "around the world" method.
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  #24  
Old 2011-04-12, 10:22am
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When I want thin encasing I make a gather of clear (or transparent) and sqwish it into a lollypop. Then I pull the lollypop into a long flat ribbon about 1mm thick. I use the ribbon to lay on stripes either in a spiral or lengthwise as required by the base shape. Works for me.
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  #25  
Old 2011-04-12, 12:08pm
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Use Aether.
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  #26  
Old 2011-04-12, 12:25pm
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When I was making 104 beads, I would sometimes make a "lollipop" with mashers, stretch it to elongate it, and then wrap it to encase the bead, filling in with clear stringers at the intersection of my wrap.. It's been a while since I've done any soft glass work though.
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  #27  
Old 2011-04-12, 1:53pm
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I'm trying everyone, I am trying. I still get such a thick wrap. I tried the lollipop thing, kept running out of lollipop, so I'll try stretching it. I've been given lots of things to try and they all will take practice to the gazillionth degree. I appreciate the influx of information here. I'm starting to try each technique anew.
Again, thank you to those who have helped out and extra super thanks to a very special person who knows who she is, that made my night.
Namaste
Rowyn
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  #28  
Old 2011-04-12, 4:49pm
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mnoelker View Post
Get Moth's tutorial. That's how I do it.
Great tutorial!
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  #29  
Old 2011-04-12, 5:51pm
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I second the Aether thing, it melts like butter and is so much easier to get a thin encasing. And make sure the bead to be encased is cool
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Old 2011-04-13, 1:18pm
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When I first touch the clear to the bead, it globs on, even when I push it onto the bead, it thins as I round around the bead, it's when I first touch clear to bead.
Moth's tutorial is wonderful and very very helpful and loaded with info and technique and how and why. then I go to try around the world and I have the mother of all globs. also, getting the encasing even.
do you pull glass off and how d'ya do that without distorting what's underneath--I bet that's the $64,000 question.
I know there are whole classes on encasing, none within my ways and means at this time. Starleen is offering one but I'd have to sell all my glass to do it and then some, and then I'd have nothing to practice with. not whining, it is what it is.
I am going to practice with Moth's tut. biggest question today: when I first touch that clear to bead how do I not get a fat glob? (and reminder that I'm on a HH so my work angel is verticle not horizontal), oh yeah, and stringers, they burn up fast and get hot near the ends, watch my little fingers, ouch, lol.
thanks, I appreciate it.
namaste
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