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

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  #1  
Old 2013-12-26, 7:22am
Sudsy Sudsy is offline
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Join Date: May 11, 2009
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Smile Need tips for using crystal press.

I just bought a new three cavity crystal press. Any tips on getting the right amount of glass and shaping would be really helpful. I'm making a mess.
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  #2  
Old 2013-12-26, 8:25am
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caliente caliente is offline
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PPP!

I love the press. Do a bunch with cheap glass, all one colour. Try to get the right amount and then press. After a while, you will have a feel for it. Also, if you don't have quite enough, add it on the top and bottom where the brass hits the glass, not on the side where it can leak out. Don't add where it looks like it needs it. Add, heat, press again and it will fill up the cavity on its own.

When I press, I usually need about five heat/press cycles adding glass here and there. Don't be discouraged because you think you should get it in one; you shouldn't. Not sure I ever have.

Have fun! I love that shape and it's not a hard one. You will get the hang of it.
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  #3  
Old 2013-12-26, 8:42am
queenofsheba52 queenofsheba52 is offline
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Hi Sudsy!

I think I have that same press, and I love it but it did take me a while to learn how to get good results. I find that I still pull off glass from the points more often than I'd like LOL

The trick for me is to use less glass than I think I need to fill the crystal cavity. Begin by getting the proper sized footprint. I wind a small gather of glass on my mandrel, heat, and marver into a tube. Then I hold the mandrel over the cavity to see if the footprint is right. If it's too big, you must either abandon that mandrel, or be willing to dremel off the excess glass on the ends of your finished beads. If too small a footprint, heat your tube until it begins to round up and add a *little* more glass, and try again.

When your footprint is correct, add glass to the middle of the tube. Heat and let the glass round up a bit in the middle. Try pressing to see if you have too little or too much glass. If you have too little, no problem! Just reheat and add more glass to the middle. If too much, I heat each point and gently pull off a bit of glass using my pliers. Reheat and press again. To get nice crisp points you must heat, press, heat, press several times; it's not a "one press and done" operation.

I suggest using just one color of glass per bead while you are getting the hang of this great press. (While I was practicing, I made a necklace of all different colored crystal shapes.). Also, the largest cavity was the easiest for me to learn.

Good luck, and PM me if you have trouble. If this is a Zoozii press, Amy is very willing to give tips also!

Hope this helps,
Helene
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  #4  
Old 2013-12-26, 8:44am
queenofsheba52 queenofsheba52 is offline
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Oops, sorry Caliente, you posted while I was composing my post. The more tips, the merrier!

--Helene
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  #5  
Old 2013-12-26, 10:17am
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Gillianbeads Gillianbeads is offline
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Sudsy, I have one of them and it does take a bit of getting used to.

I scribe the size of the bicone on my mandrel and then wind two very thin discs just inside those lines. I then fill in between and build the middle up, then melt it into a small barrel.

While the glass is still quite soft I "dunk" the barrel into the bicone base to give a point impression, then rotate the mandrel 180 degrees and put the other side in the base (now the point is sticking up), and press. That gives the basic shape.

Then I start filling in where I need more glass...usually I wind a small amount around the middle and press again. It moves the glass out to the sides better.

Sometimes if I overfill it I get little "fins" off the corners. If it's just a bit you can usually gently heat them so they blend back in...if it's a lot I pick them off with a pair of sharp tweezers.

It's so much easier to see done than describe.
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  #6  
Old 2013-12-26, 2:50pm
Sudsy Sudsy is offline
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Thanks for all the great tips. I'll try them this coming week.
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