|
Tips, Techniques, and Questions -- Technical questions or tips |
2010-04-24, 5:55am
|
|
Hot Glass Neophyte
|
|
Join Date: Aug 06, 2009
Location: Mt. Pleasant, SC
Posts: 3,293
|
|
We should put a book together on these WITH pictures! That would be a great fun-raiser for LE!
|
2010-04-24, 3:50pm
|
|
Remember to keep smiling
|
|
Join Date: Jul 09, 2009
Location: Texas
Posts: 1,320
|
|
You never get to old to show your art to mom
Mind you my daughter is 35 we went to our first bead class we were just finishing up our first bead when my daughter turned to me and said "mom look at my bead" held here mandrel up with her left hand for me to see and stuck her right hand into the flame. I can't understand why she lost interest in lampworking.
__________________
Paula P.
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
SRA#P109
|
2010-04-29, 5:49am
|
|
Senior Member
|
|
Join Date: Jan 28, 2008
Location: Socorro, New Mexico
Posts: 295
|
|
Oh,bother I melted both ends of that rod.Ooops that was the hot end or wait a minute that stringer wasn't that thick.Ended up with burns on three fingers and dropped the rod (silver glass) took 2 weeks to heal.Won't to that again for awhile anyway. Les
|
2010-04-29, 6:08am
|
|
Senior Member
|
|
Join Date: May 11, 2009
Location: Massachusetts...I95 south...before Rhode Island
Posts: 2,006
|
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rebekah
Don't try to catch flying marbles with your collarbone.
Ouch and funny.
|
I agree! I had the pleasure (?) of catching a marble with some super nice vortex action going on (while I was attending Glass Jam last Memorial day at Playing with Fire in Rockland Maine) with my wrist and bicept area!! I ruined a long sleeve UVA sweatshirt my sister gave me the previous Xmas and I still have scars on my right arm to prove it!
Duane
__________________
ETSY SHOP IS NOW OPEN
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. REVAMPED WEBSITE NOW OPEN
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
|
2010-05-01, 1:06pm
|
|
Salt Box Beads
|
|
Join Date: Oct 23, 2005
Location: Heading to Paradise
Posts: 4,161
|
|
I torched for thirty minutes this morning before I realized I didn't open the horse trailer window that lets the exhausted air out!!!
I was using some silver glass too. Thank goodness I always wear a respirator.
Lorraine
|
2010-05-01, 6:16pm
|
|
Jacqueline Parkes
|
|
Join Date: Nov 04, 2005
Location: Vancouver, Canada
Posts: 4,497
|
|
Don't wrap your fiber blanket in a tea towel to keep it in a nice neat package while in use.
I am sure you can guess what happened. This happened years ago when I was still fire stupid lol
__________________
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
|
2010-05-05, 10:06am
|
Junior Member
|
|
Join Date: Feb 19, 2010
Location: Amherst, MA
Posts: 8
|
|
Don't buy a whole bunch of glass of every color of the rainbow (except red!) until you buy just SOME and figure out what you like working with. Sure, transparent glass is pretty and all, but I find myself rarely using it! Opaque red, on the other hand, I find I enjoy working with... So much so that I completely forgot that I only had the one, single rod that came in the sampler until I only had about 2 inches left of it!
It's just not possible to "pick up" and reposition a dot, no matter how hard you try. Nudge, yes. Reposition, no.
Find a storage system that works BEFORE pulling out one rod of every color you own and going to town experimenting. (My brother threw a party -- I'm stealing his glass bottles! Reclaim at least SOME of my work area...)
Not bead-related, but... Make sure to LABEL sheets of Bullseye vs. sheets of glass for stained glass. One is fusible. One is NOT.
Never ask the salesman in the art gallery/store downtown about some of the glass pieces. He has NO idea what he's talking about. If you REALLY want to see more, just ask for a business card and look up the artist's other work on your own.
|
2010-05-06, 7:41pm
|
|
Formerly Kellyhorton
|
|
Join Date: Nov 29, 2005
Location: PA
Posts: 2,028
|
|
shit, I almost peed my pants I was laughing so hard...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Karen Hardy
My lessons learned as a newbie:
1) You don't have to twirl the f*cking mandrel like propeller when making a round bead. Sloooowwww it down. Let the bead shape itself.
2) Don't wipe hot rods on your shirt to clean them. If you do, get used to your husband asking you "who's been whipping you today?"
3) If the bead looks and acts like dripping honey, it's probably time to remove it from the flame.
4) If the length of the bead is from the flame to the desktop, and the bottom of the bead is shaped like a puddle, it's DEFINITELY time to remove the bead from the flame.
5) Don't try and catch hot glass that drops towards your lap by closing your thighs quickly. No no, bad thing.
6) Before blowing through glass that costs $3000 a pound and is only available every other month in 1/4 lb increments if you have 6 forms of ID and four friends wiling to vouch for your character and have a notary sign and send the check federal express overnight along with 4 pints of blood, you might want to read up on forums about what other people have tried, so you can avoid ending up with a set of muddy, cracked beads with an average cost of $50 each.
|
__________________
Kelly
MEAN PEOPLE SUCK To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
In the '60's, people took acid to make the world weird. Now the world is weird and people take Prozac to make it normal.
|
2010-05-06, 7:42pm
|
|
Formerly Kellyhorton
|
|
Join Date: Nov 29, 2005
Location: PA
Posts: 2,028
|
|
omg, i am pretty sure I did all of those today.....lol
Quote:
Originally Posted by Limelight
Don't touch the end of a mandrel while it sits in a hot kiln. I've burned myself not once but TWICE trying to separate two beads that stuck together while placing a newly finished bead in the kiln. My fingerprints will never be the same.
Use tweezers when picking up something from the "mug warmer" plate.
Make sure your elbow pads are clear of all glass pieces.
Don't try holding a hot bead on a mandrel and the newly used glass rod in the same hand while trying to pick up something with the other hand. Put the rod DOWN.
Don't try flicking off flaking bead release with your finger.
I've done many more dumb things and I'm sure I'll do more.... but I am more careful now.
|
__________________
Kelly
MEAN PEOPLE SUCK To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
In the '60's, people took acid to make the world weird. Now the world is weird and people take Prozac to make it normal.
|
2010-05-06, 7:43pm
|
|
Formerly Kellyhorton
|
|
Join Date: Nov 29, 2005
Location: PA
Posts: 2,028
|
|
yeah, i have that rod of transparent yellowish color that strikes red
Quote:
Originally Posted by caspertorch
Similiar to the pink/ivory thing.
I had no idea what a striking color was. I had a rod I thought was a light light amber and I thought I was going insane when Red beads came out of the kiln. I swore up and down that they werent mine... that I didn't own any red, never bought red, how could they be red?
It took me a week to figure out what the deal was... not to mention bright red and dark amber look really weird together.... i'll see if I can find the beads and post them... I'm sure they are in my daughters "play bead" box.
So this and then also that no matter how sexy a low cut shirt may be, it is NEVER a good idea to wear one while torching cause then it's a sure thing that your light amber will get all shocky and explode into many molten shards of flying debris which will land snuggly between your boobs making it impossible for you to wear said low cut sexy shirt for the next three weeks until the blisters and red swelling go away -- not to mention the scars that even vitamin E cream won't lighten.
Yup -- being a newbie is a wonderful thing.
~Becky
|
__________________
Kelly
MEAN PEOPLE SUCK To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
In the '60's, people took acid to make the world weird. Now the world is weird and people take Prozac to make it normal.
|
2010-05-06, 7:45pm
|
|
Formerly Kellyhorton
|
|
Join Date: Nov 29, 2005
Location: PA
Posts: 2,028
|
|
yah, hot glass doesnt work well to scratch your back either, DOH...
Quote:
Originally Posted by BarbC
Those darn marvers stay really really hot for a long long time after you have been rolling a nice hot bead on it! Never ever use a rod of glass to scratch your head! Burned hair smells really bad! Never pick any part of a bead that cracked of the mandrel and thats not why those little glasses of water are on your bench! ie (to put you burned finger in so ya don't tell the teacher what you did!) It's really to cool of your tools!
|
__________________
Kelly
MEAN PEOPLE SUCK To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
In the '60's, people took acid to make the world weird. Now the world is weird and people take Prozac to make it normal.
|
2010-05-06, 8:42pm
|
|
It's all about the color.
|
|
Join Date: Jul 03, 2005
Location: Texas
Posts: 1,894
|
|
I've grabbed striking yellow before when I though it was clear. Now, as soon as striking red, orange, or yellow comes in the house, I strike the end of each rod.
__________________
Kay Powell
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. (If the link doesn't work, edit the s out of your browser. It should be "http" not "https" Sometimes LE put in an S just for the heck of it.)
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
|
2010-05-07, 7:33am
|
|
Ellyloo-YAH!
|
|
Join Date: Aug 01, 2006
Location: Port Colborne
Posts: 2,775
|
|
I try to strike the ends of any silver glasses too.. .psyche and Nyx look an awful lot like black!
__________________
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
|
2010-05-08, 9:59pm
|
|
I'm kinda biz-EE
|
|
Join Date: Aug 08, 2007
Location: Arlington, TX
Posts: 3,610
|
|
another idiot move
I have SO enjoyed reading these and laughing
If the stray kitty from down the street wanders into your garage while you are torching resist the urge to make friends by saying, "Pretty kitty, here kitty kitty" while you are holding hot glass.
If you ARE enough of an idiot to do the above do not be surprised when kitty rubs against your leg then leaps onto your workbench ignoring your frantically waving molten glass rod/conductors baton as she is simply kitty, and not interested in being a member of the philharmonic.
I finally managed to convince my idiot hand to drop the glass so I could grab kitty before she drank the water with all the lovely sharp glass shards sticking out of it.
I turned off my torch, kitty got a nice bowl of water and some kibble, and then I went inside, laid down on the couch, and had my heart attack, lol.
I hope this thread keeps on going for another 4 years!
__________________
Astrid
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. * To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. * To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
|
2010-05-08, 11:18pm
|
Junior Member
|
|
Join Date: Apr 18, 2010
Location: omaha, ne
Posts: 16
|
|
Oh, Karen! ROFL!!!!
__________________
Jeannie To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
“To the world you may be just one person, but to one person you may be the world.”
|
2010-05-14, 6:26pm
|
|
Favorite color is shiny
|
|
Join Date: Mar 01, 2008
Location: Galveston Bay
Posts: 365
|
|
Took me two days to read all of the posts...it's done me a world of good...emotionally (laughing)...mentally (learning)...physically (living...with burns)
Seriously, I'm have learned more here than in my classes. Still wondering about all this shocking glass..hmmm*
Thanks for the witty words of wisdom oh wise ones!!
__________________
~Lynn~
I'm back after a long time with a cold torch. Torch Lit.... Life is goooood.....now! To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. ---> LE
|
2010-05-15, 6:00am
|
|
lurking on LE since 2005
|
|
Join Date: Sep 18, 2005
Location: williamsburg, va
Posts: 326
|
|
picture this
I have a friend who used to lampwork who stood her ready-for-use mandrels up in a tub of cat litter. She had three cats, it was available and effective, right?
She went out of town for the weekend and despite all the mandrels sticking up out of it, the cats managed to USE the cat litter.
__________________
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. J-55
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
Check out my Encasing and HOLLOW tri-color Tutorials in my Etsy shop-and my NEW encased, layered, feathered bead!
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
|
2010-05-15, 7:04am
|
|
Ellyloo-YAH!
|
|
Join Date: Aug 01, 2006
Location: Port Colborne
Posts: 2,775
|
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by Charmaine
I have a friend who used to lampwork who stood her ready-for-use mandrels up in a tub of cat litter. She had three cats, it was available and effective, right?
She went out of town for the weekend and despite all the mandrels sticking up out of it, the cats managed to USE the cat litter.
|
Hee hee! Man, wishing she had a camera to show THAT feat!!!
__________________
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
|
2010-05-15, 8:34am
|
Senior Member
|
|
Join Date: Jul 30, 2005
Location: in the trees with the squirrels and the nuts
Posts: 1,417
|
|
Kitties will be kitties.
Joan
|
2010-05-15, 12:17pm
|
|
Crazy Snake Lady
|
|
Join Date: Jul 31, 2006
Posts: 5,583
|
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by Charmaine
I have a friend who used to lampwork who stood her ready-for-use mandrels up in a tub of cat litter. She had three cats, it was available and effective, right?
She went out of town for the weekend and despite all the mandrels sticking up out of it, the cats managed to USE the cat litter.
|
LOL I would have loved to see her face when she uncovered that little present.
__________________
Mrs. C
|
2010-05-15, 7:44pm
|
|
Formerly FishBulb
|
|
Join Date: Dec 05, 2008
Location: Pony Flower Princess Land
Posts: 2,772
|
|
If you do take a prescription anti-anxiety pill like Valium, and you take them very rarely and aren't used to them, do not torch after taking one! Your judgement will be impaired, along with your vision, your reflexes, your everything.
I did this once and stumbled around the studio, seeing double with everything, and thinking to myself, "Ah, I'm still standing, I'll make one more bead." Fortunately some grain of common sense surfaced and I called it quits that night after all.
Also, if you are becoming ill and are about to faint, position your elbow and your hand so that your bead is resting nicely in the warming part of the flame, and hang your head as low as it'll go until the feeling passes. Once you've saved the bead, go to bed! (or maybe that first part is bad advice, I dunno )
__________________
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
In Soviet Russia, Google searches you.
|
2010-05-22, 8:20pm
|
|
Formerly FishBulb
|
|
Join Date: Dec 05, 2008
Location: Pony Flower Princess Land
Posts: 2,772
|
|
I discovered a couple more goodies recently:
1. It's a good idea to get to know your glass before you burn through it in your newbie attempts. Some of the glasses that I WRECKED in my learning the ways of glass were: Curdled Ivory, original Pale Emerald Green, Dark Aurora (yes, the awesome Bullseye colour), and I'm sure there are others. I had them -- must have been old stock from the local glass supplier -- and just went on my merry way, buggering them all up and then I learn they're extinct.
2. It's a good idea to dampen your marver before laying silver or gold leaf on top of it; it's a bad idea to soak the heck out of the marver so the metals float on top of the puddles. You will ruin good beads trying to glop the floating metal off the water and onto the bead. ( I wish I could say that's a newbie mistake, but I just learned that one today....)
3. If you're using stringer to twist some features on your beads, and those beads happen to be of the honkin' monstrously huge variety, you should know those huge beads hold a LOT of heat. Be ready to twist really stinkin' fast, because the heat radiating off the bead will hit you in a real hurry.
__________________
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
In Soviet Russia, Google searches you.
|
2010-07-22, 4:45pm
|
Frustrated Semi-Newbie
|
|
Join Date: Jul 17, 2010
Location: By the Chesapeake Bay
Posts: 89
|
|
I am a newbie who just discovered this thread. The tears are rolling down my eyes. I learned not to bead in a nightgown ... not only did I burn myself when I dropped a short piece of glass the smell of burning hair was a big surprise!!!
|
2010-07-22, 10:59pm
|
|
Staying cozy by the fire
|
|
Join Date: Sep 27, 2009
Location: Tucson,AZ
Posts: 51
|
|
Take Off The Label
When using shorts remember they can really really burn your fingers.
When using shorts remember to remove the label that identified the rod you were using....they tend to catch fire and can also burn fingers and instructions you printed out from the Tutorials section......
|
2010-07-23, 7:37am
|
|
Formerly FishBulb
|
|
Join Date: Dec 05, 2008
Location: Pony Flower Princess Land
Posts: 2,772
|
|
If you are applying precious metal foils or leafs to your bead, burnish them into the bead BEFORE you put them into the flame. BEFORE! Or you'll be left wondering where the hell it went and why it's not on your bead or anywhere else all of a sudden.
__________________
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
In Soviet Russia, Google searches you.
|
2010-07-23, 7:37am
|
|
Formerly FishBulb
|
|
Join Date: Dec 05, 2008
Location: Pony Flower Princess Land
Posts: 2,772
|
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by blumant
When using shorts remember they can really really burn your fingers.
When using shorts remember to remove the label that identified the rod you were using....they tend to catch fire and can also burn fingers and instructions you printed out from the Tutorials section......
|
Oh yes, do keep a spray bottle nearby for those rod label fires!
__________________
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
In Soviet Russia, Google searches you.
|
2010-10-19, 6:55am
|
|
Formerly Kellyhorton
|
|
Join Date: Nov 29, 2005
Location: PA
Posts: 2,028
|
|
DUH
Make sure your bead release lid is on tight before shaking....lol. Wish I could say this only happened once, DOH
__________________
Kelly
MEAN PEOPLE SUCK To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
In the '60's, people took acid to make the world weird. Now the world is weird and people take Prozac to make it normal.
|
2010-10-19, 6:58am
|
|
Formerly Kellyhorton
|
|
Join Date: Nov 29, 2005
Location: PA
Posts: 2,028
|
|
Um, when this happens to me it means its windy and Im carbonmonoxiding myself to death cuz the fumes are coming back in! lol
RE:
if you are becoming ill and are about to faint, position your elbow and your hand so that your bead is resting nicely in the warming part of the flame, and hang your head as low as it'll go until the feeling passes. Once you've saved the bead, go to bed! (or maybe that first part is bad advice, I dunno )[/quote]
Quote:
Originally Posted by FishBulb
If you do take a prescription anti-anxiety pill like Valium, and you take them very rarely and aren't used to them, do not torch after taking one! Your judgement will be impaired, along with your vision, your reflexes, your everything.
I did this once and stumbled around the studio, seeing double with everything, and thinking to myself, "Ah, I'm still standing, I'll make one more bead." Fortunately some grain of common sense surfaced and I called it quits that night after all.
Also, if you are becoming ill and are about to faint, position your elbow and your hand so that your bead is resting nicely in the warming part of the flame, and hang your head as low as it'll go until the feeling passes. Once you've saved the bead, go to bed! (or maybe that first part is bad advice, I dunno )
|
__________________
Kelly
MEAN PEOPLE SUCK To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
In the '60's, people took acid to make the world weird. Now the world is weird and people take Prozac to make it normal.
|
2010-10-20, 5:51am
|
|
Senior Member
|
|
Join Date: May 22, 2010
Posts: 1,156
|
|
When melting down your "TINY" point of glass left from a cold seal. Don't hold the glass with tweezers using the vulcan death grip. The glass does get hot enough and it will leave a tweezer mark.... Done many many times on my off madrel work
|
2010-10-20, 8:24am
|
|
Senior Member
|
|
Join Date: May 30, 2006
Location: NC
Posts: 913
|
|
When I first started I saw this neat pendant with copper flecks in it in a swirl so of course being the newbie I thought to make mine different I'll use a chunk of copper from a copper penny. Talk about your real live volcano damn thing spit, spewed molten fire and globs of glass and I'm blowing on it to get it to quit only its like fanning the flames of fire and getting bigger then I'm thinking to myself "oh shit what the hell am I supposed to do with it" So I run to the shop door and toss it outside only for it to land in my flower garden thats covered with leaves and yep you guessed it now my flower bed is on fire and I'm trying to put that out when the neighbors sees all the smoke and calls the fire department so they arrive after I already put the fire out (did remember I had a fire extinguisher on hand) and I had to explain what the hell happened and the fireman (who happens to be a friend of ours) looks at me and says why didn't you just dunk it in that big bowl of water you have right there on your bench?
Lessons learned:
1) don't use a copper penny unless it is very old, the newer ones are NOT pure copper.
2) Please tell your neighbors not to call the fire department unless they see you running out the door hollering the shop is on fire.
3) try to remember that big bowl of water is there for a reason not just because you think it looks good.
__________________
"When life hands you lemons reach for the Tequila"
Donna
|
Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
|
|
Posting Rules
|
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
HTML code is Off
|
|
|
All times are GMT -7. The time now is 7:11am.
|