stringer control how to

[smiltroy]

hi, can someone tell me theyr secret for stringer control?
i have a coiuple of questions i would like you to hep me with

1- like how in the hell do you get so thin lines in a bead?, you push it with a pick? or you just toutch a small gather of glass and rotate the bead?

2- and how do you apply the stringers?
3- do you keep both the bead and stringer on the flame?
4- do you apply the stringer fast or slow?
5- what thickness is the stringers you use?

some pictures are allways wellcome

thank you so much, i keep learning everyday with you guys

[ChristinaColligan]

Stringer control....hmmmm a tuff one to spell out in a short time...
1. Thins lines start out as thin stringer - depending on the the effect you are trying to achieve...do you want to leave them raised or melt them in?
2. holding your bead under the flame ----o--- horizontal you will hold you stringer at almost a 90 degree angle beside the flame *not in it* there is the place we call the sweet spot it is just before you get into the flame where the glass starts to give that is where you want to work with your stringer (make sure to keep your bead warm in the process though, just basically easily waving it throught the flame with out the stringer..)
3. no
4. depending on how good you are, or if it is a detailed design Fast is not always good in glass
5. you can use any size that suits what you are doing there are no rules - it's just fun,
I don't remember where I heard this but if you take a wooden dowel about 12"long and tape a sharpie marker to the end of it making it a long stick with a marker on the end, and get a piece of paper and hold the stick/pen at the very top and attempt to draw moving the paper not the pen, that will enable you to practice the control and feel you will have (which is not much) Oh yeah and a quick tip: Move the bead not your stringer so kind of like reverse drawing like practice with the pen.
I hope that helps a little
Corina's video stringer control is a good source of info (amazon)
also Practice, Practice,Practice...(PPP)
Have a great week!

[SuzyQ]

I have to say Corinna's video was what helped it click for me. I don't do it quite her way, I turn my flame way down, but so many little things I needed to see and not just imagine. Well worth the money.

[Marjo]

I can't remember where I learned this, but I got the concept when someone told me it was kind of like using a sewing machine...

[CJ]

Marjo, I can use a sewing machine very well, but never thought of that idea when doing the stringers. Like "Smiltroy" I also have trouble doing stringers. I have Corina's C/D and it all makes sense when I am watching it, but by the time I get to the torch the common sense seems to have left me. I have to keep telling myself that it is the bead I turn and not the stringer. I know it takes PPP.
CJ

[smiltroy]

thank you so much, when i say thin stringer im talking that hairthin lines that when i try to do, fisrt of all im not even able to do so thin, but the thinner i can, when i melt it it just separates one part of the line from the other like the stringer didnt stick to the bead and breakes off creating 2 lines

thanks for the advices, i apreciate it

[LyndaJ]

It's practice. But make it easy on yourself. Make thicker stringer to start with. (at least 2 mm)

Don't make your bead yet!

Find out where the hot zone is on your flame by taking the stringer and (in the spot where you would hold your bead, slowly bring the stringer in to the side of the flame. You'll notice that the tip of the stringer starts to glow BEFORE you acutally get it into the flame. Do this several times up and down your flame. Change your flame to bigger and smaller and do the same thing. Now try this with a thinner stringer. It will glow a little sooner than the thicker stringer.

Now, still without a bead, heat the end of a rod until you have a garbonzo sized gather. Smoosh it flat to make a paddle. Now take some of your stringer, and holding the paddle under the flame, practice making circles, lines, swirls, etc on the paddle. Practice moving the paddle, not the stringer. You need to keep the stringer in the hot zone of the flame so that it will be pliable enough to write with. Use both sides of the paddle. If you run out of room, just smash it flat again. Much faster than taking the time to make a bead to practice on initially. Do this at different flame settings until you find one that works for you. Then it's time for a bead

When you're working with a bead, it's that same as with a paddle, BUT make sure you have good base heat on your bead (a nice even glow) BEFORE you lay down any stringer. And if your bead is bigger, you may need to partially melt in the stringer and re-establish the heat base of the bead to prevent the stringer from poppping off later.

When you adhere your stringer/or you want it to melt in, do this slowly in the upper part of the flame, and keep the bead rotating. Don't point the flame directly at the stringer, or it will melt in unevenly.

[LyndaJ]

For hairthin, encase your desired stringer color in clear. Then use that. When you melt it in, the clear disappears, making the remainder of your stringer seem thinner.

[ChristinaColligan]

It will take a while before you really get to a point that you are comfortable with it....all this advice can be overwhelming - But Lynda is right about not using your bead and getting used to your flame's heat. Feel free to print out the info and tack it up so you can refer back to it....
Also what colors are you using??? If it seems like it is separating it may be a natural reaction that some glasses have with one another....hmmm?

[StellaBlue]

Quick question from another newbie here...

My ventilation (until I can rig an effective fume hood) is two open windows, cross-drafted, with a fan pulling air out the second window, replacement air coming from the first.

It's a little breezy and the "sweet spot" for stringer control, um, moves. Not alot, but when you are talking about just the right spot for stringer, it makes a difference.

I know some of you work outside - how do you get good stringer control when your flame is not quite consistently in the same spot? (It also sometimes messes me up when I'm trying to get a pinpoint flame onto a single dot of, say a floral component..)

Rita

[Rudy]

OMG, don't let Dale or Mike hear you propose that temporary ventilation solution....LOL. Actually, if you get a response from either of those guys, listen closely. They know everything about safety. BTW, I think they will say NOOOOO, wait until you have proper ventilation! Good luck

[NLC Beads]

Another point for learning stringer control - doodle designs... If I doodle, it's often the same swirl design I put on beads - so my hand already knows that design blindfolded, by muscle memory, and I can concentrate on heat and melting glass at the right speed instead of design.

Good luck!

[Solana]

Definitely start with a thicker stringer! That's what worked for me! It helped me to understand where the sweet spot was, and then I gradually started going thinner and thinner.

Good luck!

[Carolyn M]

For very skinny raised stringer (straight lines only) I pull hair thin stringer, heat the bead, remove it from the flame, apply the stringer then wave it in the flame to tack the stringer on. That only works for very thin stringer BTW

[redbearmountain]

Hello, I was just on amazon looking for corina's video on stringer control and can't find it anywhere! Where do I look? W Jacqueould be interested in purchasing this video!

[ChristinaColligan]

http://www.amazon.com/Corina-Jones-S...3442541&sr=1-1

[evolvingBeau]

Move the bead and not the stringer...
If you want to be able to use thin stringer then you really need to hover in that sweet spot,(for thin stringer this is almost not even in the visible flame but next to it) don't press or force the stringer, let the heat and the movement of the bead do the work.

Remember to breathe,you'll start shaking otherwise.

You need appropriate ventilation to eliminate the draft and flame wavering, this will mess you up with the thin stuff (and for your health of course)..True Mike or Dale would put the smack down here, so you maybe look into that first.

Really the best answer in this case is lots of practice.

[redbearmountain]

Hello, Thank you for the video information! I ordered the video and hope I learn alot from this I know I need to practice also! I know Corina is considered the master of stringer control. Jacque

[Cherine Perrin]

Corina's video is very informative. I turn my flame way down too but, you will still get lots of great info if you get that video.

[Marjo]

Love the idea of practicing with a paddle. Thanks, Lynda!

[Bohemibeads]

::coming out of lurking mode::
Hi~
Sorry to butt in but I happened to come across this thread and had to read it! Im still pretty new to drawing with a stringer, and I never would have thought to move the bead, not the stringer! Since I have trouble with drawing anything decent with a stringer, this info is wonderful!

[Armstrong]

Originally Posted by Marjo

Love the idea of practicing with a paddle. Thanks, Lynda!

Me too! That's totally a great idea. Will have to do that this weekend.

Ana

[scoutycat]

I use different techniques for thicker stringer than thinner. When trying to do hairline stringer, these things help:
1) Don't put the stringer in the flame. Heat the bead where you want the stringer to go, and let the residual heat move the stringer.
2) Remember that opaques will spread out on transparents when melted in, so a line will look bigger that way. Case it to keep the tinyness, or work on opaques.
3) Anywhere the stringer doesn't touch will cause a break. You can remedy a bump by very quickly flashing the stringer in the flame and marvering it down. It's better to take several times to do this, once it breaks there's no going back.
4) You can pull a stringer from a dot and lay it down. You can also make a small bead just off to the side of the bead you are working on, and pull fine stringers from it to lay down.
5) To avoid dots on the end, don't melt off your stringer - use tweezers to break it off, then a tool to anchor it down.

HTH! - jen

[smiltroy]

thank you jen, you answered exactly what i wanted to know, thank you so much to all of you