Basic techniques I just can't get...

Lyssa · #1 2011-04-24, 1:09am

My raised dots suck and my raised lines aren't even worth mentioning...

Please recommend a good tutorial on raised dots and lines. I've read Corina's Pass the Flame book several times and I keep it open on my desk next to my workbench while I'm making beads and my raised dots and lines still suck and I've been trying to do this for maybe 25-30 or so (non-contiguous) hours of torch time.

My bead shape is perfect, technically flawless, I can do round, I can do doughnut, I make the most perfectly puckered holes that can compete in cuteness with my baby daughter's rear end, but I can not make raised dots or lines look good to save my life.

I'm working on a Hot Head with propane. I've heard some people suggest to turn the flame down from "bushy" flame... I don't do bushy, I turn it down until it's ALMOST out. (Actually, I go so low that I've had my flame go out on me a couple times while I was in the middle of a bead.)

So, what else am I doing wrong? Is my stringer too thin? I've been having trouble pulling thicker stringer, and it's all turning out 1-2 mm, so maybe a stringer tutorial would help.

Anyway, yeah, if someone can recommend a tutorial on raised dots and lines, or just give me the answer to the meaning of life, the universe, and everything, I'll be much happier.

Jupiter · #2 2011-04-24, 1:44am

Check out JC Herrells website, she has some wonderful stringer tutorials

Joy of stringer

barbaracollins · #3 2011-04-24, 3:07am

And Heather Trimlett's web site for tuts on dots and bumps! They are great.

www.heathertrimlett.com

Kalorlo · #4 2011-04-24, 3:45am

I don't think your stringer is too thin - 1-2mm is on the bigger side for stringer.

When you say you can't do raised, do you mean you melt it too far in by accident, or just that it looks messy? Can you do lines and dots that are melted flush that look the way you want them to?

I suppose I'm wondering if it's the original placement of the stringer that's the problem, or what happens after that.

Lyssa · #5 2011-04-24, 4:52am

@Kalorlo - actually, the problem is both. Laying the stringer is difficult, either the stringer softens too much and balls up on the bead, won't soften and won't lay itself on the bead, or softens on a part away from the bead and brakes off the main body of the stringer with a 1/4 or 1/2 inch long bit sticking out from the side of the bead. And then, yes, I accidentally melt my stringer too far most of the time i do manage to lay some stringer. I've practiced a lot with spirals and straight lines and both look like I have a tremor in my hand. I will eventually end up with a tremor, inheriting it from my grandmother, but i don't have it yet.

My dot placement is better, and i'm sort of OK with consistent dot sizes, and melting them down all way they look OK. I have trouble with spacing on more than 4 dots, but i'm getting better.

Oh, and don't ask me about twisting spots on my bead. That must not be possible on a hot head 'cause i always distort the whole bead. Either the spot on the surface is too cold or the entire bead is too soft.

I'm having so much trouble getting these techniques right I'm wondering if it's really the craft for me, but I really enjoy it. I guess if the beads don't look very good and no one will ever be interested in buying them anyway, at least I don't have to worry about buying the expensive kiln in order to anneal them for selling.

Rose · #6 2011-04-24, 4:57am

Are you using arm rests? It's important to be able to stabilize your arms/hands. The Creation Station is very popular. Also Corina's book "Passing the Flame" is good to start with. She shows tricks for spacing dots, etc.

Lyssa · #7 2011-04-24, 5:20am

Yup, I have arm rests. We built a portable station I rest my arms on that also holds the torch in a bracket.

SuzyQ · #8 2011-04-24, 5:21am

I agree on stabilizing. I actually squeeze my elbows into my body to stabilize. But arm rests or wrists rest work well too.

One of the things I did to learn stringer control was figure out a production design where stringer work was the background. I could cover up boo boos and after hundreds of these beads I found stringer work was easy. I got to practice on it without worrying too much about the results. The stress was gone and in a few months I felt like a pro.

If you don't have a design you do a lot of you can do it on spacers. Practice using the same color stringer and when you are done just melt it all in to still have a usable spacer.

Lyssa · #9 2011-04-24, 5:25am

SuzyQ - That's a great idea, and making a small spacer will speed up the process of practicing with the stringer. It takes me about 10 minutes from picking up a cold rod to having a well-formed 1/2 inch bead, I need to cut the time down to get more stringer practice in more quickly and the spacers will be great for that. Thanks for the idea!

SuzyQ · #10 2011-04-24, 5:30am

I'm not one of those "naturals" when it comes to beadmaking. I feel like I work harder at a technique than most. I have learned I need to do it over and over and over. When I first started I made myself use one whole rod on spacers before I was allowed to make anything else. After 6 months of doing it about 5 days a week, I was a spacer pro. I had even moved up to making multiples on the same mandrel.

May the force be with you

jaci · #11 2011-04-24, 6:23am

I loved my HH for stringer work and raised dots (more so than my minor)! The trick was keeping the beads higher in the flame or in the 'warming area' of the flame, the edges, not right in it. I had to find my sweet spot!!!! YOu already turned down your flame, GREAT! It does not have to be so low it goes out, honestly you can have it raging and still work n the outer edges... its mainly to save your gas, and make it easier to not work so far out.

TO FIND YOUR SWEET SPOT start with REALLY REALLY thin stringer, find the heat where you can control hairline stringer, then work with a slightly larger stringer, still real small, and find the sweet spot, then find the spot again with a normal size stringer. It is slightly different for each. This is part of getting to know your flame even better. I find on a HH it is really easy to even use a full size rod for stringer, because you really do have less heat, making it easy to stretch the glass like taffy thin enough to thinly lay a stringer size line. It is really easy because of the bushy-ness of the flame on a HH to melt in the lines or dots you just made, so be careful to keep your bead further out in the flame. Then don't forget to flash your beads in the hot part to keep it warm and not crack. For practice you could just make a small beads, and not flash as an exercise to see how much heat your bead really has/does not have, and the heat tolerance basically. Try and make dots and lines the VERY LAST THING YOU DO before popping that bead in the kiln.

Let us know how you make out.

alb6094 · #12 2011-04-24, 7:08am

When I'm working with glass that's soft (I did a set with periwinkle dots/stringer over a soft yellow odd) I encase the glass for the stringer work in clear then pull out an encased stringer. It stiffens up the glass and makes it easier for me to work with it, just a thought. I am not the world's best with stringer.

DesertDreamer · #13 2011-04-24, 10:59am

Remember to move your bead TO the stringer, not the stringer to the bead. You want to keep your stringer right in your sweet spot, and make the bead hand do the aiming work. It takes practice to get the coordination right since it's kind of the opposite of drawing.

Jeri · #14 2011-04-24, 11:12am

One other thought, before you start, put some heat into the base bead, so that then it is closer in temp to the stringer you are applying, which will help it tack on to the bead. I learned stringer using transparents since I always got stuff to hot and soupy and transparent glass is stiffer.Jeri

AmorphousDesigns · #15 2011-04-24, 11:19am

I'm a newbie and have been practicing stringer lines lately. Something that just clicked for me is breaking them off without leaving a big dot;

at the end of the line bend the stringer up about 90 degrees, wait for the glass to cool a little then crack the stringer off, it usually will break right at the surface of the bead, if it leaves a bit sticking out, use tweezers to crack it off as close to the surface of the bead as possible. Hope this helps

scoutycat · #16 2011-04-24, 6:24pm

If your stringer is balling up instead of sticking to the bead, then your base bead is too cold. You want your base bead to be not quite glowing, but to have a good heat base so that it comes up to glowing quickly if you give it some heat. Work at the edge of the flame to find the spot where the stringer softens without deforming. And don't forget that you can adjust dots and stringer after they are laid down with tools and bits of glass to correct size, wonkiness, etc.

FosterFire · #17 2011-04-24, 6:30pm

And lots of practice. To pull thicker stringer get a nice fat glowing gather and then let it sit outside the flame about 2-3 seconds then grab and pull slowly.

Hayley · #18 2011-04-24, 6:34pm

Practice using transparent stringers for they are stiffer than opaque ones. You can always encase opaque glass with a transparent glass (e.g., clear) and pull that into a stringer so it's stiffer.

Don't turn your HH down but take advantage of the wider radiant heat and find the sweet spot where you can control your stringer well. If you ever have the opportunity, take a class with Holly Cooper - she is the queen of stringer control and she also uses a HotHead.

http://www.hollycooper.com/AvailableWork

emoon · #19 2011-04-25, 9:14am

I've been drilling myself on Stringer Control and still, I find it very challenging. I think I will put away my Cricket and set up the Minor for a while. It isn't as hot and I may be able to manage if things happen a little slower. The fine points of this skill have evaded me long enough!!

Warming the bead, before laying the stringer is essential, I do know that. Also, marvering the stringer a bit as you go helps keep it from popping off. I just can't keep it raised...all my stringer winds up melted flat. time to PPP!!

Firebrand Beads · #20 2011-04-25, 6:14pm

If you are having trouble working on the edge of your flame, an old metalsmith's trick is to darken your work area a little bit and put something dark behind your torch so you can see the flame better. This helps you see the fine edge of the fire, the sweet spot for stringer work. A slightly darker working area also helps you to better judge the heat level in your base bead. A directional light, like a swing-arm desk lamp that throws a pool of light just to the side of your torch (your dominant hand side) will help you see your dots better while keeping that slightly darker work area for the flame itself. This is a trick I learned soldering silver in college and it has been very useful in beadmaking too.

PerfectDeb · #21 2011-04-26, 12:17am

i have corina's book too (who dosent

) but i am seriously better after doing a class with her - i'm not sure why, but watching her work helped

hold your stringer horizontal
move the bead not the stringer
make sure the spot you're putting the stringer on is hot (practicing on black helps with this)
dont work on more than a third of a bead at a time
use an underhand (palm up) grip in the mandrel so you have more manoeuvrability
practice straight lines first then work up to swirls

you'll get it in the end

truegem · #22 2011-04-28, 5:44am

I don't know if this has already been suggested, but did you try using the thick, commercial stringer for practice? It's much easier to work with because it's so thick. Then you can slowly go smaller/thinner. That's how I learned.