Silver Foil and Wire Lentil Tutorial

[MaryBeth]

This is a no pictures tut except for the final beads - but I think you can get the idea.

Edited to say: you can also use clear or a light transparent for your base. Since transparents are a little stiffer it is harder to get enough heat into the foil covered bead without burning off the silver.



1. Start with a barrel of ivory as long as the lentil one size smaller than your finished piece will be.

2. Roll this in silver foil (I like the foil I bought from Val). Burnish the silver onto your ivory barrel very well.

3. Heat this very gently - do not melt the foil in! Roll in frit. Heat the frit very gently so that it just starts to melt. Roll in frit again. Again melt so the frit just adheres - don't melt your silver foil!

4. Heat a tiny spot on your bead to glowing. Attach the end of your silver wire there and wrap it around your bead. Flame cut the silver wire and flash through the flame to tack it to the bead --- remember don't melt your silver foil!!

5. Use a Moretti clear stringer to encase your bead (case right over your lumpy frit and raised silver wire). I use the around the world method. Start at one end and keep wrapping your string around the bead. Push down while you are doing this and make sure that each wrap is pushed up against the previous one. And of course - don't melt your silver foil!!

6. Press your bead in your lentil mold (the next size up from the one that you measured your original ivory barrel in). Flame polish out any mold marks and clean up the ends if necessary. Repress if necessary. Run your flame over the bead between the bead holes on both sides and let the heat sink in. This will prevent any cracking that might be caused by too rapid cooling at the thinner spots. Put the bead right into the kiln. (Did you melt your silver in - no - good!!!)

Sample Beads I made this way:

[Slaterville]

Wonderful Tut Mary Beth, but by the end all my silver would be melted in! LOL

[chrisdd]

Thanks so much! I've wondered how you made these beads.

[Laurie L]

Great tut but how the heck are you not melting in your foil ????? Where in the flame are you working the bead and is your flame modified ( turned down ??).

Awsome beads by the way.

[MaryBeth]

Originally Posted by Laurie L

Great tut but how the heck are you not melting in your foil ????? Where in the flame are you working the bead and is your flame modified ( turned down ??).

Awsome beads by the way.

I am working in the upper third of the flame. One thing that probably helps me is my torch set-up. I use a Minor that is running on natural gas and an oxycon. Sometimes I use two oxycons but never for this technique - one is perfect. In short my torch is probably less hot than if you are running your torch on propane. Try turning down your propane a bit if this is the case.

Thanks for the compliments!

Mary Beth

[hulagirl]

Simply DIVINE! I can't wait to try these beads....Maybe I'll get a chance tomorrow...Haven't made beads in a month--No time!

[Robinj]

Oh Mary Beth -- I'm been LOVING your stuff lately! That silver & ruby set is very cool!

I work on a mini cc and have been making lentils with silver wire and bits of foil -- where I want to keep it as wire & foil (similar to Mary Beth's beads). Initially, I was heating my whole bead to glowing and melting the silver.

I've learned to really concentrate on heating just the outer layer (which is really what you're trying to melt/shape anyway) so the heat doesn't travel through to melt the silver -- because the encasing layer "insulates" it. If it starts to heat up too much, I just move it out of the flame and let it cool a bit. You don't have to initially get everything as melted and "finished" as you normally do because you're going to press and firepolish it anyway.

[laurellanestudios]

I've never used pieces of silver. Is the gauge important? Can it be scraps of headpins?

Thanks,
Kathy

[sassy]

Thanks for the tut. I will definitely save this one to try.

[fireworm]

Thanks so much for sharing! I love your beads.

[DawnT]

Thanks Mary Beth! I've always loved these beads of yours but I'm scared to try it!

[chrisdd]

Originally Posted by laurellanestudios

I've never used pieces of silver. Is the gauge important? Can it be scraps of headpins?

Thanks,
Kathy

You have to use .999 silver, rather than sterling, which is .925

[Sharon Abood]

Thank you for the tut. I will give it a try this weekend.

[Laurie L]

Originally Posted by MaryBeth

I am working in the upper third of the flame. One thing that probably helps me is my torch set-up. I use a Minor that is running on natural gas and an oxycon. Sometimes I use two oxycons but never for this technique - one is perfect. In short my torch is probably less hot than if you are running your torch on propane. Try turning down your propane a bit if this is the case.

Thanks for the compliments!

Mary Beth

Yes I am running a minor with propane and oxy con. I have turned it down but still seem to burn off the foil.....I guess its something I will havew to keep PPP'ing. LOL But thanks, maybe I should turn it down some more.

[MaryBeth]

Laurie - try adjusting your flame until your candles are about 1/4" and your flame is narrower - not bushy.

[Toni L.]

Thanks MaryBeth!! Those bead are all fantastic!! I'm going to have to get some silver wire and give it a try!

toni

[sleekbeads]

Where do you get the silver .999 wire???
Joanna

[MaryBeth]

Originally Posted by sleekbeads

Where do you get the silver .999 wire???
Joanna

Lots of places carry it but I purchased mine from Rio Grande - I purchased 5 ounces of 26 gauge on a big spool about 2 years ago and I still have a lot left! I think it cost me about $40.00 at the time. As soon as silver prices take a nose dive I am going to get some more

[sleekbeads]

THANKS for the info.... if an when silver prices do take a dive, please keep me in mind... I'd be willing to go in on an order with you.
Joanna

[raindance]

What would happen if someone used Sterling Silver on a bead?
Does it get really ugly?

I don't have a bead press...but I have the right silver wire my
sweet hubby got for me.But I need the foil...I just have leaf right
now. I'll bet this would be really pretty...even without the press.
I'm going to try it when I get some foil!

[amberbryant1]

I wish I had a press, silver wire, frit and the skill to do this! Wow those beads are beatiful! Thanks for the effort and time to share this!

[Laurie L]

Originally Posted by MaryBeth

Laurie - try adjusting your flame until your candles are about 1/4" and your flame is narrower - not bushy.

Ahhhh okay that makes more sense.....going to try it !!!! Thanks so much. Sometimes its hard to know how much to turn down or turn up the flame. When I have it turned down really low I am always scared that I wont have enough heat for the bead. CRACK...... LOL.

These beads are just TDF Marybeth.

[adovbs]

Originally Posted by raindance

What would happen if someone used Sterling Silver on a bead? Does it get really ugly?

YUP. IF you can even get it to stick...

[valerie_folly]

Thanks for the tut, those are gorgeous beads! Valerie

[beachbeads]

Originally Posted by raindance

What would happen if someone used Sterling Silver on a bead?
Does it get really ugly?

I don't have a bead press...but I have the right silver wire my
sweet hubby got for me.But I need the foil...I just have leaf right
now. I'll bet this would be really pretty...even without the press.
I'm going to try it when I get some foil!

sterling turns black.

[playswithfire104]

Would this work on a HH? Anyne try it on a HH?

[MaryBeth]

I did work with Silver Foil when I had a HH. It will work best if you work a little further out in the flame and take your time

[wendbill]

Do you have problems with cracking due to the silver content? I made a few this weekend (batch annealed afterwards) 24 hours later and I've just had 4 crack on me in the last half an hour... I'm assuming it's the silver wire because I don't have problems with silver foil on it's own. I think my silver was 33 gauge or something (the finer the wire the higher the number isn't it?

[J. Savina]

Mary Beth, Thank you for sharing this wonderful tutorial with us.

I know it can be hard not to melt your silver in. What I do after I burnish the silver is put another piece of foil over some frit that I spread on the marver. When I heat up the bead to pick up the frit, I get an extra layer of foil. Your beads are absolutely beautiful!!! You're da Bestest!
J.

[Marie C]

J, would you please give a little more instruction on what you said, about after you burnish the silver you put another piece of foil over some frit that you spread on a marver? I don't understand. You do the initial foil, then burnish, then more foil, then frit?

Thanks! Marie