Calling all Stamen Cane Experts!!!

[j2canoe]

I'm getting tired of my bubbles and have been admiring all of the beautiful stamen cane that has been showing up lately. So, I read the threads I could find and I made my first stamen cane tonight - basically just a simple one with clear center and white stripes. I knew from reading up on all the threads that most suggested poking the hole and then inserting the cane and nipping it off just above the bead. Ok so far.......

Here's the question - How do you keep the end of the stamen cane that is nipped off in the same state with you (much less the same room)??? Both times I nipped - the cane took off at warp speed for parts unknown and has not been seen again as of this writing. (Fortunately I made more than one cane - not knowing they might all be needed to complete a floral bead, lol!!)

Secondly, once the cane is in the bead, do you apply clear over the stamen cane to make it flare out, or do you simply melt it in and let it do its thing?

I would really appreciate any tips on "cane wrangling"!! Cheers! Joan

[kbinkster]

Joan, the easiest way for me is to pull a little point on the end of the cane, heat the flower petals, and either use that pointy end to poke, or poke first, heat a little again, and then insert the pointed cane. The cane pretty much sticks in and I let it dangle down vertically towards the bench and then nip if it is a fat cane. If it is a thin cane, I blow on it and it thermal shocks and snaps itself off (be careful if you do it this way, this is how I burned the inside of my lips one time). The part that is inserted into the flower stays there and the main cane then drops to the bench below - unless I am blowing it, in which case, my hand is free to hold the cane since it is not holding the nippers.

If you want your stamen to spread, then add a dollop of some clear on top of the cut edge and then melt in.

I hope this helps.

[Elizabeth Beads]

Hey Joan - I poke with the stamen cane itself, pause, turn the bead so the cane is hanging down, and nip so that the cane falls on my table. You could do it over a fiber pad or even an old oven mitt since the mass of the cane isn't hot.

I do all my pokes and cuts, then I melt in like a murini - heat a little, marver a little, repeat, until the cane pretty much fills the gap. Then I encase the whole bead.

I'm sure others will add their wisdom as there may indeed be better ways of doing this.

L

[Elizabeth Beads]

Hey Kimberly - You posted while I was typing. I'll try the dollop of clear thing next time.

[kbinkster]

Originally Posted by erose

Hey Kimberly - You posted while I was typing. I'll try the dollop of clear thing next time.

Try it, you'll like it. Heat the dollop. As it spreads, it will spread the glass beneath it, too. You can still encase the flower after that.

[Shrimp]

Far be it for me to know the solution for this dilemma, but I would think that you create the pointy end on your stamen cane rod, then nip it, into a pile on your table. Continue doing this until you no longer have any cane left. Then preheat the murrini pieces and apply when needed. Would someone please tell me if I am wrong so that I can delete my post so that nobody thinks I'm posting the correct technique.

[kbinkster]

That's certainly one way to do it, Aleta. But, then you have to keep track of all those little pieces and fuss with placing them just so when it comes time to use them. It's easier, IMHO, to keep the cane intact until ready to use so you can insert the stamen straight into the flower. It also keeps the cut ends from collecting dust or scratching each other while they're being stored.

[j2canoe]

Thanks everyone for the excellent tips!! I do appreciate it and will try this tonight. Still haven't found the wayward stamen cane.....

[tammydownunder]

I have done it both ways and I find it much easier to keep the stamen cane in one piece and poke the center of the flower with it. Let it cool down enough so you can either thermal shock it or nip it. I prefer nipping it as it shows up better. I also second the dab of clear and the carefully melt in from both sides to keep it upright.

[PerfectDeb]

i watched a beadmaker here a while back, she held the end in her mouth and nipped it off

[Elizabeth Beads]

Originally Posted by PerfectDeb

i watched a beadmaker here a while back, she held the end in her mouth and nipped it off

Dang, hope it was a long piece of cane! Lol!

[tammydownunder]

Originally Posted by PerfectDeb

i watched a beadmaker here a while back, she held the end in her mouth and nipped it off

Doesn't everyone do that?

[one hot beader]

LOL...been wondering how to do that with only two hands!

[Mitosis Glass]

I wouldn't dare get into the habit of putting anything in my mouth while I torch; in fact, I had to break the habit so I didn't accidentally put hot things where I shouldn't.

Some people manage to keep their wits about them but my "stupid level" is waaaaay too high to even risk holding it with my mouth!

For things like this I just plunge the cane then let it cool until I can snap it off by wiggling the cane.

[theglasszone]

Once you've stabbed the heated bead with your stamen cane, turn it over and slide the cane into a vase (if the remaining piece of cane is long); slide it into a can or jar if it's short. You can keep sand into the bottom of the vase, can or jar if you'd like to stabilize it. When you nip the cane close to the bead, the remainder of the cane stays in the vase, jar or can - no flying about or (as I've done a time of two before discovering this method) no breaking cane as it hits your table. Easy to retrieve...but if you do the sand/stabilize trick, wipe the cane lightly before you use it again to be sure you don't get any dust in your flower bead the next time the cane is used.

[gubnavnania]

Originally Posted by tammydownunder

Doesn't everyone do that?

I don't. I just poke, let it cool a bit and nip.

[TinaJ]

I use the clutter on my table to create a 'valley' for the cane to go into when it is cut off. I arrange a couple of my handheld marvers with a can or two of glass (that are always on my table anyway) at the far end. I hold the bead on the mandrel and gently lay the end of the cane between the marvers and then nip it off. The cane stays put and I don't have to really even plan ahead since all those things are on my table anyway. Of course, the hot end is now towards the front of the table (and ME!), so I do take care when picking up the cane for the next plunge.
Don't forget to post pictures!
Tina

[DaBatt]

I basically do what Erose said; poke the end of the cane in, flip up so the end of the cane is pointing downwards until it cools, then I rest the end of the cane on an angle across the top of my torch (but not touching it) with the far end of the cane supported on my elbow rest (I use pretty long canes) & snip it off at the bead end with my nippers.

My elbows rests are the suede type bean bag ones & they seem to provide a buffer that stops the cane shooting off the table & into oblivion & doing it across the top of my torch means that it doesn't have to fall too far & lessens the risk of it breaking ( it also stops the cane falling into the jumble of canes & stringers on my table, but the first reasons sounds better.lol!)

I had the same problem as you Joan, only this bitty wee country doesn't have states & we live near the coast - I expect mine shot out the studio & headed straight for the coastline. It is probably somewhere in South America as we speak

[beadaholic]

I just poke it, and blow on it, while holding it, no flipping, and it cracks off straight for me everytime. Then I put clear on top, or around, depending on what I want to achieve. No need to do gymnastics! hehe, some of these tips sound a tad dangerous to me! just saying...

[PerfectDeb]

Originally Posted by tammydownunder

Doesn't everyone do that?

and who have we been watching?...hmmm...?