Implosions--size of rod? size of flame?

[rainygrrl]

I've made just a few implosions with soft glass ~8-10 mm and a minor, with reasonable newbie success.

I tried my first boro implosion pendant with a barracuda and whoo-what a difference! Not in a good way. So I've been doing some research before my next attempt. But I haven't found answers to these questions.

Can I use a smaller rod? I used a 14 mm rod from one of Brent's starter kits and it is really, really difficult for me to turn. My hands are small. Should I try a smaller rod? Or do you have some tips about how to rotate bigger ones? Maybe I can mouse with one hand and practice with the other while I'm on LE...

Should I use the outer ring or just the center fire?

Thanks in advance!

[hotflashwanda]

You can make a more petite pendant with a 10mm rod, I have small hands, too, and can't spin a 14mm rod long without getting carpal tunnel.
Anita
www.fireflybeads.com

[ShepherdCreations]

I too have a Barracuda, and I use 10mm right now for my implosions. It sucks tryin to make large ones on it, but it makes great small and medium ones. I heard a rule of thumb is that you can get a gather at the end of the rod about 2x as thick as the rod itself.
Oh, and I use the centerfire turned up pretty nice and high, sometimes if it's a bigger implosion I will use the outer ring small to make the flame a bit hotter/wider. Cheers!

[rainygrrl]

Thanks Anita and Patrice!
It sounds like it would be nice in the long run to try to learn to use bigger rods, but probably worthwhile to avoid that challenge while I'm learning.

Patrice--my dad always used to say "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything."

[ShepherdCreations]

Plus a case of 10mm lasts a long time. Your dad's a wise man!

[G.L.McBead]

Use a short heavy rod by hooking a 6-7mm rod to it so it will turn easyer.
I hope you see what I mean.
G.

[squid]

great idea! Fuse a smaller diameter rod to the end of a small section of the larger diameter rod. That makes so much sense!

[rainygrrl]

Got it. That sounds like the perfect solution.
Thanks Gary!

[Juln]

Sure, all of my rods end up like that.. 12 mm attached to 7 mm.

I like 12 mm the best for implosions (or 12.7, I'm not overly picky...).

[Venbead]

13mm is my favorite size rod for implosions.

[rainygrrl]

Hmmm, should I order the 12, the 13, or the 12.7?
Thanks--I really appreciate the input from experienced implosion makers!

[G.L.McBead]

I go for the cheepest.
G.

[Cosmo]

We teach our pendant class using 9mm rods. That makes a pendant that is between the size of a nickel and a quarter (the way I teach it, anyways - your results may vary). It's a good size for learning because even with a small torch you have no problem heating the glass the way it needs to be heated.

When I make stuff to sell, I usually use 12mm. Anything much bigger than that and the finished result is too big for my tastes.

[rainygrrl]

Thanks! This is great information, especially since I haven't placed my order yet. I think I'll start relatively small before trying ~12 mm. The 14 mm took forever (ie, longer than the patience I had available).