Finally Figured out Encasing....

[Megan]

Do y'all ever have that moment where it all just comes together... My Grandmother would call it a "come to Jesus moment"...

I haven't torched in like a month because of Christmas and then massive amounts of shipping from our business.. I finally sit down today and what do you know.. I finally figured out the art of encasing.. After 6 months, I finally made decent encased florals..

All I have to say for those who are having trouble with it is what a difference clear stringer makes with encasing.. I am sure I will eventually learn how to do it with the regular rods, but it sure is nice to finally get it..

Now if I can only figure out scrollwork.. LOL

[one-eared pig]

I'm jealous!!!

[Megan]

I purchased some moretti clear stringer and is just works so good.. I was having trouble getting big clumps of glass with the larger rods and just never getting it hot enough to get it to melt right without smearing the flowers... The clear stringer just works so great.. I will probably go through a mess of it but it sure makes it nice to not have to pull out my hair..

[doityourselfdiva]

Did you purchase your stringer or did you pull your own? Everytime I pull my own stringer and try to encase with it, I have massive amounts of teeny tiny air bubbles that cloud up anything I'm trying to encase.

[Megan]

I purchased it.. I purchased some Lauschca clear and Moretti clear stringer and found that I liked the moretti clear better just as long as I worked it farther up in he flame to avoid the scumming and I didn't use any graphite on the clear.. I have a brass shaper that I used if I had to move the glass around a bit.. I have heard that graphic on clear might scum it a little.

[amberbryant1]

I found that if I use a rod and just wrap it around the middle of a "cooler" bead, a big 'ol ring of clear, and then head up the top and then the bottom of the bead, where the mandrel goes through, the clear just magically moves up and then down over the flowers. I was amazed. I read it somewhere. I didn't believe it, but it really worked. I hope it helps someone else.
Amber

[Kevan]

I think it's pretty incredible that you figured out encasing using Moretti glass.

I figured it out with 3 - 4mm Lauscha, but it's hard to come by.