What did you do as a newbie that you don't do anymore?

[Moth]

I just got done with a marathon mandrel-cleaning-dipping session and every single time I do that I quietly thank Mary Beth Callahan- novembersfyre beads- for freeing me of the way I used to do it when I was a newbie.

How I did it then:

Draw a sink full of hot soapy water. Add mandrels. Scrub each mandrel individually with steel wool, rinse and set to dry on a towel. Repeat 500 times.

When all the mandrels are dry- roll each one across the table to make sure it is perfectly straight, then dip it carefully into the release and stand up to dry in my sand bucket.

How I do it now:
Grab all the mandrels in one hand, run them under hot water. Squirt the bundle with dishsoap and rub them all together vigourously. Rinse. Set them on a towel.

Take a handful of mandrels and stick them down into the bead release jar. Pull them out one at a time and stick them in the sand bucket. Any crooked ones get rejected at the torch.

Time saved over the past 5 years- approximately 6 months. LOL

Another thing I did as a newbie that I don't do anymore is carefully inspect, fondle and wash every single glass rod that comes in an order.

Now I just take a rod from the rubber banded bundle, stick the end of it in my quench bowl and use a towel from under my bench to wipe the rod.

Large diameter clear still gets washed...but that's it.

I am SO glad that I lightened up and quit spending so much time on stuff that didn't make a bit of difference.

So- how 'bout you?

~~Mary

[tammydownunder]

I don't even wash my mandrels anymore. I remove my beads while the bead release is still dry over a piece of paper towel so I catch the mess. Once the bead is off, I "roll" the mandrel through the pliers to break off the remainder of the bead release. Bent mandrels get sorted at the same time.

[theglasszone]

What a cute thread idea!!! Hum....let's see - several things come to mind:

* Admiration of one's newly-created bead is best done after it comes out of the kiln and is cool; gazing too long and a hot little number caused many a cracked beauty!

* Never say "never" when it comes to getting burns! Pfftttt! I've had a few hum-dingers this last year! Youzers!

* Never say "never" when it comes to trying something new - and BELIEVE if I try, and practice - I can achieve it!

* Share lots! Share tips, techniques, tools and encouragement! This art is too precious to covet and risk extinction! Very few of my "secrets" are really worth keeping - and far better given than kept.

De

[SharonP]

In my first class I was told that when glass rods got too short to hold, you set them aside. Then later sort by color and heat the ends and stick them together to make longer rods. What a waste of good torch time!

Now I just grab a new rod, heat the end, and pick up the short and continue making beads!

*s*

[tenor_ringer]

Still a relative newb, but...

I no longer panic if my bead is not in the flame or flashed at least every 7 seconds. The first teacher I had made me kind of paranoid with emphatic prompts to "flash!!!"

[Puddy Tat Glass]

When I made my first kitty it didn't take me quite 2 hours, but it sure seemed like it and when I finally got to the end and I was adding the last little details, like my signature or kitty toes I'd start thinking..."Oh my God I'm almost ready to put it in the kiln, gotta keep it hot, gotta keep it hot" and that would cause me to start shaking so bad I could hardly keep the bead in the flame !

What I do now...chew gum, listen to the t.v., sing songs (only when I'm alone) and occasionally, if I'm working on an unusually difficult piece, take a deep breath. Now I figure if it breaks I'll just make me another one...and this keeps me from shaking.

[glassymom]

When I first started I felt like I had to race to get my bead "finished" and in the kiln.
Now I relax and enjoy the peace and quiet I have making beads! I also dont' have shaky hands anymore once I started to relax. I agree bonnie, I can just make another one!! LOL
As for my mandrels, I pull the beads off after soaking, scrap them on the edge of my bowl, wipe them quickly over a green scratch pad and redip. LOL

[Doolollies]

I don't think I ever blinked. Now I blink and like Bonnie now I chew gum watch T.V. and yes i was really paranoid about flashing. Not so much anymore and I am not as diligent about scrubbing and sorting and dipping mandrels as I used to be and I think Mary is right... I saved BIG time with not washing all that glass and scrubbing mandrels.

[Moth]

LOL, those are some goodies! I think we are seeing a lot of common denominators here.

I remembered another one:

I used to hold my breath at the torch all the time. I would be doing a dot bead and getting all focused on it and suddenly realize my brain was screaming for oxygen.

Don't forget to breath and blink! LOL

I still have to clean mandrels wet though because I got the willies just reading about doing it dry. LOL Something about the feel of it gives me goosebumps. Yikes.

I use foster fire and if you do strip the mandrels while dry, it comes off in a nice solid tube. Some of the releases though are kinda powdery so for anyone reading this post that doesn't know any better- don't breathe that in. It's a bad idea.

Keep 'em coming you guys...you're making me feel all nostalgic.

~~Mary

[gubnavnania]

I guess I'm still a newbie even after 2 years:oops: I'm still doing all those things, Mary.

[Tanner Studios]

Work on a Hot Head! I did the math. Fuel was not adding up. This was before I even had an idea what a good torch is and how to judge a good torch when
it was staring me in the face.

So to answer the question. I do the research first instead of buying first'
Scott

[PerfectDeb]

i'm still a newb but having nobody to show me how i...

dip my mandrels same as mary - whole bunch in the jar pull out one at a time

throw new glass in the dishwasher

i hold my breath so much i see spots and my eyes get dry from not blinking

i still flinch and scream when the glass shocks (yeah i'm a wus) but i'm getting better

i'm learning when to stop - the multiple dots, stringer work and goldstone might be just overdoing it....

[tasminann]

Oh yeah, definitely the mandrel cleaning and glass washing come to mind.

Another one is I used to dip all my mandrels with lots of release (as in covering the first 4 or 5 inches of the mandrel) and then work my bead 3 inches down.

Finally one day it dawned on me that I only needed to dip maybe 3 inches and make the bead near the end of the mandrel -- I wouldn't have to work so hard to get the bead off!

(Obviously I still "dip long" if I plan to make a long bead, but otherwise...it's a waste of release.)

Other things: working too hot (constantly distoring my beads, both round and pressed) and rotating the mandrel like a tornado. Slower and cooler is better!

[Moth]

Deb, I am not sure that the flinch/scream thing is something you ever completely get over. LOL

I don't scream, but a very colorful word pops out of my mouth, that's for sure!

Now I'm trying to think of things I did as a newbie that I STILL do. LOL

That would be the first on the list.

Second- ummm...

My husband would probably comment on my clean work area. I can have dishes in the sink but my workbench is spotless and organized. He said that would never last. He thought (and I secretly agreed) that once the newness wore off of the whole glass thing that my work area would be trashed. Nope. Still clean.

OH, and I still clean my beads the same and I've never soaked them before removing them from the mandrels. I just grab the mandrel with vise grips and twist the bead off under running water. Clean the holes with a diamond bit in my dremel and set them on a towel to dry and await their photo shoot. Nothing has changed there. I've even been using the same drill bit for 5 years. LOL The chuck of my dremel is rusted or froze up somehow probably from being wet and I can't get the bit out. Needless to say- it is getting very short. Probably when it is too short to use, or if it breaks I'll buy a new dremel.

~~Mary

[Moth]

OH, I don't say a prayer every time I light the torch anymore. That first week or so I was convinced I was gonna kill us all.

[lunamoonshadow]

Mary--WD40 & a Wrench will likely break your dremel chuck free ;) (I've done that service for a few folks who've brought them into the hardware store....with the "if I break it I'm NOT responsible" disclaimer!) You might only have to replace the chuck~about $12

I'm not afraid to light the torch anymore :D (I'll even light them for other people!!)

I don't try to spin the bead in the same direction all the time anymore (seriously, is that even possible?) at the speed of light :lol:....No wonder I was spinning the darn things right out of my fingers & across the table!

[Otter's Flame]

The number one thing I did as a nubee but don't do anymore..... I used to buy into this fantasy that I would improve and be able to do the things I want and make nice glass art.

I no longer suffer that delusion... I just accepted the fact I am a glass hack... it is easier that way ;)

Otter

[theglasszone]

:lol: Luna!

This is fun! Still hold my breath tho...

De

[JCHerrellGlass]

Awesome thread! Most of mine are related to cost and safety.

Safety:
-I no longer leave my torch running when I leave the room
-I used enamels without concern to dust... I now use a water pan to capture waste instead of my bench and I'm very particular about my ventilation placement (back across the bench not up and in front of me)
-i pay attention to the quality of my ventilation now
-i once used my vacuum for clean up... bad idea with glass dust/enamels
-i once had a pile of lighters on the corner of the bench

Mental safety:
-I now keep the COEs far, far away from each other
-I'm better at knowing when I should just walk away from the torch
-I've refined my music and movie preferences, fine tuned my bench side entertainment system. i know this is important now
-I use charts. Lotsa lotsa charts. I track how much I work each day, what I have in stock, what I need to make in which colors. I like to watch my charts...


money:
-i save my shorts... even my stringer shorts
-I recover as much waste enamel as possible sifting over large color-specific jars (over my water tray to keep the rest of the waste from becoming airborne)
-I order more wisely, keeping a running list of needed supply in order of priority.
-I think about tools for a while before buying them... I only get awesome, necessary tools now... and those are getting more and more expensive.
-I've learned that glass fun and glass business need to have to different "budgets"

Things I still do:
-get mad
-break beads
-bend mandrels
-get beads stuck on the mandrel
-want to use the vacuum
-use release I shouldn't because it's too icky
-dance a lot at the torch
-dunk too many beads
-crack beads
-shock rods
-get glass so hot it drops off the mandrel... then I have to remind myself not to pick it up and put the chuncky smoking pile of glass back onto the mandrel. That's my humbling never gonna stop feeling like a newbie moment.

[lunamoonshadow]

The number one thing I did as a nubee but don't do anymore..... I used to buy into this fantasy that I would improve and be able to do the things I want and make nice glass art.

I no longer suffer that delusion... I just accepted the fact I am a glass hack... it is easier that way ;)

Otter

ME TOO!!!
(but I still get excited when something "new" kinda "clicks" for me ;))

[NMLinda]

Let's see...wasn't much safety info openly available when I started, so I'm now working way safer in terms of ventilation and eyewear than when I started.

Took me a while to remember to keep my mandrel level as I worked and to remember to keep spinning my bead until I was done and not get distracted. Had lots of 'table decorations' when I was first starting.

I also used to try to work too fast. I took a beginner's class from Bernadette Fuentes - learned a lot from her. To this day, I hear her voice saying "Slow is fast, fast is slow". Really improved my work.

Fun thread!
Linda

[beadsoncypress]

hand clean the bead release out of each bead and wash 10 time.....now, dremel wash dry....

[GwenMorris]

* Share lots! Share tips, techniques, tools and encouragement! This art is too precious to covet and risk extinction! Very few of my "secrets" are really worth keeping - and far better given than kept.

De

That is awesome!

I do still hold my breath all the time and still think I am going to blow up the house but I have learned that adding more glass to "save" an ugly bead won't help. Chuck it in the water and start again.

[Karen Hardy]

Besides the obvious (I no longer catch on fire as much)

I don't worry about people copying me anymore.
More power to them. I should be 10 steps ahead of anyone
copying anything I do. If I love a design SO much that I am
full of anxiety about anyone copying it, then I should bury
it in concrete and never expose it to anyone's eyes :lol:.

Also, Like Otter said, I'm kind of a hack too. Yeah, I've done a
lot of high and mighty things, but for the most part, I just love
what I do and don't stress about all the little things. Melting glass
is fun!

[crystalflipz]

Things I don't do anymore:
1.Water anneal my bead when something goes wrong. I'm comfortable enough with the glass now that I can just let myself play a bit with shapes and colors - sometimes what comes out of the kiln is ick but sometimes its pretty cool.
2. Dremel clean my beads. Since I discovered KRAG all I have to do literally is run the mandrel up and down on the inside of the bead a couple of times and even the transparents look great.
3. Rough up new mandrels - KRAG sticks to the mandrels from the get go, and one round through the torch/kiln and they are ready for any other release
4. Stand up to torch, my back and legs are just too old for that
5. Worry about only turning the mandrel away from me. Now I turn it whichever way works best for what I'm doing.

What I have learned is to relax and have fun with my glass, and to not be afraid to experiment.

[crystalflipz]

I just told DH the title of this thread. His response to what I did as a newbie but don't do any more

"Use cheap glass":lol::lol:

[Karen Hardy]

I just told DH the title of this thread. His response to what I did as a newbie but don't do any more

"Use cheap glass":lol::lol:

Yeah, that's probably what mine would say too.
Boro goes for 40-65$ a lb, and silver glass is more expensive
than caviar. I miss the days of 10$ a lb (and less) glass.
I've developed some expensive tastes in glass now (damn all you LE
people and your beautiful beads!).

[GwenMorris]

2. Dremel clean my beads. Since I discovered KRAG all I have to do literally is run the mandrel up and down on the inside of the bead a couple of times and even the transparents look great.
3. Rough up new mandrels - KRAG sticks to the mandrels from the get go, and one round through the torch/kiln and they are ready for any other release


What the heck is KRAG? I hate cleaning my beads and am Dremel cleaning them still.

[SuzyQ]

I no longer:

Stand. I learned standing because the torch wasn't set up at a good height for a chair. When I got home I thought it was a good idea in case I had to run. :) My legs are so much happier now.

Keep every teeny tiny stringer no matter what. What is a stringer, a gram of glass? maybe? When I'm done using a set of stringer I have no idea when I will use again, I throw it out. *gasp*

Making a rods worth of spacers at the beginning of each session. After 5 years of bead making I'm proud to say I can make a round bead at command :D

[crystalflipz]

Gwen,
KRAG is a bead release made by Kittrell Riffkind - an art glass studio in Texas. You have to call them directly to order it, but I've always had excellent customer service from them. The one drawback to KRAG that I have found is that the release will start to crack after about 24hours on the mandrel, so it's not a good release if you like to dip a weeks worth of mandrels at a time. I don't have any problems with it sticking on the mandrel if it is freshly dipped - I've used it for small boro pieces with no problem.
Here is the link
http://www.kittrellriffkind.com/

[MaryBeth]

I just got done with a marathon mandrel-cleaning-dipping session and every single time I do that I quietly thank Mary Beth Callahan- novembersfyre beads- for freeing me of the way I used to do it when I was a newbie.

How I did it then:

Draw a sink full of hot soapy water. Add mandrels. Scrub each mandrel individually with steel wool, rinse and set to dry on a towel. Repeat 500 times.

When all the mandrels are dry- roll each one across the table to make sure it is perfectly straight, then dip it carefully into the release and stand up to dry in my sand bucket.

How I do it now:
Grab all the mandrels in one hand, run them under hot water. Squirt the bundle with dishsoap and rub them all together vigourously. Rinse. Set them on a towel.

Take a handful of mandrels and stick them down into the bead release jar. Pull them out one at a time and stick them in the sand bucket. Any crooked ones get rejected at the torch.

Time saved over the past 5 years- approximately 6 months. LOL

Another thing I did as a newbie that I don't do anymore is carefully inspect, fondle and wash every single glass rod that comes in an order.

Now I just take a rod from the rubber banded bundle, stick the end of it in my quench bowl and use a towel from under my bench to wipe the rod.

Large diameter clear still gets washed...but that's it.

I am SO glad that I lightened up and quit spending so much time on stuff that didn't make a bit of difference.

So- how 'bout you?

~~Mary

Thanks, Mary! I'm glad that I've helped you with something. You've been so helpful over the years. I love all of your tutorials - both the purchased ones and the free ones!:kiss:

[Moth]

OH, Mary Beth, I'm so glad you checked in on this thread. I remember at the time it was over at WC in some sort of tips thread I was reading. People were talking about mandrels and you piped up and said something like, 'Really? I wash all my mandrels at once with a little soap and just rub them all together and redip them'.

It wasn't just the suggestion it was the whole attitude of your response that turned that thing around for me. I was sitting there thinking, 'What?' 'We don't have to scrub these damn things with steel wool every time we dip them?' 'Why am I making this so hard?' I knew right then and there things were gonna be different. LOL And they have been.

And I wasn't kidding about thanking you. Every time I scrub mandrels and redip them I look at all the shiny mandrels sitting in the sand bucket drying and say, 'Thank you, Mary Beth'. Over 5 years time- that was a lot of thank yous!

~~Mary

[crystalflipz]

Thanks for the suggestion to dunk all the mandrels in at once and then pull them out. 4 years later I was still dipping them one at a time until tonight - awesome!

[gallerygal]

As a newbie, I was taught to wave the rod in and out of the flame to warm it up. Then someone (I think it was one of the Italian masters on the ISGB board) said just stick the rod in the flame, pointing away from yourself & stop waving it around. Excellent advice, it's what I've been doing ever since. Saves time & seems to alleviate shocking (a little...).

As a newbie, I was also taught to turn the rod one way - phhht, that didn't even last the second lesson!

I'd been taught on Bullseye and was too scared to try Moretti as I'd been told how soupy it was. Took two years to venture into the world of Moretti. Still have my original stash of Bullseye :lol:

I used to only buy a couple of rods of each colour at a time. Now I only buy a couple of pounds of each colour at a time :grin:

As a newbie I was always rushing to get the bead made, I didn't enjoy the whole process. Now Zen beadmaking is my mantra!

There were only ever enough mandrels dipped for one or two sessions, now I dip hundreds so they last me for some time.

My mandrels are still dipped one by one. Well, only until tomorrow - thanks for that suggestion Mary!! I'll be plonking groups of mandrels in the bead release from now on. Never washed/scrubbed my mandrels, never will.

Great idea for a thread! It's been fun thinking about how my whole beadmaking process has evolved!

Marianne.

[dogsrlove]

PANIC!

[FairyVerre]

Ohhhh I tried ALL the bead releases but they smell and have toxic ingredients we breath in - So now I use ONLY Bucket O MUD it is organic it is even edible ! So sorry glass burning smells and silver fumes are bad enuf I am NOT adding to it. Also getting an ultrasonic jewelry machine was genius !

[truegem]

Speaking of mandrels, from the first page....if you just take the beads off, then grab all the mandrels and roll them all together under running water it gets them pretty nice and clean! I do use the scrubbie sometimes because I have a tendency to let them soak in water too long and they get kinda gunky. But of course I scrub about 20 at a time.

I gotta get me some KRAG...I don't like it when the ONLY thing someone notices about my bead is that line down the middle. Ha ha! That's the first thing they ask when it's a transparent bead. It can be my best bead ever and they still ask about it.

I can't think of anything that I used to do that I don't do anymore...hmmm....maybe that's my problem! =D

[Gayetha]

Well I used to spend a lot of money on propane for the hothead. Now I spend a lot of money on oxygen for the minor. One day I'll get an oxycon.

I used to be able to get lovely creamy white ivory beads. Now they all turn much darker. The reds all go darker too. I think I just cook the crap out of everything now.

But I can do dimple ends, and control what shape I'm trying to make.

[CreativeSpirit]

I don't BURN myself anymore!!! LOL and like Mary I BREATH! it really make a difference! LOL

Peace Wendy

[CreativeSpirit]

Oh ya forgot this one! I use to clean "each" mandrel "THOUSANDS"!!!!! one by one with peroxide!!!! Holy crap I had ALOT of time on my hands way back then! hehe.

Peace Wendy

[Cathy at the Beach]

I love the hint of putting a whole whack of mandrels in the release at once! Thank you for that!
I'm still a relative newbie- under two years...I just got a minor torch and am scared to death of it. Each time I light it I think its going to blow up. *sigh*-- I felt that way about the hot head for about 5 months too...not scared of it anymore so I guess there is hope.

Thanks for this thread its great!

[glassactcc]

I never clean my mandrels. After the bead is taken off, one swipe of a rag and back into the release it goes.

I think the most important thing I do now that I didn't do as a newbie, is work SLOWER and don't wave and spin my bead in the flame like a mad dog. Slow movements, work cooler, and take your time. I think there is something about the fire that makes people feel the need to hurry up.

[NLC Beads]

I stick tools in the flame less... :lol: A nice visit over with the Boogers, Jim comes running in the studio with a "What's that smell? My graphite marver...." :hide: Somehow I missed that part of my first class that tools should be used out of the flame.

I'm way better with insurance heat... Lost quite a few fish while learning... And spot heating instead of soupy-heating the whole bead, too, it helps for my sculptural details.

And finally switching to a Minor, and Brian redoing my ventilation so it's quieter... I can listen to music on speakers instead of headphones, it's glorious. :D

Oh... and when I was a newbie, I was torching on my kitchen table. Now, since we moved a few years back and Brian made it a main priority, I have a studio. Love. It.

[bousky]

I now give my body a rest. As a newbie I would work at the torch non-stop, no breaks. Now, every hour/hour and a half, I get up, stretch, check on pets and family, then back to the torch. My body is in less pain when I finally turn the torch off.

I have never used soap or substance on a mandrel before dipping. But I now use sandpaper on each mandrel before dipping in fusion. Sandpaper + Fusion = rare, rare, rare release breakage.

[shawnette]

I used to:

Make 1 bead per mandrel. (Al that wasted space!!)
Buy every fancy new glass that came out. (Pffft! I'm so over that!)
Buy every fancy new tool that came out. (Pffft! I'm so over that!)
Buy every fancy new torch that... Wait. I still do that...

[Shawn T]

What a cool thread!
I can so relate to so many of the things "I used to do" that others have posted.

Breath and relax when torching, as there isn't any race happening that you will win if you finish first.

I no longer buy glass a rod at a time, and no longer buy every new color produced. When I first started there was only Moretti in 104, but it took years for me to not buy every new color when they were added.
I no longer use full rods to make dots and designs and I no longer buy premade stringers expect clear and intense black.

I no longer make tiny beads, all my first beads were so small.

I am not afraid to venture out of my comfort zone and try completely off the wall things in glass. Sometimes they actually work, but most the time it gives me a new idea or direction.

I no longer try and insert strange things in glass....well wait a second I still do that sometimes but I have a much better idea of what will work and what will turn into a nice crispy piece of toast.

I know when to call it a night and try again tomorrow. I also know when I don't feel like torching is sometimes the best time to try out new things, I just don't expect anything to make it to the kiln.

I no longer use rubber bands.
My work space has increase 100 fold and so has the mess on my table.



I still dip my mandrels one at a time, but I like long dipped mandrels so I can make more than one bead on a mandrel.
I still save stringers but have no idea why as I pull new ones each time I torch.
I still collect COE's, yet have not touched anything but boro in over a year.
I still have shorts all over the place, yet I try and find good homes for them.
I still hold my breath from time to time, like when putting pupils on the eyes of critters.
I still like to share.

[kmd]

One thing I learned to do early, not long after I started, was to keep a lid on my bin of Vermiculite, after one of my brown Burmese babies, Oscar, secretly dropped a depth charge in it for me, thinking it was his new studio ensuite bathroom.
Finding THAT with a hot bead, Oooh errr! YUK!

KMD

[swamper]

When making focals, I used to put my initial glass on the mandrel by making a bundh of donut beads side by sice and touching (my strawberry tutorial does it this way) - no I just wrap on as the glass melts in the flame.

[GoldSmithy]

As a complete noob, I want to thank each and every one of you for the tips and knowledge you have shared here. This is one of the best "learning" threads I have found. Much of the information presented will save me a lot of time and frustration. Thanks again and keep up the good postings...

...Smithy

[Moth]

I thought of another one this morning because I caught myself trying to do it!

When I first started I always let my glasses slide to the tip of my nose so I could peek over them. I spent more time working glass without eye protection than with it...even though I was wearing the glasses!

I knew I was not being kind to my eyes and opening myself up to all kinds of injuries but I just couldn't stop. Eventually I had to buy an eyeglass cord that tightens at the back of my head so I couldn't peek over the glasses anymore. It about killed me and I still 'try' to peek. I have no will power.

But by golly I can't peek. I can't take credit and say I 'quit' peeking because truth be told I'd still peek if it weren't for the cord. LOL

~~Mary

[shawnette]

I didn't peek in the beginning, but now I do. In fact, I have small glasses that facilitate my peeking and I get irritated when I wear big glasses and can't peek!

[Moth]

I'm seriously irritated about not-peeking too. LOL And the occasional peek isn't a big deal, but I was spending way too much time with nothing between my eyes and the glowing glass.

You know how when someone shines a light in your eyes in a dark room you see little red flashes in your field of vision for a few seconds? Well I was starting to see a glowing round area in my field of vision all the time. I think I had imprinted the glow of a spinning bead into my retina. LOL

It went away when I strapped my glasses to my head.

~~Mary

[NMLinda]

One thing I learned to do early, not long after I started, was to keep a lid on my bin of Vermiculite, after one of my brown Burmese babies, Oscar, secretly dropped a depth charge in it for me, thinking it was his new studio ensuite bathroom.
Finding THAT with a hot bead, Oooh errr! YUK!

KMD

That is TOO funny!! :lol::lol::lol:

I had to learn to keep my studio floor scrupulously free of random bits of glass - my dogs loved to come hang out with me. And not try marbles or play with shocky glass when they were out there.

Took me a long time to figure out how to lay the glass down more evenly so that I didn't have to spend so much time trying to round things out and get my bead centered. Also took me a while to figure out how to keep the center of my bead cool and just heat the surface so that the glass would flow over the solid core and give me nicely dimpled beads instead of sharp pokey-ended beads. Then Jim Smirich released a truly wonderful video, the first in what's now a series, in which he shows how to use heat control, only, to make beautifully dimpled ends, among many other great techniques. My skills took a huge step up after watching it (over and over and over!)

Linda

[Juls]

Vista on crack.... (duplicate post)

[Juls]

I no longer try to shape the ends of bicones/long beads/ovals/etc by pushing the ends of the glass 'up' toward the center. A nice even pressure and consistent roll from the center down to each side creates a clean even edge.

Hand held shaping tools are the best work buddies.

Now when I become frustrated with a glass I don't understand, I shelve it until it is the first one that speaks when I enter the studio.

Mushing molten dots one to another on a warm bead was my encasing eureka moment~ no bubbles or design distortion like with wrap encasing.

I no longer do custom orders or multiple sets to 'pay the bills'. While it is exciting and affirming to know you can sell a certain set/style, it buries creativity. (Not. Worth. It.)

I am open to the possibilities of a bead gone wrong.

The only things I listen to while torching are my thoughts.

[Mary K]

I would say the main thing I don't do anymore is soft glass. I started with soft glass, then got hooked on boro. Everytime I have gotten out my soft glass for a torch session in the last year or so, all I do is cuss. I sure do not miss all that shocking and popping. Boro rules, and it sells better for me than soft glass. I love just putting that rod into the flame without fear. Also, I mainly make pendants off mandrel, so when they are done, they're done, no nasty bead poop to clean up, and no mandrels to wash. Yeah!

[cgbeads]

Did anyone else use to work with just a dim light on 'behind' you? It helped me see the flame better so I could understand the different parts of it by sight, till I knew it by feel.

[lunamoonshadow]

Did anyone else use to work with just a dim light on 'behind' you? It helped me see the flame better so I could understand the different parts of it by sight, till I knew it by feel.

um....does still doing that 50% of the time (in other words, if I'm torching @ home :roll:) make me "still a newbie"? :lol:

[PerfectDeb]

I'm seriously irritated about not-peeking too. LOL And the occasional peek isn't a big deal, but I was spending way too much time with nothing between my eyes and the glowing glass.

You know how when someone shines a light in your eyes in a dark room you see little red flashes in your field of vision for a few seconds? Well I was starting to see a glowing round area in my field of vision all the time. I think I had imprinted the glow of a spinning bead into my retina. LOL

It went away when I strapped my glasses to my head.

~~Mary

i dont know if its just me but i find my eyes adjust to the lens colour after a while and i dont need to peek - my problem is that i need to wear glasses so i have to wear my diddys over the top and the whole contraption is HEAVY so it tends to slide down my nose

i think i need to invest in a shield...

[bousky]

my problem is that i need to wear glasses so i have to wear my diddys over the top and the whole contraption is HEAVY so it tends to slide down my nose

I have the same problem. But I also use a magnifier that sits on my head and flips down. This holds the glasses in place.

[thatsmithlady]

I am open to the possibilities of a bead gone wrong.
The only things I listen to while torching are my thoughts.

This is my biggest change since starting at the torch. I now realize that sometimes the glass can "win" and that it is alright to walk away if nothing is going right, for whatever reason. One the good days, I feel like I've been cleansed or somehow transformed...what a great meditation. One the bad days, I now am OK with turning the torch off and walking away. I now choose my battles more carefully.

[Fine Folly Glassworks]

I twirl my cooled bead mandrel in a long needlenose pliers removing the Release, then I remove the bead.

When I'm ready to dip I roll the mandrel to see if it's a keeper, then put it in a tall container of water and as I pull each mandrel out I roll/wipe it to clean off release residue and dip.

Quick.