how do you avoid accidental fuming?

[Lasair]

Hello folks, I've been playing around with some reduction frits. I've pulled stringers from them and would like to get shiny dots and lines, but I keep having trouble with the metal fuming onto the base bead. Is there a technique that would help to avoid this? I can manage to get it to work on the edge of the bead, keeping it tilted so that the reduction flame only licks the edge portion containing the application of reduction frit/stringer. Can't for the life of me get it to work in the center of a bead and still have the base stay untouched by the fuming.
Thanks in advance!

[Bunyip]

How reducing is the flame you're using? If you have long yellow candles it may be too reducing. Try just removing a smidge of oxygen from your normal working flame and then flash the bead in the flame a few times. See if that does it. Most soft glass doesn't need to be reduced very much to get great effects. I was over-reducing everything when I first tried these techniques. Experiment a bit - you should find the sweet spot.

[Carolyn M]

Try turning your propane up just a little when reducing and roll the cool bead in the top of the flame, remove, cool slightly then roll again.

[glassactcc]

Also, of you encase your base bead in Pale Aqua, the surface decor won't fume.

[Bunyip]

Great tip Cynthia! Forgot about that one - too much boro on my brain...

[Lasair]

OK! Thanks so much! I'll work on that tonight. Yeah, I'm quite sure I've had waaaay too much propane going on. Thanks for the advice.