Half and half beads?

[playswithfire104]

You know those beads that are one color on half of the bead and another color on the other half? Often one color is opaque and the other is transparent. I'm pretty sure you make them by making one color bead then make a 2nd bead in the other color next to it and melt and shape.

My problem is I can not consistantly get a nice straight edge around the whole bead. Often one side has more of one color and the other side has more of the other color. Or when I press or mash the bead the line goes diagonally not straight or just plane wonky or squiggly.

What am I doing wrong? Do you make the base beads right next to each other or sepatate them a bit, how much?

[yellowbird]

this technique is described in Cindy Jenkins book .......beads of glass
Larry Scott starts with a wide cylinder of white and adds disk of different colors on each end
then heats in the center to form a perfect round bead . He suggests starting small.

[Foofaraw]

I was going to give the wide cylinder of while and adding disks of different colors on each end answer as well.

[Moth]

I haven't made these in a while, but I used to make a large opaque spacer on the mandrel and leave it rather disk shaped. Nice and tall. Then, about 4mm away from that, I would build the transparent large spacer- leaving it disk shaped as well. Try to make sure they are as straight and balanced as you possibly can. They also need to be very very close to the same size.

Then, aim your heat in the center of the two spacers. Glass goes to heat. As the two disks soften and start to condense, they will move toward the center. You have to spin very evenly and keep the heat uniform through both disks, all the way around.

Eventually, the two disks will touch and that will be your center line.

Once you have established that line, you can shape your bead. If you have to add more glass, add the same amount evenly to both sides or you'll distort the line as you melt in the new glass.

Whenever I tried to do it on the white base I always had the white bleed up between the two colors. It is a nice look too, just not what I wanted because I wanted the transparent half to be transparent all the way through and on a white base you don't get that effect.

If you mess up and don't get it exactly perfect, you can always use a black stringer to wrap a line around the center of the bead and then twist the stringer to make wavey patterns or spirals. It's not the crisp 1/2 and 1/2 bead you wanted, but it will salvage a mistake and the end buyer won't know you didn't intend it that way.

LOL Good luck and have fun.
~~Mary

[playswithfire104]

Thanks all. I have Cindy's book I think I'll have to pull it out and check it. I havew so many glass books I forget what is in which ones.