The Blue Bead [Archive] - Lampwork Etc.

sarakay

2005-06-06, 2:31pm

Here's the recipe for the blue bead.

You need:
Clear
Transparent cobalt
silver foil

1. Make a base of transparent cobalt.
2. Add threaded clear stringer and melt in.
3. Wrap in silver foil and burnish.
4. Apply more threaded clear stringer.
5. Melt in slowly, watching for the robin's egg blue reaction.
6. Case with clear, keeping the base bead out of the flame.

You must be sitting right in your chair, the stars in the right alignment, and holding your mouth right. In other words, this is a really hard chemical reaction to reproduce. :?

Threaded Stringer

Heat a small gather of glass.
Out of flame, touch the gather to your bead and spin your bead to pull out thin strands of glass.

64966 64968 64969

coyotesfamily

2005-06-06, 3:08pm

thank you soooooo much for posting this yet again!!!

IF-Designs

2005-06-06, 3:12pm

I have to ask how in the HELL do you get such a nice even THIN casement of clear? Im VERY envious of that

Gail Joseph

2005-06-06, 3:58pm

sigh.......this is so beautiful!

sarakay

2005-06-06, 5:33pm

I have to ask how in the HELL do you get such a nice even THIN casement of clear? Im VERY envious of that

It's not that thin, it just looks like it on TV. :D Here's the bead photographed in water...see? I fixed an uneven bead with the casing.

BiaggiaBeads

2005-06-06, 6:37pm

Sara, what a gorgeous bead! Thanks for sharing the recipe too!! Very nice of you..... :D Can't wait to get to the torch tomorrow!

Nicker

2005-06-06, 6:38pm

Sara I think it's really sweet of you to share this bead with us. SOMEDAY one of mine will come out looking like this :oops:

Sue H-K

2005-06-07, 10:11am

How yummy! I can't wait for some torch time now!

Thanks for sharing!
Sue

Amozoo

2005-06-07, 11:14am

Really wonderful share that is beautiful! Can't wait to try it. :D

Sylvie Anne

2005-06-09, 3:45am

Sara, that's a beautiful bead - I can't believe the ingredients are so simple. That blue just really pops.

PattyK

2005-06-10, 5:56am

What a magnificent bead Sara! When you say "threaded stringer" do you mean stringer that is very very thin?

Anne Ricketts

2005-06-13, 5:50am

Sara I really love that bead and blue is one of my fav colors!! I gave it a whack and here is what I came up with yesterday! Yours still looks much better!!

Roseanne

2005-06-13, 7:44am

Sarakay!! That is GORGEOUS!!! I'll have to give it a try too... I'm quite sure tho, mine will NOT look like yours or Anne's! :doubt: It would be fun to see everyone try it & post their results! 8-)

Curly Irish Girl

2005-06-13, 8:06am

Anne Ricketts

2005-06-13, 8:22am

A question about threaded clear.....what is it? Clear stringer pulled extremely thin? Clear that is silvered similar to the silvered ivory process??? Inquiring minds want to know....thanks for a GREAT tutorial and a FABULOUS blue bead!
What I did with mine was heat up the clear rod, touch it to the bead and then turn the bead. It gets pretty thin lines that way.

Kalera

2005-06-13, 10:14am

Wow Sara... that bead is GORGEOUS! I want to go try it now. :) Thanks for sharing the technique!

Kalera

2005-06-13, 10:15am

A question about threaded clear.....what is it? Clear stringer pulled extremely thin? Clear that is silvered similar to the silvered ivory process??? Inquiring minds want to know....thanks for a GREAT tutorial and a FABULOUS blue bead!

I really like the idea of silvered clear... I bet some wonderful effects can be acheived using it, if not on this bead than in other applications. Thanks for the great idea!

cherishbear

2005-06-13, 12:37pm

I love using silvered clear!! :D

sarakay

2005-06-13, 4:07pm

A question about threaded clear.....what is it? Clear stringer pulled extremely thin? Clear that is silvered similar to the silvered ivory process??? Inquiring minds want to know....thanks for a GREAT tutorial and a FABULOUS blue bead!

Threaded stringer is when you heat a small gather of glass and barely touch it down on your bead. Then you turn your bead quickly to draw out a tiny thread of clear. It takes some practice, but you can get really thin, delicate lines with this technique.

sarakay

2005-06-13, 4:09pm

Anne, I love your bead! And thanks everybody for saying nice things about my bead. I looked it up in the ISGB archives. I made that bead in May of 2000 and haven't really been able to make one as nice since then.

TroyNC

2005-06-13, 5:24pm

Simply put....I'm =P~

beadbroad

2005-06-14, 3:00am

Beautiful bead -- I tried, and haven't seen final results yet but it doesn't look like I got much. That was before the explanation of what a threaded stringer was, so I'll try again next week. One question -- do you use a lot of the stringer, so it covers most of the cobalt and then the silver, or do you keep it sparse?

Thanks for posting this --

sarakay

2005-06-14, 10:31am

The link doesn't work anymore.

beadbroad

2005-06-14, 1:35pm

GREAT! That really helps. I did it all wrong.

busy_beads

2005-06-15, 9:25am

That is beautiful!!! I am goign to give it a try the next time I torch !!!

firegrl

2005-08-04, 9:22pm

I love :love: this bead !!!! I have tried it twice and going to try again. I got two very cool mottled amber bead. Going to try again.

Cathy

swamper

2005-08-05, 6:52am

I saw this bead at the Gathering - itis awesome. I am going to have to try this technique again. hugs.

firegrl

2005-08-05, 7:18am

YIPPY ~ tried it again and got some blue (with amber mixed in for good measure. Just got to try again. I am making cylinders and thought that maybe I had too much class but the one that "worked" is a cylinder as well.

Cathy

Jamn!

2005-08-06, 3:50pm

That is an awsome bead! Thanks for posting this tutorial! :)

Tami

2005-08-17, 8:45am

Hello Sarakay,
what a great tutorial and of course what a beautiful bead!
I tried it with transparent red and got som blue reactions but forgot to encase it :?
Silvia

Tami

2005-08-17, 11:37am

Kimberly, I have to try this colors. Thank´s for sharing!

Curly Irish Girl

2005-08-17, 11:51am

So many options - sometimes I just become decision paralyzed!! Guess that's similar to another state I visit frequently - analysis paralysis

Curly Irish Girl

2005-08-18, 6:52am

Oh, POOP!!! I tried it.....and didn't get the effect - back to the drawing board - obviously user error = I HATE that!!

Teague

2005-08-25, 8:55pm

Oh wow! I just did this and I feel like I've discovered the coolest thing ever! So pretty! I didn't get a lot of the turquoise color, but it's still very pretty. This was my first time using foil though, and I'm wondering how people handle it?

Teague

NorLigh

2005-09-01, 8:12am

I just have to say--I tried the "blue bead" last night. I did not get a full blue bead like the picture, but WOW-- what I did get was a really pretty mixture of aqua blues-- almost opal looking. I am so very excited to try this again!

Why does it do this? What does the stringing on of clear do to make such interesting color changes?

I read that striking yellow and striking red does something similar with silver. Are there any other colors? I hate to waste my silver because it is expensive!

Oops-- found my answer! "Some other colors this will work well with are the transparent ambers, transparent purples (dark is best) cobalt, black, intense black, ink blue."

Thanks for the info!

NLC Beads

2005-09-18, 8:16pm

Very cool, and I especially like the bead in water tip to show the encasing - fascinating!

alissa

2005-12-04, 6:13pm

does it matter if you use effetre or vetrofond clear?

Nanette

2005-12-05, 12:21pm

Gorgeous bead, and thanks for the helpful pictures! Just beautiful. =D

alissa

2005-12-05, 3:59pm

Okay, so I tried making one using vet clear. I got some of the reaction to happen with the silver turning blue but the stringered areas sort of disappeared. However, the blueish reaction looked green in some parts! Really cool. I figured it might do something like that since it turns silver yellow normally...

Thanks for the tut!

Tink

2005-12-09, 12:42am

Sara, this is a wonderful tutorial! Nice job!

LoriBird

2005-12-23, 8:44pm

great tutorial! I can't wait to try this! Beautiful beads!
thanks
lori

sarakay

2005-12-24, 6:34pm

However, the blueish reaction looked green in some parts! Really cool. I figured it might do something like that since it turns silver yellow normally...

Thanks for the tut!

Well, I have to admit that my recent blue beads are green, but that's cool, too. ;-) I'm using a different clear (vetrofond) now.

Lizabeads

2005-12-24, 10:04pm

Going to try now..

raindance

2007-02-05, 11:59pm

Here are some pictures how I made the blue bead...

http://www.petemacko.org/PICORAMA/Album.aspx?a=38

Awww! The link doesn't work any more!

woops62

2007-02-18, 5:11pm

Hi Sarahkay, this site doesnt come up what am I doing wrong?
Wendy.
Here are some pictures how I made the blue bead...

http://www.petemacko.org/PICORAMA/Album.aspx?a=38

Mantis

2007-02-19, 11:18am

I was also wondering, but didn't want to ask. Thanks :biggrin:

A question about threaded clear.....what is it? Clear stringer pulled extremely thin? Clear that is silvered similar to the silvered ivory process??? Inquiring minds want to know....thanks for a GREAT tutorial and a FABULOUS blue bead!

madnesssr

2007-02-19, 11:55am

I gave it a try, but I don't think I made my stringer thin enough. Here are the two I made. One with striking red and one blue

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Doesn't look as nice as yours though.

lldesigns

2007-02-19, 1:51pm

Every time this thread pops to the top I feel compelled to try yet again to make a "Blue Bead." And yet again I have another failure... I'm either very stubborn or eternally hopeful. :-D

Midnight Skye

2007-02-23, 7:45am

I am working on a hothead using moretti transparent cobalt blue and clear. I have tried this bead several times, and get a beautiful sparkly, cosmic looking bead, but I do not get the color change that alot of people experience. Can this be achieved on a hothead or do I need to do this bead on a better torch (maybe someday, I'll get lucky and get one). Also, does the moretti glass work on this technique or do I need a different glass/coe? I see references to Vetrofond and still learning, I do not know how this differs from moretti. Your input would be appreciated.

NLC Beads

2007-03-01, 9:25pm

I have done this on a HH, not as strong, but in some spots... I used Moretti, I believe.
Sara told me it had everything to do with the phase of the moon, the way I was sitting, hot I was breathing... ;) One of those tricky techniques that works when it wants to - I only achieved it once.

sarakay

2007-03-31, 1:23pm

Sorry about the link. That was on my exbf's site and it doesn't exist anymore.

I made that bead a long time ago. I had been making beads with cobalt and silver, and started noticing a pretty blue reaction in places on the beads. I wanted to try to get that reaction all over a bead.

It was done with moretti clear. I've been using vetrofond clear, and I get a green bead now.

It's a reduction/fuming technique. Since a lot of silver-heavy glass is on the market now, I understand a little bit more about how it works. Double Helix has good information on their site about how to strike silver.

Make your base bead, roll in silver.

To apply threaded stringer, heat a small gather of glass and, out of the flame, touch the gather down on the bead. Spin your bead to pull out thin strings of glass.

Adjust your flame so that it is slightly reducing (if you're on a hot head, you've already got a reducing flame). Just brush the surface of the bead in your flame to melt in the stringer threads and the silver. Watch for the color change. I do this under the flame. At this point, you are reducing the silver on the bead and also fuming.

And sit right in your chair and hope the planets are aligned. ;-)

When you case the bead, only apply heat to the casing, not the core of the bead. If you overheat the base bead, you'll end up with grey.

And please use good ventilation when you work with silver on your beads.

debkauz

2007-03-31, 2:08pm

Dumb question here...not the first and not the last! LOL
After you burnish your foil on, you aren't burning it in, are you? Just leaving it on top of the bead, right?

sarakay

2007-04-02, 7:10pm

Adjust your flame so that it is slightly reducing (if you're on a hot head, you've already got a reducing flame). Just brush the surface of the bead in your flame to melt in the stringer threads and the silver. Watch for the color change. I do this under the flame. At this point, you are reducing the silver on the bead and also fuming.

And sit right in your chair and hope the planets are aligned.

NLC Beads

2007-04-02, 7:11pm

Cross your toes, too. ;)

debkauz

2007-04-02, 7:50pm

I can't WAIT to try this. I'll cross everything I can think of to cross if I can get a bead anywhere close to that gorgeous thing!

sarakay

2007-04-02, 9:50pm

This is not an easy reaction to get. And quit asking me what threaded stringer is. I think I've explained it several times now.

beadysam

2007-04-03, 3:23am

I was playing with this technique yesterday with both moretti and vetro clear. The vetro brings out sooooo many more colours for me, it is really, really special. I love the moretti effect too, but the vetro is my fave.

Thanks for this tut, its simple and fun!

sarakay

2007-04-03, 5:59pm

Sorry about being a grump about threaded stringer last night. I have some pictures of it somewhere. I'll try to dig them up this weekend. Threaded stringer can really be your friend. It's not hard to do, once you understand what it is.

I like vetrofond glass alot, too, beadysam.

debkauz

2007-04-06, 9:26pm

Hummm....I thought I knew what threaded stringer was but I'll be interested to see the pics.
I made a couple of these beads today and I didn't get a lot of the robin's egg blue but I got some of the coolest reactions. I can't wait to see the beads out of the kiln. I have to wait for Mari to send them to me unless I can get her to take a pic. Great tut!!! Thanks so much for sharing.

sarakay

2007-04-07, 12:02pm

I added pictures of threaded stringer to the first post in this thread. :-)

Deb, I'd love to see what you made!

debkauz

2007-04-07, 1:57pm

Sara, I"ll post them as soon as I get them. They are in a kiln out at Blue Fire Beads. I got some gorgeous colors--some amber, some cool funky blue color...who know what'll come out of the kiln! It may be a few weeks, but I'll get them up here.

And...phew...I did know what threaded stringer was! LOL It's fun to do. You never quite know what you'll end up with--or at least I don't!

sarakay

2007-04-07, 2:23pm

Neither do I! ;-)

debkauz

2007-04-13, 12:40pm

I can't get a decent picture of this bead to save my life! It's gorgeous though. Sarakay thanks so much for the tutorial! It doesn't look that color blue except in a few places but I've got some amazing colors. Looks like a little mini universe.

Gelly

2007-04-13, 2:09pm

I made The Blue Pig using this tut. I only got a tiny bit of the robin's egg blue this time, but like Deb said, it looks like the universe... cool!

http://gellybutton.com/images/Apr07/8/blue1.jpghttp://gellybutton.com/images/Apr07/8/blue2.jpg
http://gellybutton.com/images/Apr07/8/blue3.jpghttp://gellybutton.com/images/Apr07/8/blue4.jpg

Thanks Sara!

debkauz

2007-04-13, 2:38pm

She's so cute! You got completely different colors than I did. Oh heck. I have to go and try again. Well, they turned out better when I just did a crap shoot than when I tried! They aren't as lumpy as they look in the pics. There are two of them and Im not sure I'll get the pics in the right order.
I think this is both of them! The pinkish colors in them almost look like opals. I can't wait to try this again!
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65832

debkauz

2007-04-13, 3:14pm

Just resized my favorite.
65835

Gelly

2007-04-13, 11:27pm

Deb, they are GREAT! You got some fantastic colors, way to go! It does look like opal... or abalone.

I think I used too much or not enough threaded clear before I put the silver on. I know I played with this before, and I'm sure I'll do it again... I want a bead like Sara's, lol!

debkauz

2007-04-14, 7:34am

Thanks! I just love the different colors you can get from this. Your gorgeous aqua, the robin's egg blue and the dark swirley blue. I KNOW I'm going to do it again!

I love the little bead hog btw! I don't think you make any pigs I don't like!

sarakay

2007-04-14, 10:18am

Awsome beads, you two! :biggrin:

BlueBetween

2009-07-16, 9:26pm

Have been playing around with this tutorial this week... thought I'd share one - I got the color, but not enough of it, I guess I didn't put enough threaded clear on. And I didn't encase it either.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2542/3727956773_5890425f3e.jpg

framerak

2009-07-16, 11:19pm

Pam, that's yummy! Very milky-way looking!

tasminann

2009-07-17, 5:24am

Ooooo, Pam, I like!!!

Athalour

2009-07-17, 8:01am

Too, too beautiful. Thank you so much for sharing this tutorial. :D

Mermaid Glass

2009-07-20, 4:14am

Pretty!

PaulaD

2009-07-20, 8:08am

I always thought that was a real pretty reaction!
Paula

bousky

2009-08-08, 11:05am

What a wonderful bead! ..........I need to clean today......not go light my torch!

Thanks for the recipe!

Listenup

2010-06-03, 8:49pm

143020

WhiskerWood

2010-06-03, 9:44pm

I am glad this is here, I will miss you Sarakay :cry:

Beadanna

2010-06-04, 5:16am

I found this thread before I found this one - http://www.lampworketc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=164845.

So sad - what a lovely woman.

Mitosis Glass

2010-06-04, 6:14am

I'm so sorry to hear of the passing of this lovely young lady. Her work is beautiful and although I'd never met her, the folks who did spoke so highly of her. :love:

Beyond the Bead

2010-06-04, 10:28am

may there be plenty of Propane in Heaven!

You will be missed dear lady! Until we all meet...

beadstillmyheart

2010-06-04, 2:19pm

Thank you for sharing with us Sara. I will always think of you when I hold this bead I made using your tutorial. Ummm, it wasn't EXACTLY the bead I set out to make, but I still love it.

And thank you for the time and effort you put into working on The Flame with Corina and Kim and myself. The magazine that almost was :lol: We were SOOOOOO close, weren't we? What a wild time we had with THAT !!!

You will be missed.

Lyric0561

2010-06-04, 5:44pm

Oh, Sarakay, you will be missed so much! Thank you for your generosity and kindness in helping me when I first started, and beyond. Rest in Peace, Sweet Lady!

PerfectDeb

2010-06-04, 6:31pm

i remember buying cobalt blue just to try this

you'll be missed Sara

bazile

2010-06-05, 4:45am

Thank you Sara, you made a big difference to me and taught me much.

42120

NLC Beads

2010-06-06, 12:18pm

My one effort at this, years ago...

giapet

2010-06-21, 5:49pm

Used Sara Hoyt's tut for these. The blue is a pretty dark one, just grabbed what was on the bench.

208315

208314
diff view

RIP Sara. You are missed.

NLC Beads

2010-06-21, 6:43pm

So pretty...

I've been thinking I need to try this on the Minor and see what happens, my last attempt was years ago on my HH... And Sara won him on eBay and kept him with her... :love:

giapet

2010-06-21, 7:07pm

So pretty...

I've been thinking I need to try this on the Minor and see what happens, my last attempt was years ago on my HH... And Sara won him on eBay and kept him with her... :love:

I did these on a minor with 2 oxy cons, lots of heat. I work hot, the color comes out pretty quickly.

Karen

Kalera

2010-06-23, 5:11pm

I missed the other thread... I didn't know she was gone until seeing this just now. I'm so sad... she was so gifted, and giving, and had such a warm and grounded presence. I will miss her.

NorLigh

2010-07-09, 8:36am

*sniff* I didn't know Sara at all so why am I tearing up here? I was just a beginner lampworker when I tried The Blue Bead. That was back in 2005. I must have read this tut around the fall of '05. I will never ever forget my total excitement when I took these beads *unannealed at the time* from my fiber blanket. I got excellent effects from the mixture of the cobalt and silver. So from there I added different colored reaction glass frits, tried other transparent glass (red makes for some cool looks,) used tiny dots of rubino... all based on Sara's tut of The Blue Bead. I "perfected" my encasing from making so many variations of The Blue Bead. I can truly say that The Blue Bead was my jumping off point that let me know I would be a talented lampworker (if not small time :)

I am very sad to read that this kind woman has left us yet know she is somewhere wonderful.

Jennifer

As I read back I see I commented in 9/05. I dunno- for some reason this is one of those poignant eye-opening situations. A lot can change in five years.

Pia Kaven

2010-07-10, 5:33am

About head out the door for classes... I hope the day goes fast, so I can come home and try this! It looks absolutely gorgeous!

praxidis

2010-07-29, 3:05pm

I stumbled on this thread a few weeks ago and was very saddened to hear of the passing of the originator of this lovely technique. I had to try it and after a couple of icky looking results I got a bead nice enough to share.

Prax

Pia Kaven

2010-08-06, 4:09pm

Wow, I am speechless, I was just so excited about the tutorial, and did not even read the thread trough. Her passing really is a tragedy, sad, very very sad.

theglasszone

2010-12-25, 2:28am

Thinking of you tonight, Blue Bead Girl, and your kindness and generosity....

Teena

2010-12-26, 1:13pm

Aw...De, nice thoughts from you!

carolinesbeads

2011-01-02, 8:46pm

I can't wait to try this one.

GlassElephant

2011-01-20, 12:29am

Thanks so much for sharing such a lovely bead recipe, cant wait to give it a whirl. I’ve tried it with Rubino pink wrapped in silver foil pulled into a stringer. Turns into a greenish color. \\:D/

Tammy
GlassElephant.etsy.com

PattyK

2011-01-20, 2:40am

That's a very cool bead Tammy!

Joanne

2011-01-21, 2:57pm

I didn't know this wonderful artist, and it's sad that she left so suddenly. But don't you think she'd be pleased to know that 5 1/2 years after she posted this tutorial, people are still discovering it and are excited to try it?
Next time I'm at the torch, I'll give it a whirl...

jkincaid10

2011-11-11, 4:17am

This bead is beautiful. Thanks for sharing.

swamper

2011-11-12, 5:59am

I met Sarakay at the first Gathering in Louisville. She was wearing the blue bead. I found her to be a kindred spirit. We both were in awe of the lampwork greats, but needed quiet time to refresh. We spent breaks silently side by side on the sidewalk in front of the hotel. I was saddened by her passing. She left her sweet memory far beyond her short life.

lindag

2011-11-28, 1:58am

I've been thinking of Sara Kay lately. Reading this again brings tears.

essiemessy

2011-12-06, 6:20pm

I'd seen this a few months ago, but failed to read the entire thread. For some reason, I did last week and, well, here's my contribution to it all.
First attempts:
http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l142/gertthesquirt/Beads/IMGP3858.jpghttp://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l142/gertthesquirt/Beads/IMGP3854.jpg

Leslie Dana

2011-12-07, 4:44pm

I miss Sara :(

Kalera

2011-12-07, 6:39pm

I miss Sara :(

So do I.

BlueBetween

2012-03-04, 4:59pm

I am making a memorial bead today and using this recipe as my base... and so am thinking of two beautiful people the world is missing... I'm so glad Sara's tutorial lives on...

Dragonfly Queen

2012-03-06, 12:49pm

I just read this today. So sad. What great contributions to her memory.

simvet02

2012-03-07, 3:20pm

I just found this tutorial today also, how strange to be reading her posts and then to find out that she is gone. Life is just to darn short.

Peace be with you Sarah...

allicat

2012-07-07, 7:19pm

Came across the tutorial and decided to give it a go with CIM's Azure. Had no idea till I got to the end of the thread that sarakay is no longer with us. Damn shame; she obviously was a great gal as well as a talented lampworker. I'm sorry I'll not get the chance to meet her.

Oliver Levy

2012-07-27, 8:33am

That's really cool, I am going to try that when I get home.

PerfectDeb

2013-01-10, 4:27pm

giving this a bump to the top for the newbies

this is a really great tutorial for learning how to play with silver and reactions plus it has some wonderful techniques you can use in other projects

in memory of a very generous Sara

MistyCherie

2013-01-11, 7:22am

<3 Sara - Miss you.

Thanks Deb. I remember the fun times for Chinese Auction. I have a bracelet made with her beads and treasure it greatly. It's always nice to see this thread make its way back to the front for others to see.

Speedslug

2013-10-15, 12:28am

Just a tap to remember Sara.

Dragonfly Queen

2013-11-02, 8:30am

So glad this was bumped up again. I tried this when I first read this with not much luck. When I saw this again, I decided to try again. I sure am glad I did.

Front and Back. That is silver, not gold. I used Effetre crystal clear and while melting in the second string of clear the silver had a fuming affect and the clear turned this lovely gold.

143617

143618

CheriB

2013-11-02, 11:01pm

Inez,
That's really pretty! I was sorting my beads tonight and came across a couple I made from Sara's tutorial. I just had to come back to this thread to read it again.
Cheryl

Dragonfly Queen

2013-11-06, 8:07am

thank you Cheryl. I'm going to play with this some more. I would really like to try to get more of the robin egg blue Sarah got.

bob

2013-11-06, 12:53pm

Nice job on the blue bead Inez.
Bob

bob

2013-11-06, 1:05pm

Deb, Thanks for having bumped this post. I go through the archives alot and made Sarakay's blue Bead with limited success. I decided to come back and try again so I thought I would read through the entire post this time, I did not know Sarakay had passed.
I thought I would make another one today after reading the entire post and this is the first one I am really happy with.
I know it's to late but, Thank You Sarakay:

295821

Bob

Dragonfly Queen

2013-11-06, 4:02pm

Thank you Bob and ditto on your bead. Love the variations of colors you got out of this technique.

Yes, thank you Sarah for your generous soul. May it live on forever.

lunamoonshadow

2014-05-07, 9:10pm

I miss SaraKay. :cry:

angelique_redhead

2014-05-08, 3:34am

So do I. She was sweet. I miss several of our friends that aren't here any more. :cry: :love: Angelique

I miss SaraKay. :cry:

Mustang Dawn

2014-05-10, 7:33am

It's so sad....

pittypat

2014-05-12, 1:11pm

I think it would be really nice to have a memorial section on LE for those we miss. And so many of our new peeps don't know them, but could see why we miss them so much. It would be a special place to leave comments like this. Just an idea...

JavaGirlBT

2014-05-12, 6:21pm

I feel like I missed out on getting to know her better. I took it for granted that she'd always be here. I do that too often.

lunesse

2014-06-10, 7:57pm

I really like Pat's idea.

Mina

2014-06-18, 2:04pm

My attempt at a blue bead. Doesnt look anything like the one in the tutorial, but I like it. Sorry it is a little blurry

carolinesbeads

2014-06-18, 2:37pm

Nice job Mina, I think you need to burn all the silver in so that you can only see little drops on the surface then switch your flame to a reducing flame. If you are on a Hothead cover the holes on the torch with foil flash your bead in the flame then cover with clear.

Mina

2014-06-18, 2:42pm

Thanks Caroline. So I burn the silver off before I encase?

carolinesbeads

2014-06-18, 7:22pm

Yes I think that's right I am not sure if you need to reduce or not. It doesn't say so in the directions.

Mina

2014-06-18, 7:59pm

thanks, ill try it again

LampLit

2014-08-07, 4:28pm

echeveria

2014-08-07, 4:44pm

Do you think you'd get the same effect with another colour? Your bead is beautifull, but I'm not a "blue" person - just wondering if it would work with a lilac, pink or green?

Try it.

LampLit

2014-08-08, 11:54am

Try it.
And that's exactly what I did. I need to work on the shape of my long focal beads but I am very happy with the colours.

I am so glad I ran across this post. I didn't realize when I posted the first time that she is no longer with us. Very sorry to see we lost such a talented lampworker. She seemed like such a wonderful person from what I have read.

306442

echeveria

2014-08-08, 1:17pm

I love it on green!

DeevaaS

2014-10-15, 12:29pm

I read this tutorial early on when I was on my HH and didn't try it. I was reminded by the new thread Corri started of people's favorite threads. I am on a mega-minor now and thought I would give it a try. I never knew of the original author until too late but she has left a lovely legacy of friends and of this tutorial that continues to inspire new lampworkers to try her technique. I am very happy with my beads but I definitely do NOT have that stringer technique down.