The Blue Bead

[sarakay]

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.

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[coyotesfamily]

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

[IF-Designs]

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]

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

[sarakay]

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]

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]

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]

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

Thanks for sharing!
Sue

[Amozoo]

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

[Sylvie Anne]

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

[PattyK]

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

[Anne Ricketts]

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]

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]

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!

[Anne Ricketts]

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]

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

[Kalera]

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]

I love using silvered clear!! :D

[sarakay]

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]

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]

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

[beadbroad]

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]

The link doesn't work anymore.

[beadbroad]

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

[busy_beads]

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

[firegrl]

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]

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

[firegrl]

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

[kimberly]

Lovely Bead, Sarakay!!

One thing that might help you guys to get the blue reaction more consistently is to turn your oxy down a tad to obtain a slightly reducing flame. Also, some silver leaf works better than other silver leaf for this type of reaction. I wish I knew why, but I don't. I expect it is the thickness of the leaf that is the determining factor. Oh, and it helps if you hold your mouth right and sacrifice a goat on a full moon the night before you try this!! It is tricky, as Sarakay mentioned!! It will also work with Transparent Effetre Striking Orange or Red as the base. Really different and really beautiful! Also works with Silver Fume.

[Jamn!]

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

[Tami]

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

[kimberly]

Some other colors this will work well with are the transparent ambers, transparent purples (dark is best) cobalt, black, intense black, ink blue.

[Tami]

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

[Curly Irish Girl]

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

[Curly Irish Girl]

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

[Teague]

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]

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]

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

[alissa]

does it matter if you use effetre or vetrofond clear?

[Nanette]

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

[alissa]

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]

Sara, this is a wonderful tutorial! Nice job!

[LoriBird]

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

[sarakay]

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]

Going to try now..

[raindance]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

Cross your toes, too. ;)

[debkauz]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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

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

[debkauz]

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]

Neither do I! ;-)

[debkauz]

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]

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]

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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[debkauz]

Just resized my favorite.
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[Gelly]

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]

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]

Awsome beads, you two! :biggrin:

[BlueBetween]

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]

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

[tasminann]

Ooooo, Pam, I like!!!

[Athalour]

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

[Mermaid Glass]

Pretty!

[PaulaD]

I always thought that was a real pretty reaction!
Paula

[bousky]

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

Thanks for the recipe!

[Listenup]

143020

[WhiskerWood]

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

[Beadanna]

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

So sad - what a lovely woman.

[FishBulb]

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]

may there be plenty of Propane in Heaven!

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

[beadstillmyheart]

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]

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]

i remember buying cobalt blue just to try this

you'll be missed Sara

[bazile]

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



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[NLC Beads]

My one effort at this, years ago...

[giapet]

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

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diff view

RIP Sara. You are missed.

[NLC Beads]

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]

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]

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]

*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]

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]

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]

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]

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

[Teena]

Aw...De, nice thoughts from you!

[carolinesbeads]

I can't wait to try this one.

[GlassElephant]

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]

That's a very cool bead Tammy!

[Joanne]

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]

This bead is beautiful. Thanks for sharing.

[swamper]

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]

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

[essiemessy]

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]

I miss Sara :(

[Kalera]

I miss Sara :(

So do I.