Helpful Tips

[CorriDawn]

*Use coffee filters to clean marvers and glass. This will keep the lint off your glass. Also to cover your extra
glass use socks. I am sure you all have holy socks. Just use them to cover your glass. Keeps the glass dust free.
*Coffee can filled with sand makes a great mandrel holder. Add a few drops of lavender oil and it smells nice.
*Practice stringer control using the same color as base bead. If you goof you can melt it in.
*Make sure you have a uptodate fire extinguishers in your studio.
*Stores sell round rubber pads that are used to grasp jar lids. Use one of these to grip the bead that you are trying
to get off of a mandrel. It will provide a better grip than just your wet fingers.
*When cleaning your work area you can use one of those mini brooms or a paint brush to sweep up your area.
If you have used enamels make sure you use a damp cloth to clean your area.
*Put a dry erase whiteboard in your studio space. Use it to jot down ideas and draw new bead designs. It will
minimize the time it takes to mentally pick up where you left off at the end of your last session.

[barclayb]

Those are good! I love the lavender oil one.

Here are a few of mine:

* start small - if you can make a well-formed small bead, it can be easier to learn to make bigger beads

* before cleaning, soak beads in a solution of water and vinegar - the bead release comes out much easier than with just water

* when I use a mandrel and can tell it's slightly bent (by the way the bead is/isn't forming), I put the tail end (not the end with the bead) in the flame to mark the mandrel as one to toss out later

[sadiesmom]

I had hubby take this picture of how I hold my hands when I'm placing the initial dots for my fishscale beads (I picked this tip up from Corina's website).

When I looked at the picture, I noticed that I was stabilizing the mandrel with my pinky. Before I saw the picture, I did not realize I was doing that

Today when I was lamping.. I noticed the mandrel was wobbly and looked to see that I was not using my pinky to steady the mandrel. I fixed it right away by sticking my pinky back onto the mandrel... ahhhh much better.

Also, I noticed that when the stringer in my right hand is getting shorter, I curl my pinky and ring fingers in toward the palm of my hand.

My tip for the day.... Always mentally know where your fingers are in relation to the flame!! :lol:

Denise

http://www.sadiesquiltingtreasures.com/denise/fingertips4.jpg

[bumble_beads]

Zinc oxide with painkiller beats the snot out of Aloe LOL!!!

[ChristyPhelps]

Buy a $12 leather welder's apron from Harbor Freight! :biggrin:

[SuzyQ]

I use rubber gloves you buy for washing dishes when removing my beads. Instant gripping power!

Get a bunch of discontined sample tiles for a tile store. They are great for laying out different frits, hot rods and etc. I find for frit I can use a self made mixture, lay it aside for the next sessions "fill in the set" beads but still have plenty of room on my table for current work.