winding on?

[angie]

just a simple question really 8-[
when you make the bead do you apply pressure with the rod on the bead...... or do you simply let it drop on the bead ?:oops:
how do you do it?

[Dale M.]

I usually get glass hot enough that it sort of flows... If it's "plastic" enough it will transfer to where you want it with out much pressure or assistance...

Dale

[Tink]

Hi Angie,

I make sure the gather of glass at the end of my rod is fluid enough that it will just flow onto the mandrel/bead. The less pressure you exert, the less likely you are to crack your bead release.

[angie]

Thanks ...i tried both ways and i somehow want to push it on (if ya know what i mean) even though its soupy ;)

[Passing Glass]

Always touch a moving mandrel when you start the bead and allow the mandrel or the glass which is already on the mandrel to "draw" the additional glass from the rod. Also, your rod should have a pretty sharp elbow as it is rolling onto the mandrel. Keep your rod at about a 45 degree angle or so, between the torch and your bead. The glass from the rod should contact the glass on the bead at the point on the bead that is closest to your body (i.e. closest to the torch, i.e. directly in the center of the "back" of the bead), thus making the elbow in the glass as the glass in the rod is pulled up by the rolling bead.

[lldesigns]

Here is an excellent tutorial on making a basic bead by Jim Smircich.

http://www.smircich.com/html/round_bead.html

[Kikki]

when you make the bead do you apply pressure with the rod on the bead...... or do you simply let it drop on the bead ?:oops:
how do you do it?

It depends on what I'm doing. For some techniques I do more of a push with the rod, but the glass that is pushed on the bead is very molten. I push it to get it to spread out a bit.
I never push very hard and I never push glass that is not very liquid.

[rosiescreations]

Be sure your mandrel is hot in the place you want to put the glass