Looking for a tutorial on how to make long skinny beads

[bead crazy]

I can't find any kind of tutorial on how to make thos long skinny beads like the ones in the long bead exchange.


There are some like Trey Cornettes I am sure you all know which ones I mean.
Here are some of his. http://search.ebay.com/trey-cornette_W0QQfromZR40

Any help would be appreceated. Hopefully I should not have put this in the tips and tech section.

[barbaracollins]

You should see him make them as he did last year at the Gathering during Open Torch. He is a master and he makes it look so easy. Trey has a unique way of marvering the flat beads.

[Kevan]

I have never seen one of Trey's beads in person so I don't know how long they are, but I can tell you how to make a bead that is this long. I'm sure there is more than one technique, I actually make them two different ways.

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i242/chichiboy/DSC_0012-4.jpg

You need a mandrel that has been dipped at least 5 inches. I like Fusion. It rarely breaks on me and I can dip them and dry them immediately.

I start by making a big blob of glass. A bead this size takes about 3/4 to a whole rod of glass.Make a big blob in the center. You can also move it out from the center, there is no right or wrong here you just want to get the glass on the mandrel.

Then I use heat and gravity to move the glass up and down the mandrel. One direction. let it cool a bit, then move down the other side. Then back making it move down the mandrel even more in the other direction. You will gt a feel for it after you do a few. Heat the mandrel at the end of the blob towards the direction you want the glass to go in, that helps pull it down the mandrel.

When you get the glass to reach about as far as you want on one side, marver that side, just the very end, doesn't have to be perfect. Let it cool and then move the biggest part of the blob down towards the other end.

Don't forget to keep the one end you marvered hot so it doesn't crack.

When you get it moved down as far as you want on the other side, marver tathat end. So you have two not so nicely marvererd ends and a somewhat lumpy middle.

Just keep heatiing and marvering until you get it the shape you want. The think is to go slow, there is no hurry. If you feel the need to want to heat the entire bead and keep it hot, hold it parallel to the flame instead of across the flame. That way the flame will heat both ends.

You can get good ends this way. The main thing is to marver, heat little, marver some more, until you have a nicely shaped tube. I have watched people try to get the bead shaped in the first roll on the marver. Not going to happen, so roll lightly and heat.

You can also accomplish this entire thing by winding the glass all the way up and down the mandrel and then heating and marvering the same way, but if you do the slide method you get lots of feeling for the glass and how it moves up and down the mandrel.

Anyway, that's how I do it now. Who knows, maybe this will be where everyone realizes I have no idea what the hell I'm doing.#-o

[ROC]

Hey, Kevan, thanks for sharing your technique. It's so much fun to watch gravity at work.

[pegz]

Thanks Kevan!! I have been trying to make long beads, and I have *totally* been using the 'Not going to happen' technique!!!!

I can't wait to try it today!!!

[bead crazy]

Thanks Kevan!!!!!!!! =D>=D>=D>=D>

I should have had you show me how to do this at the beach class I took with you. I could not make a good bead that day if my life depended on it though.
I can't wait to try this today.

[sherryj]

Thanks Kevin
Will definitely give this a try\\:D/
Sherry

[LaurieBSmith]

I love it when someone describes in detail what it takes to make a bead....to me, it's all one process....I sort of get in a zone and couldn't describe it for hot dogs, but you've got the details. Very nicely done...

[LaurieBSmith]

Oh...one thing about this method.....fewer bubbles. less gaps, less air, less bubbles...

[lripster]

Ooh, nice tut!! Thanks!

[artwhim]

The first few you try, you may want to use a mandrel larger than a 1/16". Although the long beads can be made on 1/16", the thin mandrels have more give when you are marvering and it can break your bead release easier.

Remember to use a light hand when marvering. It's frustrating to get an entire rod of glass melted on the mandrel and then break your bead release because you used too much pressure.

Good explanation Kevan.

[Kevan]

I have to agree with Kathy, use a thicker mandrel to start with and go light on the marvering. I see people try to get it in the right shape by getting it really hot and then trying to roll it fast. Go slow. You can roll the thing forever if you want to.

And you are all welcome!

[bead crazy]

CRAP!!!!! CRAP!!!! I got a chance to torch after several months and after 4 beads ran out of gas. Wish I had my set up with Natural gas this time. I guess after a year with the same gas tank I am bound for finally run out. I will try this tomorrow for sure.
Thanks again Kevan

[Ekkie]

Thanks Kevan. This is a great explanation. Can't wait to try it. But it will be difficult to curb my impatience and not try to force the glass.

Jenn

[pegz]

Well, I tried and it was much better than before, one is a little over 2 inches -- the longest I have made so far. However I did manage to break the bead release on 2 of them and had to stop fooling with them. :)

I did have a hard time just letting it droop down the mandrel,, it was't going even so I kept spinning it twirling it down... looks cool though...

Thanks for all your tips!!!! I will definately be making more of them.

[Nicker]

I learnt how to do then in Kimberly Afflecks class. Remember to change the way you turn your mandrel as you run the glass down it so you don't have a sprial of glass downthe mandrel.

[volkanokaren]

Kevan , thanks so much ,I will be trying this tomorrow a.m......I like em big.

Karen

[Kevan]

I learnt how to do then in Kimberly Afflecks class. Remember to change the way you turn your mandrel as you run the glass down it so you don't have a sprial of glass downthe mandrel.

You know, I sat next to Kimberly one Saturday afternoon. I didn't really get to watch her make any long beads, but somehow, afterwards, I started making really long beads. 8-[

[bead crazy]

You know, I sat next to Kimberly one Saturday afternoon. I didn't really get to watch her make any long beads, but somehow, afterwards, I started making really long beads. 8-[

Just her greatness rubbed off on you. Now you have double greatness. :lol:
So I wonder if I am watching you if even 1/2 of your greatness would rub off on me [-o<

[Troll Lover]

Thanks Kevan, I tried it yesterday and it worked beautifully! I used a bit stiff glass (Lauscha) so I pulled a bit of the glass down the mandrell with my rake and that worked well too!

[rosebud101]

Kevan, you are awesome! Thanks for sharing that with us!

[HarrachGlass]

Kevan, I now have a new kind of bead to try to make today! I'm sure you make it look so easy too, HA HA. Your beads are so beautiful!

[kimberly]

I learnt how to do then in Kimberly Afflecks class. Remember to change the way you turn your mandrel as you run the glass down it so you don't have a sprial of glass downthe mandrel.


Thankyou Nicker. :)

[Emily]

Before you set out to make long beads, check your mandrels and make sure they're not bent. If there's even a little bend under the bead, you may never get it off the mandrel.

I've never taken a class with Kimberly Affleck, but I hear she is The Woman when it comes to teaching long beads -- and she certainly makes beautiful ones!

[bead crazy]

Keven I tried it and got down the rod then it went in very thin and then got thick then the end that the glass was moving to had like a bubble on the end. How did it get so thin in the middle.

[Kevan]

Lori, it's not going to come out perfect by itself. It's going to be thicker on one side or in the middle. You have to keep heating it and marvering. Get it down to one end where you want it and marver that end and let that end cool. Then heat it where it's thick and move that end down the other way. When you get both ends marvered, you will have to shape the middle by heating and marvering. Just heat it a little and roll it.

Don't think you have to melt it into a long smooth bead right off the bat. It takes me at least 20 mins, sometimes 40 mins to get it all shaped and slid around where I want it.

I didn't actually see Kimberly make one so she might do it differently. I would have paid good money to just watch her make beads, but I was supposed to be working. lol

She was over there fuming things and I missed that. Somehow, I did not pick that up by osmosis.

It might be good to start without making a really long bead just to get the hang of moving the glass up and down the mandrel. You will get a feel for it after a dozen or so.

[ellyloo]

I tried this, and it is a good way to get an even amount of glass on the ends.... that was my pet peeve. Thanks!.

[LAG]

I learned this technique in Kimberly's class also. I am sure she does it in her free demos also. Kevan, that is a beautiful bead you posted.

[Bubbyanne]

Kevan,
Thanks for explaining how to do these it was really helpful and for the first time ever I didn't struggle with my ends!
(I'm a rough marverer by nature. :lol:)

Did you use a twisty on the bead in your photo?
If so, how did you apply it and was it twisted tightly?

I made 3 long beads last night. I was going more for technique than gorgeous and used up some stuff I had lying around my work table.
Except for the red one. I made two twisties specifically for that one and well, it's okay but not what I had in mind.
Not sure what happened to the twisties.
I used the other end of the bottom twistie and it was twisted much tighter like the top one. I spiraled them on to my base blob next to each other before I stretched out the ends.
101703
101700
I dunno, more ppp I guess. *sigh*

[Bubbyanne]

Ah never mind I think I figured it out, unless I'm wrong or you have more input. :)
I found your drift beads thread in the gallery and it seems my twisties are probably too thin. Mine are about the size of commercial stringer (2mm) and you said yours were 5-8mm. Quite a difference.

[bead crazy]

Ah never mind I think I figured it out, unless I'm wrong or you have more input. :)
I found your drift beads thread in the gallery and it seems my twisties are probably too thin. Mine are about the size of commercial stringer (2mm) and you said yours were 5-8mm. Quite a difference.

Can you tell me where this post is?

[Bubbyanne]

Sure can Lori,
Here's the thread she started in the Gallery not too long ago. http://www.lampworketc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=72811
Post #25 is where Kevan tells how she made the beads and the last post #44 is where she says what size her twisties are.


P.S. She also tells how she does her photo backgrounds in black and white with the bead in color in post #37. :wink:

[Kevan]

Kevan,
Thanks for explaining how to do these it was really helpful and for the first time ever I didn't struggle with my ends!
(I'm a rough marverer by nature. :lol:)

Did you use a twisty on the bead in your photo?
If so, how did you apply it and was it twisted tightly?

I made 3 long beads last night. I was going more for technique than gorgeous and used up some stuff I had lying around my work table.
Except for the red one. I made two twisties specifically for that one and well, it's okay but not what I had in mind.
Not sure what happened to the twisties.
I used the other end of the bottom twistie and it was twisted much tighter like the top one. I spiraled them on to my base blob next to each other before I stretched out the ends.
101703
101700
I dunno, more ppp I guess. *sigh*

I think those are great! Why don't you like them?

[murf]

not to post a plug for any tools, but the Electric Mandrel Spinner by Bearfoot Art works very well in making long cylinder beads and quickly. the longer the bead the more likely you will have problems with thermal shock to one end in soft glass if your not careful. the spinning mandrel really cranks them out for me. I also love their Double Barrel Rolling Marvers

[Bubbyanne]

Thanks Kevan,
I'm really happy with the shape I got on these beads but when it comes to color I still struggle and seem to always have something that reacts and get some brown/black yuck. (like the bead on the far left didn't start out so dark. :lol:)
I was hoping with the red and orange bead the colors would be more broken up and look like they were twisties that were stretched. Lol.

I am going to be making lots more of these, they are so much fun.
I have a bazillion ideas I want to try!
I think those are great! Why don't you like them?

[Bubbyanne]

I saw the videos of this tool being used. What a slick tool and it made the beads perfect in a really short amount of time! I was impressed. Looks like cool tools.
not to post a plug for any tools, but the Electric Mandrel Spinner by Bearfoot Art works very well in making long cylinder beads and quickly. the longer the bead the more likely you will have problems with thermal shock to one end in soft glass if your not careful. the spinning mandrel really cranks them out for me. I also love their Double Barrel Rolling Marvers

[Kevan]

What glass did you use on that dark bead?

[murf]

I have never used the tool with boro, and thats mostly what I play with, but in soft glass when I was making long beads, it was great. I had Scott make me a special tighter rolling marver and I had one of his standard ones as well; just a great compliment to the spinning mandrel. just reading this thread makes me want to go out and play with some soft glass and make the cylinder beads again.

[Kevan]

How I figured this out was that Lori asked me down in Chinook, how do people get their twisties to go long and slid down? I didn't know how they did that and I wanted to because I liked the look also. I had been trying do it for a while by making the long tube and then wrapping the twistie around it, but that doesn't pull on the twistie enough or your twistie stretches, but when you turn the bead to the other side it just goes back where it started.

That's what happened in this bead.
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i242/chichiboy/DSC_0003-7.jpg

So, I was trying it again and let the glass slide down the mandrel to try to make it pull the twistie more and I let it cool there before I slid it back the other way. That pulled the twistie and the bead just got longer and skinnier.

Someone said Kimberly makes her long beads that way. I have never seen her make one, so I didn't know that. If I had known, I certainly would have said where I saw it. Anyone who knows me knows I do not steal other people's techniques and say they are mine.

I'm far more interested in figuring things out for myself. I always have been. It's the one consistant truth of all of the art work I have done in my life.

[Bubbyanne]

LOL that's a good question. This bead was really just a conglomeration of stuff I had lying around my work space. The base of the bead is some "cane" I pulled with the left over glass I had on my mandrels after I pulled a large ivory and intense black stringer. (mostly ivory)
Then I had another "cane" I pulled from a couple of beads that stuck together in the kiln that had clear, olympia rain and a tiny bit of rubino.
I also used a mystery rod of glass that I cannot figure out what it is. It looks like clear, pale aqua or maybe olympia rain.
Who know's what else I threw in.

That was the first long bead I made and was purely going for technique. That's why I used up all the junky stuff I had. Funny thing is I showed my oldest DD (22) the tube beads and the dark one was her favorite. :-s

Sorry you asked? :lol:
What glass did you use on that dark bead?

ETA: Very pretty bead Kevan,
Well when it comes to shaping long beads with twisties, I'm sure lots of people make them and have figured out how to themselves. I don't think you're taking anything away from anyone by sharing what you did and don't feel you were trying to steal anyones thunder. I know you'd say so if you learned it from Kimberly, or anyone else.

There were a couple of tips in particular that you shared that were lightbulb moments for me. You mentioned heating the bead through parallel to the flame and to roll lightly when shaping. I have struggled with cracking beads due to not keeping them warm enough and with shaping my ends. Even have a thread about it and Kimberly was kind enough to give me some advice. I cannot tell you how much time I have spent heating and marvering a bead end over and over because my ends were off. I was being too rough. All my bead ends came together much faster after reading your instructions the first time I tried them at the torch! So, thank you so much for sharing! :)

[Kevan]

You are welcome, Bubby. I'm glad I could help. And you are right, I would, have and always will give credit where credit is due. It would be more than bad Karma not to. It would be unethical.