Question About Feathering and Moving Glass

[musicpg]

I was wondering if anyone had any techniques that work well for them for feathering, dragging and moving surface glass on a bead? I always seem to have such a problem with this and I know it's not difficult. My bead cools down so quickly that I have to drag the glass in stages. Am I digging into the surface too much or not heating the bead enough? Any suggestions would be much appreciated.
Thanks,
Pam

[alexm]

You have to be quick and use a light hand. Make sure you are spot heating the surface enough to get it really molten but without getting it so hot that you distort the whole bead when you rake. This is something that takes practice to accomplish correctly.

[musicpg]

Someone once told me to keep the bead directly under the flame and drag the glass once the bead heats up. Has anyone tried that?

[alexm]

Be careful with your tool if you're going to keep the bead directly under the flame. I've ruined good brass and steel tools that way by melting the points on them into little balls. I've also got the tip of the tool stuck in the glass, necessitating reheating the glass in order to pull the (now most probably ruined) tool out of the glass. I prefer to spot heat until really hot, then raking out of the flame. The trick is to do it fast and not dig in too deep, keep the tip of your raking tool on the surface.

[DesertDreamer]

I've ruined too many tools with the under the flame method, so what I do is heat the bead under the flame, then lift it up above the flame and rake quickly. I use a dental pick with a very fine tip and, as Alex said, a nice light touch. Better to have to go back and drag a little more than to wreck the surface.

[Handy Andy]

I do my raking at the bottom of the flame. The trick is rake with a tungsten pick. I sell the Handy Andy Tungsten Tweezers. They have a pick on one side, a shaping tool on the other and in the middle you get a hole punch all made of tungsten. However any tungsten pick will work on the edge of the flame.

[Ekkie]

Andy, where do you sell the tungsten tweezers? I have been to your website and your ebay store several times and I can never find tungsten tweezers.

Jenn

[swamper]

I have found that the best way for me to maintain that "light hand" is to use very thin stringer.

I pull clear stringers to 2 to 2.5 mm from all my clear shorts. Then just before I am going to be doing a lot of raking, I heat a small ball (about 3 to 4 mm) on the end of each stringer and use my very thin tweezers to pull about 3 inches of 1 mm stringer on the end of each fat stringer.

These very thin stringer won't let you dig too deeply into the bead or they will break. It's best to have them at an angle when raking or they will break. I get a clean tip with each use by dipping shallowly in my water glass.

Having the fatter stringer to hold onto with the small stringer ends help control and the thin clear all but disappears in the rake.

You can either imbed the end in the bead and blow to cool to break off or pull the stringer away from the bead until it trails off depending on the look you want.

All other's tips about heating where you rake apply.

[loco]

I do my raking at the bottom of the flame. The trick is rake with a tungsten pick. I sell the Handy Andy Tungsten Tweezers. They have a pick on one side, a shaping tool on the other and in the middle you get a hole punch all made of tungsten. However any tungsten pick will work on the edge of the flame.

OMG The Handy Andy tool ROCKS! I'm mostly an anti tool person, but THIS tool has got to be one of the best thought out tools I have ever seen and used, I love mine! Sorry for the crappy picture.

118668

[DesertDreamer]

That looks like a torture implement! LOL

So, you rake with the outside tweezer point? That looks kinda awkward.

[squid]

I have found that the tungsten tools I have bought do not have a sharp enough tip. The really fine dental picks are much sharper.

[swamper]

I have found that the tungsten tools I have bought do not have a sharp enough tip. The really fine dental picks are much sharper.

Whatever you do - do not get the dental tools in the flame - they arc like 4th of July sparklers and burn the tips off - don't ask how I know.

[squid]

Whatever you do - do not get the dental tools in the flame - they arc like 4th of July sparklers and burn the tips off - don't ask how I know.

:lol:

Yeah, they can't stand much heat at all.

[LyndaJ]

I use a sharpened mandrel (really sharp). My husband has a grinder (that he uses for some things) I use for mandrels to knock of the edges when they get cut. I had him sharpen some mandrels that were too bent to use any more.

These are nice and sturdy, they can take a little heat without crumpling,
they were FREE :lol: and renewable. I have found personally that these work better than stringer for bullseye glass. It's enough stiffer and cools faster so you need something that's a little less delicate to move the glass an inch or more at a time. I tried the stringer thing for a long time, and it was very frustrating. With softer glass, you have to use a lighter touch.

Got a tip in a Jen Geldard class where she had a bead release failure so the bead would be forever stuck on the mandrel, to just leave the bead on the tip so you have a decorated mandrel pick.

[alexm]

Lynda, what a great idea! I didn't think of that. I've been looking for something other than dental picks that wouldn't melt in the flame. Thanks!

[ArtcoInc]

We carry the Handy Andy tool (soon to be added to our website), as well as both straight and bent tungsten tweezers, and a straight tungsten rake.

And, as Swamper stated, using a stringer as a rake is another way to go too.

Malcolm

[Ekkie]

Thanks Malcolm. I have your tungsten tweezers and they are great. I thought the Handy Andy tool would be good for loops, etc.

Jenn

[ArtcoInc]

Thanks Malcolm. I have your tungsten tweezers and they are great. I thought the Handy Andy tool would be good for loops, etc.

Jenn

They are :)

Malcolm

[yellowbird]

This tip help me. don't completely melt in what ever it is you want to move.

[CelesteK]

The books make raking look so simple; just heat and rake all around. I just tried raked hearts--again--and had better success. I heated the dots and raked each one separately. That way I didn't get major distortion or a tool stuck. I liked how they turned out and will try again.

Celeste

[theglasszone]

Hey Malcolm!!!

Any idea when you'll be getting those Handy Andy's - and approx. price?

Thanks,
DeAnne in CA

[hotcoles]

I purchased Andy's tweezers a few months ago just by simply emailing him and requesting a Paypal invoice. They were at that time $45. I love the tool and use it daily!
andy@galacticglass.net

[ArtcoInc]

Hey Malcolm!!!

Any idea when you'll be getting those Handy Andy's - and approx. price?

Got them now, and yes, the price is $45. Thanks :)

Malcolm

[theglasszone]

Thanks, Malcolm...back to the dungeon! :)

DeAnne in CA

[ArtcoInc]

Thanks, Malcolm...back to the dungeon! :)

DeAnne in CA

Don't lock the dungeon door this time, and we might send down a bowl of gruel ;)

Malcolm

[theglasszone]

...oh, but I must lock the door! Otherwise the screaming meemies come marching in, waving their arms and asking nonsensical questions such as "Do you know where my other sock is?" :wtf:

(And, of course, that would be RIGHT when my MAPP is about to give out, and I'm adding the tiniest finishing detail on the bead I've been working on for 45 minutes!!!).

:)