Hayley
2008-06-10, 9:35am
I did this for my Perfect Bead Exchange where participants are trying to make beads that stand up on their own on both ends . . . thought I would share it here for those who may be interested.
123768
In order to shape the ends, you need to get the enough glass at the end in order to shape it properly.
1)
• Tilt your mandrel and heat the glass until molten and droop along the length of the mandrel.
• Imagine the bulb at the end of your mandrel as a "round/donut" shape bead, keep the mandrel rotating, slow down a bit when there is more glass on top to let gravity bring the glass towards the side with less glass
2)
• As the glass forms in a uniform manner at the end of the mandrel, slowly bring the mandrel back to more or less parallel
3)
• Heat the glass, then let it cool slightly and marver lightly tilting the mandrel . . . the glass should not be so hot that you distort the cylindrical shape
4)
• reheat a bit and marver again, repeat until the end is centered
5)
• heat again a bit and marver the end against the side of the marver
6)
• repeat 3-5 until you get the end perfect
• once you are happy with the end, heat it slightly to "soften" the hard marvered edge
• once the end is shaped, keep it warm with periodic insurance heat but never so hot that it softens the shape
7)
• do the same with the other end
NOTE: don't forget to give insurance heat to the other end . . . to know that you are giving insurance heat regularly enough, you only need to heat the other end one revolution and it show glow slightly. If not, you have waited too long.
123769
To check that the ends are shaped properly with the hole is centered. Rotate the bead at eye level and sight along the dotted line in the illustration against the background . . . the bead should NOT bob up and down as you rotate, indicating that thickness of glass around the hole is all the same.
123768
In order to shape the ends, you need to get the enough glass at the end in order to shape it properly.
1)
• Tilt your mandrel and heat the glass until molten and droop along the length of the mandrel.
• Imagine the bulb at the end of your mandrel as a "round/donut" shape bead, keep the mandrel rotating, slow down a bit when there is more glass on top to let gravity bring the glass towards the side with less glass
2)
• As the glass forms in a uniform manner at the end of the mandrel, slowly bring the mandrel back to more or less parallel
3)
• Heat the glass, then let it cool slightly and marver lightly tilting the mandrel . . . the glass should not be so hot that you distort the cylindrical shape
4)
• reheat a bit and marver again, repeat until the end is centered
5)
• heat again a bit and marver the end against the side of the marver
6)
• repeat 3-5 until you get the end perfect
• once you are happy with the end, heat it slightly to "soften" the hard marvered edge
• once the end is shaped, keep it warm with periodic insurance heat but never so hot that it softens the shape
7)
• do the same with the other end
NOTE: don't forget to give insurance heat to the other end . . . to know that you are giving insurance heat regularly enough, you only need to heat the other end one revolution and it show glow slightly. If not, you have waited too long.
123769
To check that the ends are shaped properly with the hole is centered. Rotate the bead at eye level and sight along the dotted line in the illustration against the background . . . the bead should NOT bob up and down as you rotate, indicating that thickness of glass around the hole is all the same.