Making round beads - press or roller?
I have to make a choice. One or the other.
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I love my round roller!
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roller
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I use my press as a roller, so I vote roller
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roller
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I want to make like 18 -22 mm.
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I have a roller and I don't use it. I prefer to do it old school. I use a Zoozii press and hold the bead over it to eye ball the size better.
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Once I saw "the secret" to making truly round beads I find it easier to do without any tools. \\:D/
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I have a roller, but I just can't get the hang of it. It's easier for me to get beads round by eye. Of course, they don't all some out exactly the same, but that's my error. Ha!
I seem to prefer brass tools rather than the graphite ones. Again, no fault of the tool. |
I used to say eyeball it but I need to make beads exactly a certain size and that is only achievable with a press or roller. I much prefer a roller -especially when you have a pattern on it.
I got this one from Malcolm a while back (when it was $27). http://www.artcoinc.com/marble_molds.php While I love the CG bead rollers, this one covers more sizes from small to large. I also needed a handle and so I attached one -easy peasy. |
I mean round beads, not bagel shaped beads.
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Yep, Round beads. The graphite rollers are so simple to use. If you have too much glass, move to the larger hole. Too little, add more.
I also have found them to be a godsend when I'm encasing. Often times the encasing goes bagel shaped and with the bead roller, you can easily get them back to round. |
Definitely a roller. :)
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I eyeball it simply because I don't have a roller. If I had to choose, I would buy a roller rather than a press. In 'Passing the Flame' it's suggested to just make a bunch of beads and you'll eventually get enough of the size you want. That's kinda what I do, but I'm not trying for specific sizes.
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Everyone Loves a Secret!
Okay, I have to ask . . . what is "the secret"?
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Ditto...what is the secret??? I can't get a bunch of round beads to be even for the life of me....so this is intriguing!
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I just recently started to use a roller instead of gravity for really round beads. It definitely speeds up the process for me.
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I like presses for flattened or geometric shapes but for rounded shapes, I prefer the bead rollers. I like how the roller, because it has an outside measurement, shows up the tiniest of places where the bead isn't completely true to form. In the tutorials at CGBeads, Donna talks about noticing the areas that stay light and bright. It took me a while to see it, but it made a world of difference in getting beads that are very uniformly shaped. I also think the roller makes it easier to turn out a number of same sized beads very quickly.
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Kevan, I hear ya, I know what you are saying when you want perfectly round. The bead will be perfectly round, no dimples at the bead holes. It looks like a marble with holes. It is not toroidal shaped at all. It is so much easier to see the pictures of Scott making the bead. You can practice with two different colors until you get the hang of it. I will try to explain. If you make a small thin tube 1 inch long on your mandrel you would then wind transparent glass on the left side as if you were going to make a hollow. Then wind some opaque glass on the other side same way as if you are going to make a hollow. Make these winds thin, straight and pretty tall. The secret is to make the winds in from the egdes. You do not want to wind right at the very edges of your base bead, leave a little poking out on each end, maybe 1/32 of an inch or so. Then you add heat ( gently) directly between the wheels, slowly rotating, flashing the whole bead every so often to keep it warm, and as you concentrate the heat between the wheels it will "of course " flow together and when you are done it will be perfectly round. I KID YOU NOT! If I can do it anyone can do it. The bead length is determined by the base bead length and the size is determined by how much you wind on at each end. Using the two colors at first really lets you see how the bead shapes itself and you will be a pro at it in no time. It is very easy peasy. Thank-you Larry, and if it is okay with Kevan? I would like to hear back how this works for you and anyone else and pictures too...maybe? |
;)
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I use a marble mold as a roller... so I'd say a roller. :)
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Roller everytime Babie!
As a newbie, I like the roller. The presses still confound me somewhat. The CGBead Roller is excellent.;-)
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I have the Zooziis brass marver for round (and had the disk press) and I don't like the way the brass works as a roller. I also have a number of graphite rollers and, for beads that are symmetric around the mandrel, they are far-and-away the better tool IMO. That being said, I find that they work the best when you only use them for the final shaping. I don't find they work as a way to center the bead on the mandrel as you're building the bead, so in the end gravity and an eye for detail are still the most important tools.
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Roller! For marbles with a hole through them. I love love love making round beads with a roller, it's my favorite shape.
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Those are fantastic!\\:D/
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I've never used a tool to marver and make them round because I don't like the pits it makes in the surface with many of the frits I use. Especially with graphite. When the pits are there, you can't make them disappear with more heat and sometimes they get worse.
So, because of that I only "eyeball" them. I did a tutorial a long time ago and while this is geared toward the newbies, it's good for anyone wanting to learn to make them with the best tools for the job - heat and gravity. Here's the tutorial: http://www.lampworketc.com/forums/sh...ht=round+beads Some spherical round beads I made so long ago and I forgot when: http://www.lampworketc.com/forums/at...1&d=1159985707 http://www.lampworketc.com/forums/at...1&d=1159985707 I hope you find that helpful! :) |
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Lisi, your beads are gorgeous! I'm just not that talented with heat and gravity though I have tried over the last three years. I need shaping tools. |
I finially figured out how to make a round bead by hand... yay! If a newbie wants to know, I'd be happy to tell ya!
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