Trick to applying fine silver wire?
 

Is there a trick to applying fine silver wire (30 gauge) to a bead? Do you shape the bead, then apply the silver, then reshape? Or just add the silver and then shape? I get divets and the surface of the bead goes a bit wonky cuz I can't marver around the sterling "bumps". I've looked it up here to see if there has been a thread but don't see what I need ... any suggestions??

I shape the bead first. Then, keeping the silver out of the flame, find the same sweet spot you do for stringer and get the tip of the silver hot enough to stick to the bead. Then I turn the bead, wrapping the silver around it. A few flashes in the flames to heat it on.... if you leave the bead in the flame too long, the silver puddles up. It's tricky. Expect to use lots of "ppp" til you are comfortable with it.

I don't marver after adding silver. The silver is mostly a surface decoration, although I have encased with clear as well. Depends on what look you're going for.

Others will hop in with great advice....

Sue

Thanks Sue ... I'm trying to put it on discs and IF I get it on the bead right, the shape of the disc needs some marvering but it's hard with the silver lumps. Hum, maybe I'll go back to a basic donut!!

Silver is tricky to work with. I ended up poking the end right into the molten glass to kind of anchor it. My beads wanted to go wonky, too, so had to be really careful that I liked the shape before I got the silver on it.

Celeste

I have found it is best to put the silver on AFTER you have achieved the shape you want. You can then heat the bead to melt the silver into droplets, but if you marver after it is applied the silver droplets tend to flatten and look rough around the edges.

for me, silver wire/dots as a surface decoration is the very last step before I put it in the kiln. The bead has to be pretty much done before I put the silver on it.

for me as well- it's the last thing I do. I use it all the time. There is a spot in the flame where you can get it just hot enmough to stick to the bead then wrap it and melt it in to dots.

I wouldn't leave it in wire form on the surface. It would be too delicate and probably eventually fall off, but you could try to encase it and leave it as a full piece of wire. That would look nice.

Enjoy! It's great fun.