Lampwork Etc.

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-   -   A true newbie needs basic starter information. (http://www.lampworketc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=141759)

lbrutland 2009-10-04 10:52am

A true newbie needs basic starter information.
 
I guess that pretty much sums it up! I dear friend gave me a Hothead, a tank of MappPro and some starter rods of glass. While I've made 2 trips back to Lowes for Mapp Gas, I think I'm doing something wrong.

I find I don't like clear glass because it seems to be a harder glass than the colored glass. Some of the rods seem to burn or get smutty. Can someone please point me to the NEWBIE, NEWBIE STARTER SITES? When I'm seeing newbie on these threads, they are so over my head that I feel like running the other way! I truly am a newbie and need some more basic tips, hints and suggestions. Any and all would be greatly appreciated!

Lynn

fannydotson 2009-10-04 11:05am

I started three weeks ago. New enough? Yesterday I went to a bead show where I live. I met a fellow lampworker that gave me some really great insight. First, as far as clear glass, he said Lausha clear is the best to use with a HH (hothead). Moretti tends to get dirty. He also said the HH does contribute a little to the smuttyness. (I am working on a HH.) And yes, I thingk clear is harder. Have you been to the Tutorial thread on LE? I pick a nedw tut to try each weeek, adn work on that particular style. I just learned how to make goddesses! (I posted my first one in the goddess tut [tutorial] thread.) Youtube has some pretty good videos. Just search making glass beads, or lampwrok beads, or lampwork tutorials. I was told to read any and everything I could get my hands on. I have! Although I don't have the book yet, Passing the Flame seems to always come up when newbies ask for help. Hope this helps!

NLC Beads 2009-10-04 11:07am

I have tutorials on my site - they're basically my class notes from when I teach on a HH. I've been told they helped a few people already.

I worked exclusively with a HH for 6+ years. It's great if you know where to work in the flame, and not to turn the flame up too high. I also used Moretti glass without a problem. Keep trying, keep playing, be safe, and have fun.

lbrutland 2009-10-04 11:11am

Thanks Fanny! I appreciate your words. I've just got to find out about the HH and exactly how to work witht he flame and melting the glass correctly. Like I said, I need the first baby steps of bead making! I'm looking and reading before I make another bead.

All of the beads I've made have been freeformed and I have made a round black bead that is great! lol.....

Thanks again!

Lynn

fannydotson 2009-10-04 11:15am

The entire first two weeks I was at the torch, my hands woudl shake so bad! It was such a rush! It sitll is,but I am finally not shaking as much...lol;)

Diane (clarus) 2009-10-04 11:58am

Lynn, welcome to the obsession.

The opaque rods are definitely "softer" than any of the transparents, with white being the softest. You can avoid the scumminess on the clear by finding the "sweet spot" in the flame where the flame chemistry is just right. I recall getting frustrated by this when I first started.

Do get some of the "beginner" books like either of the Cindy Jenkins books - "You Can Make Glass Beads" or "Making Glass Beads." Another resource is DVDs - there's a great one called "Torch Time" which teaches you to use a Hot Head. It's available for rent from www.smartflix.com.

There REALLY needs to be a sticky thread somewhere on here that links to all the "Beadmaking 101" threads.....

-Diane

HWCGlass 2009-10-04 12:20pm

find some beer, go get a local boro friend; pizza helps, too. no one says no to pizza and beer. cookies if you must.

boro folks are all over your area.

Poet? 2009-10-04 12:33pm

Pizza and beer!
Pizza and beer!
Bring it right here!
I know you live near!

Pizza and beer!
Pizza and beer!
I'll call you a dear,
If you leave it right here!

Pizza and beer!
Pizza and beer!
Can't find a rhyme for cookies.
Snookies!

lbrutland 2009-10-04 2:05pm

ROOKIES! I think you've already had too much beer! lol

lbrutland 2009-10-04 2:40pm

Thanks Kandice.

lbrutland 2009-10-04 2:43pm

I've been reading and since you guys posted these helpful sites, I seem to have run into a roadblock. Before I spend way too much making beads, I need to say that I do NOT have a kiln and am curing in vermiculite. I think I may be in trouble since I'm not "annealing" them. Yes?

houptdavid 2009-10-04 2:48pm

Lynn YES you need to anneal them, If there is someone local to you who can batch anneal them that would be greator there have been those on the board who have offered to do them if sent in the mail.

fannydotson 2009-10-04 2:49pm

Look for a place that might let you bring your beads to them to batch anneal. I have a kiln on the way, so I have been using vermicullite in a small crockpot. I turn it on high while I am working, leave the beads in there for an hour on high, then turn it off. I have had 3 our of 30 crack. I was lucky to find a local shop, that sells glass supplies, and offers classes, that will anneal a batch of 60-75 for $5. Check out local places. Oh, I do not recommend cleaning your beads until they have been annealed.
On a side note, I was told that if a bead cracks or breaks before I get it to shop to anneal it, it was probably going to break anyway.

lbrutland 2009-10-04 2:50pm

Just what I thought! I will contact my friend here and see if she will anneal them. Thanks for your help. I've seen some of your work David and love it! Finding I truly like working with this medium but will have to start slowly.

houptdavid 2009-10-04 2:57pm

Lynn,

Start slow :lol: we all want to jump in with both feet and drown.

Try to just play with the glass in the flame without a mandrel, pull stringers, see how the different colors are different viscosities when heated and how the glass behaves.

Don't be afraid to post your beads in the newbie show and tell, even if you don't like them, if you have a problem someone can usually come up with an answer.

lbrutland 2009-10-04 3:06pm

I tried making an encased bead but the clear wouldn't melt properly. And I just have no clue what I was doing wrong. After reading, I've thought it might have been several different reasons but none clearly jump out. Might be a combination of errors! LOL including operator error! Thanks. I may post my random stuffies at a later date. After they are annealed! (if they survive)

fannydotson 2009-10-04 3:07pm

I agree with david about posting them. I have posted just about every bead. I even entered in a newbie challenge. It was a 'scapes challenge, landscapes and so. I did a sky bead with a seagull on it. Somebody told me my gull looked like a bat..lol. Everyone complimented me on my beads. That is such a big boost! It is especially nice when you get to read about how much they see you improving!

Donna T. 2009-10-04 4:37pm

Hey Lynn! Glad you made it over here to LE. Isn't everyone so nice and helpful?!
I had trouble with scumming when I was on a hot head too, especially with clear. Encasing is a pretty advanced technique (IMHO). It takes alot of patience and heat control. Try encasing black as it's one of the stiffer colors.

You know you are more than welcome to bring me your beads to be annealed. I've never batch annealed before but I'm sure it won't be hard to figure out. Sounds like a good idea to leave them on the rods when you bring them to me.

See you Friday for your nails. :)

lbrutland 2009-10-04 4:55pm

they're off the rods Donna! You saw some of them the other day. Gotta get the right place in the flame to melt the rods. You might see me earlier with beads in hand!

PerfectDeb 2009-10-04 8:22pm

i went searching for a colour chart on moretti and ran across this guys website

http://www.chrisfisherart.com/Morett...ic%20Chart.htm

- he lists most moretti colours but more importantly he details how each glass melts, soft/hard etc and if its shocky or striking or reducing - i printed it out and stuck it on the wall in front of the torch so i could refer to it, it was a godsend till i became more familiar with the different colours

thanks again Chris, hope you dont mind me posting the link here

lbrutland 2009-10-04 8:48pm

Thanks Deb. You, in one sentence said 3 words that are greek. shocky striking or reducing!!! Boy! I have a lot to learn

lunamoonshadow 2009-10-04 9:49pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by fannydotson (Post 2690322)
Look for a place that might let you bring your beads to them to batch anneal. I have a kiln on the way, so I have been using vermicullite in a small crockpot. I turn it on high while I am working, leave the beads in there for an hour on high, then turn it off. I have had 3 our of 30 crack. I was lucky to find a local shop, that sells glass supplies, and offers classes, that will anneal a batch of 60-75 for $5. Check out local places. Oh, I do not recommend cleaning your beads until they have been annealed.
On a side note, I was told that if a bead cracks or breaks before I get it to shop to anneal it, it was probably going to break anyway.

Yup.
I still do this & that's quite true--I send anything I torch @ home to Nikki or Sue for batching...someday I'll get my kiln paid off ](*,) (my ventilation is *excellent* now--I upgraded last year when mom said she was upgrading my torch for my birthday!) & once you figure out insurance heat & exactly what glasses will & won't batch happily, crock-pots can be quite useful...

And I recommend Nikki's site all the time for the hothead tutorials--they're AWESOME--she walked me through loads of stuff on my hothead! :love: There's not a lot you *can't* do with that little torch, it's quite versitile--I used mine for over 4 years (ok, 5? more?) & I'm not letting it go--I'm hoping I'll be able to demo with it next fall!

PerfectDeb 2009-10-05 1:06am

Quote:

Originally Posted by lbrutland (Post 2690714)
Thanks Deb. You, in one sentence said 3 words that are greek. shocky striking or reducing!!! Boy! I have a lot to learn

sorry pet, been there myself :lol:

shocky - some kinds of glass go pop when you first put them in the flame, it can be really scary for newbies and dangerous too, expecially when the popped bit goes down the clevage! always point the end of cold rods away from you so hopefully the popped bit doesnt fly back an hit you, its handy to know which ones are prone to it so you can be prepared

striking - some colours dont show until you reheat the bead, especially reds and yellows and pinks - you heat the glass, make the bead, let it cool a little then put it back in the flame and reheat it till glowing and voila! the colour comes out. actually its not quite that simple but...

reducing - these glass (mostly metallic) change colour when you reduce the oxygen in the flame, what colour you get depends on what glass you start with. you reduce the oxy by either turning it down on a surface mix torch or wrapping something heatproof around a hothead - i dont actually know much about how you do it on a hothead i've only seen pics (i have a minor)

you need to go buy yourself (or beg, borrow, steal) "passing the flame" by Corina Tettinger, it was my bible for the first couple of months

Beadanna 2009-10-05 1:25am

Look at ventilation, especially if your lungs are not 100% or they soon won't be, especially if you're using a hothead, and reactive glass (with a lot of metals in them.)
There is a lot of information here in the Studio and Safety threads.
My ventilation unit is arriving this morning (YAY!) and I'll soon be torching in my own shedio. I have asthma and though it's a couple of years since I got addicted I won't torch unless the ventilation protects my health.

Here is a link to Dale's 2007 article on Art Glass Answers called "Thinking outside the box (or Ventilation for Dummies)"
http://www.artglassanswers.com/forum...php?f=12&t=273

fannydotson 2009-10-05 3:16am

Quote:

Originally Posted by lunamoonshadow (Post 2690748)
Yup.
I still do this & that's quite true--I send anything I torch @ home to Nikki or Sue for batching...someday I'll get my kiln paid off ](*,) (my ventilation is *excellent* now--I upgraded last year when mom said she was upgrading my torch for my birthday!) & once you figure out insurance heat & exactly what glasses will & won't batch happily, crock-pots can be quite useful...

And I recommend Nikki's site all the time for the hothead tutorials--they're AWESOME--she walked me through loads of stuff on my hothead! :love: There's not a lot you *can't* do with that little torch, it's quite versitile--I used mine for over 4 years (ok, 5? more?) & I'm not letting it go--I'm hoping I'll be able to demo with it next fall!

Do you mind posting alink to Nikki's website, please? Thanks!

krisdaka 2009-10-05 3:28am

Ladies,
I would like to share something I've just learned myself, when first putting your footprint of glass on a hot mandrel, try melting a large gather of glass and touch the very tip of the glass on the SIDE of the mandrel. not at a 90 degree angle but at a 45 degree angle. It really helps with the placement of the way the glass sits on the mandrel, your ends will naturally come out because the glass isn't dripping a larger footprint.

NLC Beads 2009-10-05 11:55am

Quote:

Originally Posted by fannydotson (Post 2690848)
Do you mind posting alink to Nikki's website, please? Thanks!


http://www.nlcbeads.com/articles.php
Hope you enjoy, I had fun writing the notes - they were class handouts and I thought they were worth posting.

fannydotson 2009-10-05 12:01pm

Thanks!

Mitosis Glass 2009-10-06 8:25pm

Hi Lynn and welcome to the jungle. :D

I have no hothead advice since I've never used one. However, I wanted to encourage you to stick with it and read, read, read. Read the forums, read books, read blogs, read everything you can.

I remember when I was wanting to begin lampworking, I lurked on these forums and had NO IDEA what the heck everyone was talking about. Oxycon? 5 lpm? Optic mold? Reducing? Striking? Silvered glass? Huh?????

Now I "talk glass" both on the forums and off. It's just another language, and an easy-to-learn one at that. You'll get it, and you'll get the hang of glass too. I sweated over a hot torch for months before I finally felt like I "got" glass. I'm a long way from being awesome, but I do feel like I'm past the "rank beginner" stage finally.

Just have fun with it!

Mitosis Glass 2009-10-06 8:26pm

Erasing double post 'cause of computer hiccup


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