Making a round bead
 

(I posted this question on another thread, but I don't think there is much action there, so I am reposting here. I hope that this is OK.)

I've seen two methods to wrap the first layer around when making a round bead. I'm confused.

One method had one lay down a thin, somewhat narrow layer of glass on the mandrel and then add on top of it. The other one had the glass wrapped, then the next wrap near it, fuse them together and then rounded it.

When I try to do it, I am not able to get a wide wrap of glass on the mandrel; it ends up being very narrow. I also have trouble getting that ball of molten glass on the end of the rod. It looks like an eel instead of a ball, even though I am rotating the rod the whole time.

Thanks for any help,
Jib

The way you start the bead, double wrap and connect or single narrow wrap and amount of glass on bead will determine the (usually) final shape of bead,,, The double wrap and connect plus amount of glass will usually create a round bead... The narrow single wrap will usually create a donut shaped bead ... the reason is the glass is not prone to flow along mandrel but to stay where it is initially placed.... To get glass to flow along mandrel you need lots of heat and you usually have to "move it" with marvers or tools...

And as for getting glass to flow, remember "earth sucks", the amount of heat and the way you move rod or wind of glass on mandrel will always move the molten glass down.... You have to counter that movement by centrifugal force or by rotating rods or mandrels at correct speed so gravity exerts equal force around molten glass glob...

The laws of fluid dynamics always work on glass when it is in its molten "plastic" state....

Dale

I tend to do a single normal wrap, maybe double for a bigger bead. I then flatten it by rolling it on a marver, so I have a tube/cylinder bead. That is my base. Then I add more glass in the middle. Usually this works to get a round(er) bead than a donut.

Thank you very much!
Nancy