Twistie Tuts/Instructions/Videos - What's your favorite?
 

I see so many different techniques for making twisites, and I've tried a couple of them with not much success. Mostly I have problems with heat control, but all that requires is a little (or a lot of) PPP. But, even considering that, I'm wondering if I'm trying the "wrong" techniques to begin with. Maybe a certain technique is too hard for me but another technique I haven't heard about would be easier, so I had an idea to start this thread.

Can people please recommend their favorite twistie technique/tut/instructions or video and maybe we can create a repository for links to "all" the various twistie techniques there are out there?

Thanks!

I'm biased. ;)

http://lampworketc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=27866

SRA-96 has a Cane cookbook that is excellent and goes into great detail about heat control etc. well worth the money.

Well, the pulling and twisting is the main thing. How you build the twistie or what you pull with is less important. (I do it different ways depending on what I have to hand).

But that said, I didn't like using two glass rods to make them when I started: just all sorts of things like shocking your punties, melting parts you didn't want melted... You want the mass of glass you're pulling from to feel secure, so making them on a stainless steel chopstick or the end of a bare mandrel works if you have the same problem. Once you've got the heat control sorted, that probably won't matter anymore.

YouTube. It's easier for me to see it done.

Twisties were the first thing I did when I started! I found them super simple, at least to do easy 2 color twists. I hold one rod in my left hand, one in my right, warm an inch or so of each until they start to glow. Lay them together, spin them in the heat until they're soft, pull out of the flame, wait a second or two, then start pulling slowly while spinning rods in opposite directions. Stringer and twisties are actually a great way to learn heat control.

Kimberly Affleck's method is my favorite. And I find it much easier to control the pull when using 1/8" mandrels as punties.

http://www.corinabeads.com/pages/drkimtwistie.php

Nance, do you have a particular video that you find helps you most?

That's basically the technique that I've seen in different places. This quote is the part I have the most trouble with: "Keep flashing the gather in the flame, then out, in, then out to keep the gather just hot enough to pull."

I've never been very good at the "[in], then out, in, then out" thing. :)

Lyssa - No, not really. I love them all. It's fun to see how others do it then try each technique to see what works for me.