How frugal are you...tips! :-)
 

When it comes to my propane tank...I use it until it's down to fumes. When I know it's REALLY low I start making small beads. That way, when I do run out of propane, I only risk losing one donut! I've been lucky though....I've been able to finish every bead!!!!! LOL

How about you...any good tips on how to get the most out of every dollar?

I melt my shorts to a longer rod, or use my rod holder to use all of it. I hate shorts, they clutter my head rather than anything else. When I buy someones shorts, my head just spins until they are all sorted out, and prepared for use, or just used up.
If I would have piece that I absolutely wont be using as a rod form... then I either smash it into frit, or use it underneath another color, to save the more expensive glasses.

I use the corrugated edge of an old steel cheese slicer instead of a Barley tool. My vent fan was a free squirrel cage fan from a local shop. I built my own table out of plywood, and got my PVC pipe to hold my glass on Freecycle. My sister bought me a texture base and I just get the different texture tools ather than all the presses.

Lessee ... Of course I put cheap glass in the middle of a bead and cover it with the spendy glass. I use silver glasses, but I buy shorts and seconds, and use faux boro when I can. Instead of a spiral masher I use coiled steel wire, and begged old dental tools from my dentist.

Of course, I DID buy a Scorpion, but it was at the intro price. My Cricket I bought used.

Given where I am I don't buy glass (or just about anything else) from vendors who don't ship glass rods (or just about anything else) in USPS flat rate boxes (or envelopes) - I make an exception for seed beads. I wish I wouldn't have to.

ETA: oh, and, of course what exceeds flat rate box size, like 96COE rods, my kilns, etc.

I love the "old steel cheese slicer" idea! ;-)

I'm a girl on a budget but I firmly believe in the term false economy.

I'm not a big press fan with the exceptions of the lentil, button and crunchy shapes as they can not be easily achieved on their own. But, I have found with the bead rollers, you can get the shape you want in a fraction of the time. I make a ton of round beads and with the bead roller, you can get perfection in seconds. This frees me up to make more beads without all the boring bits.

I made my own tungsten picks. I bought the size tungsten I wanted from the welding shop for about $6 per rod. I also bought a product called chem sharp which I split with a couple of other lampworkers.

Using my dremel with the cutting bit, I cut the tungsten in half. Drilled a hole into the end of a piece of dowel and glued it in using an A & B epoxy. Then, I put the tungsten into the flame until it was glowing red and then put it into the chem sharp. It will sizzle a bit so have a glass of water ready. Continue to heat and dip into the chem sharp until you get the point you desire. About once a year, I put a new tip on the tungsten.

You can use an ice cream scoop to roll and shape your beads in.

Cheese slicer? Like the ones that slice a single peice of cheese or did you mean grater?

Exactly what Ive been trying to figure out.... plus that I am from Finland, where we use probably different kind of slicers than here... well, used to anyhow. I guess the slicers are now same looking here than they are in Finland. But I would love to see a picture of that... even my husband couldnt come up with an explanation. :lol:

All awesome ideas, specially the cheese slicer! Cool! I give my dh the last of my propane which he uses to grill with.....LOL

The cheese slicer has a wavy edge
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I have one from pampered chef years ago. I had found a small one in a yardsale but I dont' know what happened to it. LOL It is long and it looks like above.....if it came out right LOL

Aaaaaah.... I think I know now... Thanks a bunch!

LOL, your welcome!!

I built my bailey box out of 2x4's and aluminum sheet roofing that comes as a roll at Lowes. My workbench is an old steel desk I got for $10 on Craigslist. The flooring in my sheddio is also the same aluminum sheet roofing that I laid down and secured with flathead sheet metal screws. My kiln table is a huge fugly iron and glass coffeetable I bought for $8 at a garage sale. I laid down that fireproof board and then a couple of long concrete blocks and that's what the kiln sits on.

Recently our fridge died and I appropriated all the door and veggie bins. Those slide under the kiln coffeetable to store misc. items like packaging, bubble wrap, extra tools, whatever. Nothing leaves my house without being examined for possible cannibalization for studio use. :lol:

Glassymom has it right. It's actually a crinkle cut knife, along these lines. This one isn't the one I have, but it does the same thing, and both would make a good Barley tool if you already have one or found one at a thrift store for a dollar or so.

http://images.zesco.com/pimages/thum.../018-b-106.jpg

The one I have has a blade that is less wide, and has no straight side sections. Mine has a green plastic handle and is more like this:

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/...qL._AA115_.jpg

Aaaaaaah.... I have a soap cutter like that... to cut the self made soap with.

i just read about the milk jug photo tent! Now THAT is frugal! and practical!!!

I think it works pretty well!

wow tammy... great beads, and pics!

Did I miss it, what about the milk jug? how!

Take a milk jug, cut the top 1/3 off. Wrap the sides, bottom and back in aluminum foil leaving only the top clear. Voila, light box. When I'm not using my camera, I keep it stored in the container.

Oh thanks so much! I have not figured out the photo deal yet, I would like to post some pictures but they are not good! I like to make beads much more than I like trying to take pictures!

I love this idea!! It is just my speed.
I am probably being dense, but how do you do it without the foil showing up in the picture? And do you need special lights? I didn't find anything when I tried to search.

When I first started torching, I needed a kiln and heard that a local high school was renovating their art department.... I hustled right over and asked the teacher if she had any kilns the were going to trash and she had two that they had for years and hadn't been used in a LONG time. Surely enough, I ended up with a "for now" kiln, then replaced the element on the other and have a great one! (I was going to keep the other as a backup, but when I was taking it out to my car I forgot my keys and left it while I ran back to get the car keys.. it got stolen.. someone probably got a very unpleasant surprise :P)

sooo... get to know local art teachers!

I have it under a halogen down light so I don't use any special lighting other than the camera flash. I have a Canon G9 with an excellent zoom. Using a doubled up piece of tissue paper to defuse the light a bit, I move back a bit and then zoom in. If I try to photograph close up, the flash is too much.

The photos taken were in the same position. Notice the string of clear elastic on the top? That is to hang earrings.

Lots of folks use the inexpensive clip lamps that are used on construction sites or a desk light. I'm too lazy.

Tammy, Wow!! Thank you SO MUCH for taking the time to post the pictures and add the description. Obviously this works great for you! I'm definitely going to try it.

cool idea, I was trying to imagine it........guess with the different milk container it was hard. Thanks for the pic tammy!!
Sue

I wish I could take credit for this but I learned it from Bright Eyes Beads. Next time I'm back in the USA I'm going to bring home a 4 liter jug. In Aus, the largest opaque container is only 3 litres.

Oh wow, I though it was bigger. Gallon jugs I have here (just wondering which side to put the handle (all gallon milk containers here have handles).


I save and clean all my broken beads to at some point make frit out of. I got the most awesome magnet in the Secret Santa this past Christmas to get the metal out, it's round with a hole in the middle.
I preheat rods on top of my kiln under a fiber blanket.
I put a fiber blanket in front of the bead door of my Glasshive kiln as soon as I start the annealing cycle (weigh down with some rocks so that it stays in place).
Like a lot of other people I fuse my shorts together.

Love all the ideas. For any of you who ship check with your local Produce department. Many in bubble wrap that is very nice and clean. The Produce crew usually will save you a bag or two if you ask. It is a great way to recycle for your shipping needs.