Hi Chimehk,
Jim Smircich's 1st DVD is really excellent. He starts of with basic winding tips and moves to quite advanced techniques, but watching him is what helped me to understand the approach that I'm trying to teach now. It costs $40 US, but that's pretty reasonable when you consider how much a class with him would cost. It's worth it because you learn more from it on your 2nd, 3rd, 4th viewing etc. He has some free online picture tutorials, as well. His website's
www.smircich.com .
I'm happy with the "flat wiping" approach because I feel in control of the bead size and shape, and because the approach of heating the tip of the cane and "wiping" it onto the bead in a flat swath can be applied to many different techniques - especially for thin encasing and for line-encasing longer beads! So for me it's been good to practice and understand it. I'm still learning every time I torch.
By the way, applying clear encasing is a really tricky technique! Most people take months to get the hang of it, so it's great that you're even trying it at 10 hours. Practice, practice practice!
I also looked at the beadworx tutorial posted above me. It's a totally different approach - first making a big, hot gather, then winding it all at once! There are lots of ways to make basic beads and none are "wrong" if you get results that make you happy. The "big blob" method works well if you are confident in controlling lots of really hot, soupy glass. It's also a great technique for encasing smaller, rounder beads. Working "hot and soupy" might be more appealing for people with powerful torches, as well. I've been on a small torch but I'm upgrading and will try playing more with the "big blob" style in the future. Find the style that works best for you, or mix and match!
But I do think that Smircich's DVD is an excellent resource and that his approach will really help develop anyone's core beadmaking skills. He's really got the whole heat control thing figured out! That's the key to everything in lampworking.
A note about the "pushing": you should be pushing the cane tip against the base bead/footprint, but not pushing towards the centre of the bead - you're wiping it across the surface of the bead at an angle. This helps to keep your whole cane tip from sticking. It should feel like spreading soft, slippery frosting. Check out the pictures I've attached - hopefully they make more sense than my explanation.
-Heather