[jib]

Originally Posted by Dale M.

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

Thank you very much!
Nancy