Lampwork Etc.
 
AKDesign

LE Live Chat

Enter Live Chat

No users in chat


Frantz Art Glass & Supply

Caber Light


 

Go Back   Lampwork Etc. > Library > Tips, Techniques, and Questions

Tips, Techniques, and Questions -- Technical questions or tips

Reply
 
Thread Tools
  #1  
Old 2014-06-23, 4:49pm
Mina's Avatar
Mina Mina is offline
Lifelong Student
 
Join Date: Apr 13, 2014
Location: Washington USA
Posts: 2,660
Default Hollow bead size

What is the smallest size hollow bead you can make? What technique do you use? What size glass? Pastel or transparent?
__________________
Norma
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 2014-06-23, 5:01pm
Charmaine's Avatar
Charmaine Charmaine is offline
lurking on LE since 2005
 
Join Date: Sep 18, 2005
Location: williamsburg, va
Posts: 326
Default

Smallest I can make consistently is 10mm. Very thin walls. I tend to prefer transparents (Czech glass, natch...) but opaques work just as well. I make two discs on a mandrel.
__________________

To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
J-55

To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.


Check out my Encasing and HOLLOW tri-color Tutorials in my Etsy shop-and my NEW encased, layered, feathered bead!

To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 2014-06-23, 6:08pm
Mina's Avatar
Mina Mina is offline
Lifelong Student
 
Join Date: Apr 13, 2014
Location: Washington USA
Posts: 2,660
Default

Wow....that is small! Do you use stringer?
__________________
Norma
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 2014-06-24, 3:57am
Charmaine's Avatar
Charmaine Charmaine is offline
lurking on LE since 2005
 
Join Date: Sep 18, 2005
Location: williamsburg, va
Posts: 326
Default

oh, no, never. always a full rod. and some rods I use are up to 10mm thick.

the 10mm beads were featured in this cover necklace: (I only made the beads, but the magazine gave me no credit-thanks!)

__________________

To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
J-55

To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.


Check out my Encasing and HOLLOW tri-color Tutorials in my Etsy shop-and my NEW encased, layered, feathered bead!

To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 2014-06-24, 7:03am
Mina's Avatar
Mina Mina is offline
Lifelong Student
 
Join Date: Apr 13, 2014
Location: Washington USA
Posts: 2,660
Default

Would you be willing to tell me how you make your hollow beads? How far apart are your disks, how high do you make them, do you use a puffy mandrel? My attempted hollow beads don't turn out hollow. There is no air bubble in the middle.

I make two very small base beads that are apart from each other, then I start adding rings to the beads to make disk beads. When they are as high as I want them I start adding rings to the inside of the disks until they meet. I add a ring around the center for good measure then melt and shape. I quickly patch any holes that I find along the way
__________________
Norma
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 2014-06-24, 7:31am
Robin Passovoy Robin Passovoy is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 31, 2009
Posts: 504
Default

I can get my hollow beads down to the size of peas, and I use the disc method like you do, Mina, except that I don't add the extra ring around the middle. I've found that soft glass (104 COE) is generally too soft for hollow beads at that scale--you practically have to work it over a votive candle! 90 or 96 COE is better for that work, and recycled bottle glass is ideal. Just remember to keep the bead out of the direct flame until you're ready to melt all the coils in. The only part of the work that should be fully in the flame is the rod/stringer that you're using to build the bead. Even so, keep your flame small and cool, and be very patient with it.
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 2014-06-24, 9:02am
Mina's Avatar
Mina Mina is offline
Lifelong Student
 
Join Date: Apr 13, 2014
Location: Washington USA
Posts: 2,660
Default

What size mandrel do you use?
__________________
Norma
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 2014-06-24, 9:35am
Charmaine's Avatar
Charmaine Charmaine is offline
lurking on LE since 2005
 
Join Date: Sep 18, 2005
Location: williamsburg, va
Posts: 326
Default

I use 5/64 mandrels (I tend to melt the 1/16 ones, and 3/32 are too big for my taste). I have no secret to making them, I don't use a puffy mandrel, just make two disks side by side and join them together. Distance apart on the mandrel determines whether it's going to be more round or donut shape, so it would depend on what you're aiming for. I used mostly double helix for those beads on the magazine, but a couple are 96 COE (veiled cane). Typically I only use 104
__________________

To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
J-55

To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.


Check out my Encasing and HOLLOW tri-color Tutorials in my Etsy shop-and my NEW encased, layered, feathered bead!

To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 2014-06-24, 3:56pm
Mina's Avatar
Mina Mina is offline
Lifelong Student
 
Join Date: Apr 13, 2014
Location: Washington USA
Posts: 2,660
Default

I wish I lived near someone that would show me. I'm very much a hands on learner and I'm not getting it. I understand what you are explaining, but they don't turn out right. Sadly my hollows have no hollow
__________________
Norma
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old 2014-06-24, 4:34pm
mewkittie's Avatar
mewkittie mewkittie is offline
Uh Oh....
 
Join Date: Dec 06, 2005
Posts: 1,039
Default

Mina - your disks have to be fairly thin when you start building them, like 1/8", or else they will end up with thick walls. For me it's easier using a puffy mandrel but then they turn out bigger than 10mm and the hole size is larger too since it's difficult to use really thin tubing for a mandrel.
__________________
Susan

To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
Reply With Quote
  #11  
Old 2014-06-24, 4:37pm
jaci's Avatar
jaci jaci is offline
Glass-aholic
 
Join Date: Mar 21, 2007
Location: CT, tolland CT
Posts: 4,332
Default

In Washington state... The northwest is kinda like Mecca of the western world for glass! There probably is someone close.
__________________
Minor 10lpm Oxy-Con + HH on Propylene . . . . . .

To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
.
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.


To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
hand dyed silk ribbons in many colors!
WASHERS & TOPPERS - layering components for interchangeable glass topper and to use in other jewelry/metalwork.:
Reply With Quote
  #12  
Old 2014-07-01, 3:12pm
SunDoorBeads's Avatar
SunDoorBeads SunDoorBeads is offline
Uh-oh means it's too late
 
Join Date: May 23, 2007
Location: South Florida
Posts: 2,527
Default

I use a puffy mandrel and right now the 3/32 is the smallest I could find. I use 104 and I like to have at least 3mm east and west of the puffy hole to get a nice bubble. After I have it puffed to the thickness I want I reheat gently and use my round graphite mold to round it out a bit. The smallest I get is about 12mm that way.
__________________
TTFN
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
Michelle


To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.



To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.



To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
Reply With Quote
  #13  
Old 2014-07-02, 3:55am
Charmaine's Avatar
Charmaine Charmaine is offline
lurking on LE since 2005
 
Join Date: Sep 18, 2005
Location: williamsburg, va
Posts: 326
Default something to ponder

This may or may not shed some light: sometimes what I found happening, especially with soupy, not stiff glass like Amber Rose, is that it would collapse on itself because of how I would heat it.

I found that if my hollows were consistently collapsing on themselves, that some glass like this needs to be heated only in the middle (i.e. equator) section to get it to puff into a hollow shape. Any attempt to heat the sides to get them to smooth out would cause collapse. (and I'm talking 12-15mm beads)

So, once you are sure there are no gaps, and want to heat it to a round/oblong shape, try only applying heat to the center part (again, slow rotation, one direction, not too close to the actual flame source) and see if that makes any difference.

Also, since you aren't heating the sides too much, they're less likely to lose their shape, keeping the bead from flopping around.
__________________

To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
J-55

To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.


Check out my Encasing and HOLLOW tri-color Tutorials in my Etsy shop-and my NEW encased, layered, feathered bead!

To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
Reply With Quote
  #14  
Old 2014-07-02, 6:24am
Mina's Avatar
Mina Mina is offline
Lifelong Student
 
Join Date: Apr 13, 2014
Location: Washington USA
Posts: 2,660
Default

Thanks for the suggestions, I'll try them out to see if they work for me...I'm ready for some
PPP
__________________
Norma
Reply With Quote
  #15  
Old 2014-07-02, 6:55am
Eileen's Avatar
Eileen Eileen is offline
Loving learning
 
Join Date: Oct 11, 2010
Location: Florida
Posts: 11,650
Default

Norma, I'm no expert on hollows, have only made a few, but after your questions about the torch flame, I'm wondering if you could have it too hot?
__________________
My current "hot" fantasy involves a senior discount on glass & tools!
Reply With Quote
  #16  
Old 2014-07-02, 7:29am
Eileen's Avatar
Eileen Eileen is offline
Loving learning
 
Join Date: Oct 11, 2010
Location: Florida
Posts: 11,650
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mina View Post
I wish I lived near someone that would show me. I'm very much a hands on learner and I'm not getting it. I understand what you are explaining, but they don't turn out right. Sadly my hollows have no hollow
Have you watched some of the videos? I'm visual too, and the videos always help me understand the written instructions better.

https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q...k+hollow+beads
__________________
My current "hot" fantasy involves a senior discount on glass & tools!
Reply With Quote
  #17  
Old 2014-07-02, 7:44am
Mina's Avatar
Mina Mina is offline
Lifelong Student
 
Join Date: Apr 13, 2014
Location: Washington USA
Posts: 2,660
Default

Eileen, I had that same thought. I have made a conscious effort to work with a cooler flame. Gonna try making these with a cooler flame to see if that might be my issue
__________________
Norma
Reply With Quote
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump




All times are GMT -7. The time now is 3:32pm.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.7.5
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Your IP: 3.92.96.247