How the heck...

chrissij · #1 2010-03-31, 6:52am

do ya'll make those Big Hole Beads so freakin' uniform!?!?! and don't tell me "PPP" because I'm pee'd off. There must be some secret to uniformity around that HUMONGOUS mandrel that makes my hand cramp.

So...share your tips, tricks, and techniques. You know it's highly unlikely I'll ever be a competitor. I don't take pictures, and I don't list.

Help. Me.

simvet02 · #2 2010-03-31, 7:09am

LOL....I'm with you Crissij. I have the mandrels but what a mess I make with them...LOL I'll be interested to see what people say.

glassactcc · #3 2010-03-31, 7:12am

What I do is lay down a "footprint" and only build on that. I only add glass to the glass that is already there. And the "footprint" I keep skinny. It will round up and even out pretty much on it's own. That's how I do it now lets see what everyone else says.

Lisi · #4 2010-03-31, 7:18am

For me to get them right, I start with a very thin footprint. I pull my base color I'm going to use down to a thick stringer. Not too thin a stringer, or you will lose control and it will "stop" in places as you wrap around.

Make your thin disc footprint first, then add more glass. If you are having trouble holding and turning these heavy mandrels (yes, they are heavy!) then invest in some hollow ones. I bought the hollow 1/4" ones in a bulk buy that Tink had a few years ago.

To steady your rotation, use a tail stock holder. If you don't have one of those tools, you can make your own with a piece of boro rod. Heat the end of a boro rod into a rounded ball end, get it pretty hot, place it down on your marver, and poke a depression in it with the end of the 1/4" mandrel. I throw mine in the annealer to make them stronger because that tooled end you made gets exposed to a lot of heat everytime you use it. They can shatter after a while, but usually last a long time.

Tail stock holders make a big difference and will be a big help for you if you aren't already using one.

nickandryan · #5 2010-03-31, 7:20am

I would be very interested to hear some tricks for this as well- I have the best luck with Cynthia's method, but I swear, even though it might look perfect, when you go to core, you find out how "off" it really is. I think I have made 200 of these and I still can't get it right on. Most of my regular beads are made on a 3/32", and those come out really even. Maybe it's the HH- not getting the glass hot enough to really slump down onto the thick mandrel, which stays fairly cool?

An un-ending quest, for sure! Laura

Lisi · #6 2010-03-31, 7:28am

One thing I found is if I was having trouble, is that 104 is much easier to melt around these thick things than 96 or 90 COE.

glassactcc · #7 2010-03-31, 7:29am

I don't core mine so maybe I just THINK my are even

Quote:

Originally Posted by nickandryan

when you go to core, you find out how "off" it really is.

squid · #8 2010-03-31, 7:29am

the narrow footprint does help a lot, but it really is just PPP. You have to move just the outer bits of the glass to even it up, so it's a little trickier, but once you learn it it's like riding a bike

Lisi · #9 2010-03-31, 7:36am

Another thick stringer trick -

1) Get mandrel good and hot, "anchor" your stringer with a light touch, get out and under the flame so in a fraction of a second your stringer glass is cooling.

2) Then "stretch" the glass in a straight line around the mandrel.

3) Back in the heat for a split second so this won't pop off.

This is all done rather swiftly, and it takes a little practice. Does anyone remember Corina's stringer control technique?? When she gently stretches the somewhat cool stringer across a bead to get those perfectly straight lines? This is what I'm talking about, only it's done around a mandrel not across a bead.

Laying down this straight footprint, it's all about temperature and movement control, and I have to give Corina credit for that.

jamie lynne · #10 2010-03-31, 7:38am

When I switched from 1/4 inch to 3/16 I found it to be a lot easier to get an even bead. What size mandrel are you using Chrissi?

squid · #11 2010-03-31, 7:44am

she's probably using a 3/32 and calling it a big hole bead

BellaBean · #12 2010-03-31, 7:49am

I use the end of a bead roller to square up the ends of my very flat footprint before building. I think mine are pretty even. I've also used the "get it really hot and let it drip its way around the mandrel" technique. That usually makes a pretty even footprint too.

jamie lynne · #13 2010-03-31, 8:07am

I forgot she is the teeny tiny bead queen.

Quote:

Originally Posted by squid

she's probably using a 3/32 and calling it a big hole bead

artwhim · #14 2010-03-31, 8:17am

Since you normally make "micro" beads

, you most likely work pretty cool. Try using more heat when making BHBs. The huge mandrel sucks a lot of heat out of the glass, so it will take way more heat to get the glass to flow and round up. As mentioned above, setting a footprint is really important on these beads to make them uniformly round.

When rounding up, if one part seems to start filling out a side too much, use a marver to put it back right. The marver will suck the heat out of that spot and help maintain the straight edge.

clan tabby · #15 2010-03-31, 8:19am

I had trouble just getting the footprint down straight! The glass wanted to waver drunkenly all over the mandrel. That surprised me; wasn't expecting anything like that. I made key-bob thingies out of them & gave 'em away. That way I don't have to look at them any more.

Toni Lutman · #16 2010-03-31, 8:20am

Quote:

Originally Posted by squid

she's probably using a 3/32 and calling it a big hole bead

chrissij · #17 2010-03-31, 8:35am

Quote:

Originally Posted by squid

she's probably using a 3/32 and calling it a big hole bead

Kiss my go to hell...

I don't know what size it is...it's the smallest of the hollow mandrels that are used for the Pandora (

ever) beads.

squid · #18 2010-03-31, 8:48am

5/32 probably

CO_Phantom · #19 2010-03-31, 8:51am

Awww, you're really having a hard time with these!

And squid!

You meanie!

The biggest tip I can offer you is what's already been said here. Start with a small, even footprint. You can always add more glass to make that bigger, but it's really hard to add glass to make it even. I usually do that big huge glob of molten glass and then barely touch the mandrel, stretch the glass and wrap it around technique.

I don't core mine either, so I'm with Cynthia and maybe I only *think* they're straight?

-Amy

chrissij · #20 2010-03-31, 8:52am

I have to try to remember who I got those mandrels from; I think it was Howaco. I have Volvo customers bugging me regularly about those %$#@*%!!! bracelet beads. I keep telling them I don't want to make big beads, and that melting glass is my outlet, and suggest they search etsy...

and yet they continue to irritate the %$#@*%!!! outta' me.

CO_Phantom · #21 2010-03-31, 8:54am

Bastards.

Seriously, if'n ya don't wanna do it, don't. It takes all the fun out of melting glass if you're stuck doing something you absolutely don't want to do.

-Amy

chrissij · #22 2010-03-31, 8:57am

Well, I'd like to be able to make them. Of course, if I do relent and learn to make them, they'll probably bug me more. It's sounding less and less like a good plan.

CO_Phantom · #23 2010-03-31, 9:08am

There's nothing wrong with learning to make them just for the sake of learning to make them. So leave that as your focus. That you're learning because you want to expand your bead skills set.

But if you don't want to make them for your customers, then don't. Learn for you so you can say you can, but if it's not something you enjoy, then leave it at that.

-Amy

chrissij · #24 2010-03-31, 9:09am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lisi

Another thick stringer trick -

1) Get mandrel good and hot, "anchor" your stringer with a light touch, get out and under the flame so in a fraction of a second your stringer glass is cooling.

2) Then "stretch" the glass in a straight line around the mandrel.

3) Back in the heat for a split second so this won't pop off.

This is all done rather swiftly, and it takes a little practice. Does anyone remember Corina's stringer control technique?? When she gently stretches the somewhat cool stringer across a bead to get those perfectly straight lines? This is what I'm talking about, only it's done around a mandrel not across a bead.

Laying down this straight footprint, it's all about temperature and movement control, and I have to give Corina credit for that.

Do you mean like what I do when I'm laying down a stripe, stop before the end of the bead, take the cool stringer and pull it to the hole?

and you do that around the mandrel?

I've been trying to add glass and smash the %$#@*%!!! straight.

I don't have a thick rod of Boro to do the tailstock holder thing, but I can probably MacGyver something.

CO_Phantom · #25 2010-03-31, 9:12am

If you don't have a thick enough rod, melt a blob at the end and poke a hole in for the "tailstock holder" part of it.

That will work for you.

Sounds like you're not getting your footprint even enough using your method (that's how I started doing mine, too). If you start with a stringer, it's easier to control as you wrap an entire eensy spacer around that mandrel. Then start building up your glass from that initial footprint, and your beads should be more even.

-Amy

SuzyQ · #26 2010-03-31, 9:14am

Quote:

Originally Posted by squid

she's probably using a 3/32 and calling it a big hole bead

AKDesigns · #27 2010-03-31, 9:18am

If you're not coring your beads it's not much of an issue. I made hundreds and hundreds before coring and what I thought was a fairly even footprint was no biggie. Coring them means you need a nice straight line on each side and an even width all the way around. I found that silver glass is much harder to use to get an even footprint than non silver 104 glass. The non silver glass pretty much does the work for you. Unfortunately I like to use silver glass for my base. I do a thin wrap around the mandrel, removing glass if I need to so it's really thin and I can see my two sides. Then I go back over each side individually and move/paint the glass into an even edge. Then I do the other side. Depending on how wide of a base I end up with determines what style of bead I'm making.

Toni Lutman · #28 2010-03-31, 9:19am

These HUGE beads that Chris is trying to make are the size of the smallest ones I can even THINK about doing.

KEW · #29 2010-03-31, 9:29am

So what width do you aim for in the initial footprint?

SuzyQ · #30 2010-03-31, 9:33am

I hate to say this but it really is PPP. I struggled with my first ones too. Here is what managed to get me moving in the right direction:

It is about the footprint. At first it's hard to get the right amount of glass hot enough to make it all the way around in an even amount. I find it is easiest to get it right all at once. I lay down the footprint to be almost the width I want the bead to be. Try using a skinnier rod a bit thinner width than you want the bead to be. Heat up the entire part of the end that would be enough to wrap once. Do one single wrap around and round it out Then let it cool a bit so you don't ruin the footprint as you add more glass. Now for my super duper extra secret hint - If you find you have a fatter section but you think you actually have a decent footprint you can take your tweezer mashers and squish the fat sides skinny enough to match the rest. This will keep your sides cool while you twirl and get the rest of the glass to flow away. It may take a few tries but it is worth learning how to do this. I find when I decorate it's easy to squash the bead fat in random places and then you really want to know how to save it.

Hope this helps! As for matching sizes, I make 4 to a mandrel for spacers and pairs for decorated.