Petals maker

[Bobby]

I answered a thread in the "Tips" section and thought it might be something that could be a quick tutorial on making petals.
Anything I can tape down to a pair of tweezers or tongs and use for manipulating glass makes for more "monies" to buy more "glass".









another tutorial

http://www.lampworketc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1933

[Laurie L]

Great idea and lovely flowers from the tool. Way to go !!!

[Marie C]

Nice!

Just a few questions:
OK, you make the petals and leaves individually, keep warm, then assemble?

How do you make your leaves? They're really pretty!

Approx. what size do you make the petals (inches, please ) ?


When assembling, are they attached to each other or to a base bead? What do you do with them, make rings, earrings, pins?

Thanks for sharing!!! Warmly, Marie C

[Bobby]

The petals are from 1/2" to 3/4". I make some 1" for pendants. Any size will work......just depends what you want to do with it. I made a red/white/blue flower for the 4th and the patels were almost 2". I used a velvet ribbon and made a chocker.

I attach most of them to a small tab bead and sometimes add a little glass to the backs of the petals if there is not a lot of overlap.

I mostly make pendant necklaces and bracelets. The petals for the bracelet flowers are just under 1/2".




A link to the off mandrel leaves.

http://www.lampworketc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1933

Hope this helps.

Thanks
Bobby

[angie]

Wow great idea!!!

How do you attach the leaves to the tab bead? do you reheat? or glue?

[The Pear Door]

How smart you are!!!! I use a spoon all the time to shape lentils.....why didn't I think of that! My daughter laughs at me because I have better kitchen utensils in the studio than I do in the kitchen! I just told her that beading is more important than cooking!

Thanks for the idea!

[KEW]

Wow, so simple,yet so smart!

[tangentgirl]

This is supercool! So much for our spoons...

[GinaJ]

What a great idea!!!! Thanks!

[Beadbug]

WOW wonderful

[Bobby]

thought I would bump this up for awhile.

Bobby

[ItsMeRoRo]

I saw a question about keeping petals warm - I use a very small crock pot set on high. Works for me better than a warming plate (does not melt). Hope this helps!

[theglasszone]

So, then - can you make a bunch of petals, let them cool and accumulate them to assemble later - then warm them all in the crockpot when you get ready to use them? I'd think it would be a PITA to dig through vermiculite to find them all during assemblage...so do you just put them into the crock pot without any suspension material - just right onto the bottom of the pot? Also, if you make them all in advance, is it a good idea to anneal them before you go to the assembling step?

I love home-made (SMART) tools - thanks so much for sharing and for the bump-up back to where it should be!

DeAnne in CA

[RuskinDesigns]

You can also use those cheap candle warmers or coffee cup warmers to keep your components warm.

[Bobby]

DeAnne..........I make mine and put them on a little egg cooker. At the end of the day I just turn the egg cooker off and the glass that is left goes cold. Next day I just turn it back on and it heats the glass up again. Have had very few crack but that's why you make more that you need.
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Love the idea of the small crock pot.

Bobby

[Juliac]

Thanks for this Bobby. could you put them just inside your kiln door and use them that way?

[Bobby]

Juliac..........yes you can. I use the egg cooker for the smaller petals because it seems quicker but for bigger things I lay them inside the kiln door and fish them out with long tweezers.

Bobby

[Dreamscapes Studio]

Bobby ... oh my goodness ... another awesome tool idea!!! Such ingenuity!!!

[Bryon]

Harbor fright has welding plyers that about 3" wide by 1" deep flat cast iron for like $3.98 (orange handles) B

[theglasszone]

Originally Posted by Bobby

DeAnne..........I make mine and put them on a little egg cooker. At the end of the day I just turn the egg cooker off and the glass that is left goes cold. Next day I just turn it back on and it heats the glass up again. Have had very few crack but that's why you make more that you need.
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Love the idea of the small crock pot.

Bobby

Thanks Bobby - but what the heck is an "Egg Cooker"? (My hubby actually called me that during my pregnancy...ha!) I usually cook my eggs on a thing called a "stove" (giggle!)

DeAnne in CA

[Bobby]

DeAnne.........I thought I had a picture on one of the tutorials. Couldn't locate it so will upload it here. I put a little foil hood around it...........not sure why except that it might hold the heat in better or not let the air waft over the hot glass...........who knows ! ! ! The plate gets pretty hot and seems to keep the glass from breaking. I can reach in with the tweezers and pick a petal I like for the flower.

Cute hubby......haven't heard that one in a long time.



Bobby

[Bobby]

Here are a few more flowers from the quicky tutorial..........
I was really into flowers for awhile..........
need to get back to them since spring will hopefully be here soon...........
wishing wishing wishing ! ! !







Enyoy

Bobby

a link to the leaves that also go into the cooker:

http://www.lampworketc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1933

[Michelle Walsh]

When you use the little crock pot that is without vermiculite, right? So you can just look in and see which petals you want to use?

Thanks~

[Jeri]

I bought a device that is supposed to make two grilled cheese sandwiches side by side. It has a black non-stick interior. It is great for keeping petals quite warm. It has totally supplanted my George Foreman Grill, which is what I used to use! (Sorry George) Jeri

[theglasszone]

Thanks Bobby and Jeri for the suggestions...I have one of the little "Coffee Warmer" type things, but I believe the very top of it is some sort of plastic...I'd worry about putting newly created, still-quite-hot (hotter than a coffee cup could ever get, that's for sure!) petals atop it! Egg Cooker or Grill Cheese Maker...I'm going to check my "Big Lots" to see what they have!

Thanks again,
DeAnne in CA

[Jeri]

I got my grilled cheese thingie in K-Mart. You are right to be leery of the coffee warmer's surface, I have melted them with hot petals! Jeri

[Dreamscapes Studio]

A toaster oven works great too ... or a hotplate with a steel plate on top works great too.

[Kybeadmaker]

I have used several types of petal makers and I have one problem that happens too often, one or more petals break off. Many times this is several weeks up to several months after I have made the bead. I keep all petals in my kiln until they are attached to the base. I keep the base, as well as the petals, rotating through the flame and appear to have a good attachment with each petal. The petals are not thin and I have a solid base bead that I am attaching them to. I find this happens more with odd lot glasses and silver glasses. It is driving me crazy because I love making these type beads, but I am scared to sell them. Last week I found on flower on my bead table, that was made three months ago, and suddenly there was a broken petal. Is this happening to anyone else?
Harriet

[Bobby]

Harriet

First off.........I love your beads ! ! !

When I finish the first row of petals I go into the back of the bead where the petal touch and add some glass to fill up the void. You can't see it from the front but it gives a little more body to the narrow part of the petal that touches the glass.

When I make the two layer flowers I put the front row on first........then the back row on next.......... and then go to the back of the flower and add glass where there are voids between all of the petals making sure that the voids are filled. From the back they look solid and from the front they look like seperated petals.

I have found that if you just attach the petals there is not enough glass to be secure and with just a little movement they can snap off.

Hope I haven't just muddied the water on this one.

Bobby

[BarbaraB]

Ditto to what Harriet said.

Barbara