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

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  #1  
Old 2015-10-15, 6:33am
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Firelilly Firelilly is offline
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Default Lost It

Hello All,

My memory is a sieve...

Once upon a time, ages ago, I made some beads where I took a stringer that I poked straight into the bead and snapped it off clean. I don't mean like when you poke the stringer in the middle of a bunch of melted dots and twist, so you get those swirled flowers.

I mean is I ended up with was just a dimple that the stringer snapped off in cleanly, so it sat slightly below the surface of the bead. How the heck did I do this?! I tried over and over again yesterday and couldn't snap the stringer without disturbing the shape of the bead.

I could swear I have pics of this in a book somewhere too. I looked through a bunch of books...couldn't find it.

Am I just getting the bead too hot? Not localizing the heat enough in one spot? Not letting the bead cool enough before I snap the stringer?

Thanks for your help!

Lil
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  #2  
Old 2015-10-15, 7:44am
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Speedslug Speedslug is offline
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I am thinking the last one in your list is going to be answer.

" ... so it sat just below the surface.... " tells me you spot heated the bead just enough to penetrate and waited for it to cool long enough to push the dimple into the bead.

Then waiting that extra bit of time for the stringer and everything to cool more so that the breaking of happens cleanly.

That's my best guess.

Blowing on it before snapping it off is a technique I have seen but my lips are much too valuable to me and my aim is poor so I use a metal straw to get the best focus right where I want it.
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Last edited by Speedslug; 2015-10-18 at 7:19pm.
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  #3  
Old 2015-10-15, 7:50am
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artwhim artwhim is offline
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Blow on the stringer, then snap. Be careful to not blast the resulting bead with too much heat. If I need to make more than one, I spot heat, plunge and snap all before I go back and tidy up the snapped stringer, which allows the surrounding glass to cool a bit first.

Another way to accomplish this is plunging with the really thin tungsten pick.
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  #4  
Old 2015-10-15, 8:12am
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Firelilly Firelilly is offline
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Yep! I wasn't waiting long enough. Wait long enough...little side to side. Snap!

Thanks you guys!

Lil
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  #5  
Old 2015-10-16, 2:43pm
patsy lee m patsy lee m is offline
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Speedslug...love the metal straw idea!
I have terrible depth perception & have the lip burn scar (tiny one) to prove it lol
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