I need help making a cross

[peaceofglass]

Hey,
I have a friend that has asked me to make her a cross bead. I kind of have an idea how to do it. I was just wondering if anyone had any little helpful hints.
Thanks
Jen

[LyndaJ]

I've never done one. There are a couple presses out there that can do hearts, but that's not how I'd do it

What I would do is build a small cylinder on the end of a dipped mandrel. I'd take the glass out past the end of the mandrel so the hole wouldn't go all the way through the cylinder.

Then, using dots, I'd build up two arms near the top of my cylinder. Melt the dots in after each addition until the arms were the size that you needed.

Then, I'd heat and lightly flatten the whole thing. I'd use mashing pliers to straighten up the inside of the arms and body. I'd use a sharp tool (razor blade type tool) to get nicely defined interior corners.

Decorate more or less as desired.

Anneal

after annealing, clean the hole and let it dry thoroughly. Then using copper or sterling, make a loop with long ends and dry fit this into the hole - trim ends to fit. Using a good 2 part epoxy, glue in the bail and, tada, easy finished cross.

[peaceofglass]

Thanks Lynda,
I never would have thought to do it with the hole only going part way. I will challenge myself and give it a go. I will post pictures after. Thank you for your help
Jen
....probably should have mentioned that I am a "newbie!"...the real kind of newbie...not the "pro-kind" that rocks the newbie gallerys!!!!! heehee

[LyndaJ]

It's actually easier. there's only one end to get nicely dimpled

Do have most of the cylinder over the mandrel, and just the tip covered with glass. If this is a new type of technique, you don't want to have too much glass flopping around at the bottom.

[houptdavid]

Originally Posted by peaceofglass

....probably should have mentioned that i am a "newbie!"...the real kind of newbie...not the "pro-kind" that rocks the newbie gallerys!!!!! Heehee

bwahahahahahaha!

[nklt0]

Hi Jen,

You don't HAVE to do the end of the mandrel thing. You can just build a skinny barrow beads and add arms.

I made a few crosses on request and I do pretty much what Lynda described right in the middle of the mandrel. Once done I wire wrap the beads into a pendent. If you have problem with nice even ends you can hide the ends with bead caps.

here's a pix of a more elaborate cross I made using this method.

HTH

Cheers
Nancy

[peaceofglass]

Thanks Nancy,
Your bead is beautiful. I can't wait to get back to the torch and try it...getting my kids ready for "back to school" is keeping me away! Soon I will get on there and give it a go...I will post my results...just curious though...why do you work in the middle of the mandrel and how do you get your bead release there?
Jen

[Sue in Maine]

Originally Posted by peaceofglass

Thanks Nancy,
Your bead is beautiful. I can't wait to get back to the torch and try it...getting my kids ready for "back to school" is keeping me away! Soon I will get on there and give it a go...I will post my results...just curious though...why do you work in the middle of the mandrel and how do you get your bead release there?
Jen

Working in the middle of the mandrel makes it easy to switch hands when you're working on a piece. (I don't work like this but I've read about it.)

Sue

[peaceofglass]

Well I did promise to post pictures...thats the only reason I am...I am embarrassed, but I did say I was a newbie. I struggled making barrels, and it was hard to line up the two arms of the cross. I had a hard time knowing how to decorate it. I wanted to have a little heart on the barrel but found that when I went to pull it I practically pulled the dot right off. So then I was just covering up my mess. I am most pleased with the ivory and turquoise, no pulling involved. I still feel it is a bit "naked" I have lots to learn and will keep practicing. Thanks for all your helpful hints...LWE really is a great place for support, and information.
I have 3 little girls that think everything I make is "just fabulous mama!" They get a couple more in their bead bucket!
Jen

[LyndaJ]

Those look great, Jen! Thank-you for sharing.

[nklt0]

Hi Jen,

Excellent job!

re: working in the middle of the mandrel, you don't have to. I guess what I'm trying to say is you don't have to build your bead right at the end. You can have the mandrel go through the beads.

To line up the arms: put a little dot of your base colour at one side and put another dot opposite it. If the dots looks lined up and even to you, add more glass to where the dots are and build your arms from there. If you don't like how they look, melt them back in and try again.

HTH

Cheers
Nancy

[peaceofglass]

Hey,
Thanks for the compliments!
I am so grateful for the helpful hints, and how cool is it that it comes from all over the world!!!!
I love this site!
Jen