Looking for a tutorial on how to make long skinny beads

[Bubbyanne]

Sure can Lori,
Here's the thread she started in the Gallery not too long ago. http://www.lampworketc.com/forums/sh...ad.php?t=72811
Post #25 is where Kevan tells how she made the beads and the last post #44 is where she says what size her twisties are.


P.S. She also tells how she does her photo backgrounds in black and white with the bead in color in post #37.

[Kevan]

Originally Posted by Bubbyanne

Kevan,
Thanks for explaining how to do these it was really helpful and for the first time ever I didn't struggle with my ends!
(I'm a rough marverer by nature. )

Did you use a twisty on the bead in your photo?
If so, how did you apply it and was it twisted tightly?

I made 3 long beads last night. I was going more for technique than gorgeous and used up some stuff I had lying around my work table.
Except for the red one. I made two twisties specifically for that one and well, it's okay but not what I had in mind.
Not sure what happened to the twisties.
I used the other end of the bottom twistie and it was twisted much tighter like the top one. I spiraled them on to my base blob next to each other before I stretched out the ends.


I dunno, more ppp I guess. *sigh*

I think those are great! Why don't you like them?

[murf]

not to post a plug for any tools, but the Electric Mandrel Spinner by Bearfoot Art works very well in making long cylinder beads and quickly. the longer the bead the more likely you will have problems with thermal shock to one end in soft glass if your not careful. the spinning mandrel really cranks them out for me. I also love their Double Barrel Rolling Marvers

[Bubbyanne]

Thanks Kevan,
I'm really happy with the shape I got on these beads but when it comes to color I still struggle and seem to always have something that reacts and get some brown/black yuck. (like the bead on the far left didn't start out so dark. )
I was hoping with the red and orange bead the colors would be more broken up and look like they were twisties that were stretched. Lol.

I am going to be making lots more of these, they are so much fun.
I have a bazillion ideas I want to try!

Originally Posted by Kevan

I think those are great! Why don't you like them?

[Bubbyanne]

I saw the videos of this tool being used. What a slick tool and it made the beads perfect in a really short amount of time! I was impressed. Looks like cool tools.

Originally Posted by murf

not to post a plug for any tools, but the Electric Mandrel Spinner by Bearfoot Art works very well in making long cylinder beads and quickly. the longer the bead the more likely you will have problems with thermal shock to one end in soft glass if your not careful. the spinning mandrel really cranks them out for me. I also love their Double Barrel Rolling Marvers

[Kevan]

What glass did you use on that dark bead?

[murf]

I have never used the tool with boro, and thats mostly what I play with, but in soft glass when I was making long beads, it was great. I had Scott make me a special tighter rolling marver and I had one of his standard ones as well; just a great compliment to the spinning mandrel. just reading this thread makes me want to go out and play with some soft glass and make the cylinder beads again.

[Kevan]

How I figured this out was that Lori asked me down in Chinook, how do people get their twisties to go long and slid down? I didn't know how they did that and I wanted to because I liked the look also. I had been trying do it for a while by making the long tube and then wrapping the twistie around it, but that doesn't pull on the twistie enough or your twistie stretches, but when you turn the bead to the other side it just goes back where it started.

That's what happened in this bead.


So, I was trying it again and let the glass slide down the mandrel to try to make it pull the twistie more and I let it cool there before I slid it back the other way. That pulled the twistie and the bead just got longer and skinnier.

Someone said Kimberly makes her long beads that way. I have never seen her make one, so I didn't know that. If I had known, I certainly would have said where I saw it. Anyone who knows me knows I do not steal other people's techniques and say they are mine.

I'm far more interested in figuring things out for myself. I always have been. It's the one consistant truth of all of the art work I have done in my life.

[Bubbyanne]

LOL that's a good question. This bead was really just a conglomeration of stuff I had lying around my work space. The base of the bead is some "cane" I pulled with the left over glass I had on my mandrels after I pulled a large ivory and intense black stringer. (mostly ivory)
Then I had another "cane" I pulled from a couple of beads that stuck together in the kiln that had clear, olympia rain and a tiny bit of rubino.
I also used a mystery rod of glass that I cannot figure out what it is. It looks like clear, pale aqua or maybe olympia rain.
Who know's what else I threw in.

That was the first long bead I made and was purely going for technique. That's why I used up all the junky stuff I had. Funny thing is I showed my oldest DD (22) the tube beads and the dark one was her favorite.

Sorry you asked?

Originally Posted by Kevan

What glass did you use on that dark bead?

ETA: Very pretty bead Kevan,
Well when it comes to shaping long beads with twisties, I'm sure lots of people make them and have figured out how to themselves. I don't think you're taking anything away from anyone by sharing what you did and don't feel you were trying to steal anyones thunder. I know you'd say so if you learned it from Kimberly, or anyone else.

There were a couple of tips in particular that you shared that were lightbulb moments for me. You mentioned heating the bead through parallel to the flame and to roll lightly when shaping. I have struggled with cracking beads due to not keeping them warm enough and with shaping my ends. Even have a thread about it and Kimberly was kind enough to give me some advice. I cannot tell you how much time I have spent heating and marvering a bead end over and over because my ends were off. I was being too rough. All my bead ends came together much faster after reading your instructions the first time I tried them at the torch! So, thank you so much for sharing!

[Kevan]

You are welcome, Bubby. I'm glad I could help. And you are right, I would, have and always will give credit where credit is due. It would be more than bad Karma not to. It would be unethical.