Shapers - What does what?

[The_Thorne]

I want to make Pandora style beads and was looking at getting a shaper to help me get the look right. I found Corinabeads has a lovely brass Pandora style shaper and was all ready to buy it. Then I stopped and thought, 'What does Lampwork Etc. say about shapers? Does is need to be a 'Pandora style' or would 'round' or 'lentil' do? What is the difference between them (besides the larger slot for the mandrel)? It's hard to tell from pictures of the shaper what the difference in shape would be.

Though the forums have some good information on brass vs. graphite, I have no idea what the difference is between the different types of shapers.

I was hoping there would be some members out there who could help me.

[Sue in Maine]

Welcome to LE. I don't do pandora but I can introduce you to the search feature of LE and I think that can help.

At the top of your LE screen should be a red line with the following topics:

UserCP FAQ Memberlist/RAOGK... look to the right and you will see "Search."
Click on Search and you get a drop down box. Type the topic you want to research into the box. For 4-letter words of less, you have to use the asterik as a wild card, such as: red* or: raku*

I hope you find what you're looking for.... oh, one more thing: RAOGK stands for Random Acts of Glass Kindness. Go into RAOGK and add your name and address. You never know when your post office will deliver an anonymous glassy package!

Again, welcome to LE.

Sue

[BeadBlossoms]

You may want out check out the graphite shapers at CG Beads - graphite will glide better when shaping a bead, brass is a bit more difficult because it cools the glass. You can find CG Beadrollers at http://www.cgbeads.com/bead_catelog.html

If you'd like to try a more inexpensive roller, check out Howaco Glass at http://www.cgbeads.com/bead_catelog.html - they have bead shapers, though I'm not sure about big hole beads.

There is a bit of a learning curve, but with some practice you'll get the hang of it.
I find brass is better for pressed beads such as a lentil shape. Good luck

[Michele R.]

I got one from Devardi that I really like. Go to "Tools and Supplies" then "Marvers" and you'll see the graphite one for donut shaped beads. (Scroll down a little). You'll want the ones with a 4mm slot for Pandora-sized mandrels.

http://www.devardiglass.com/Marvers.htm

I haven't used brass ones, so I can't speak for those...

However, I mostly use them if my starting shape is wonky - after that I use my graphite paddle to finish the shaping.

[jaci]

There is a huge difference between graphite and brass shapers. Graphite does not 'grab' the glass as much as brass does. You almost would think that the brass has teeth the way it CAN move the glass. I emphasize 'can' because there is a learning curve with every tool that can usually easily be overcome. Depending on the shapes you are looking for in pandora beads there is the charm box press made to accommodate a larger mandrel from zoozii's (I may even have one willing to part with) and a variety of rollers specifically designed to make only certain shapes of pandora beads these are offered by cgbeads, divardi, graphite24, perlnpress and I'm sure there are others. (Some brass some graphite, and all in varying sizes shapes and prices.). If you are looking at a more free handed shaping tool a spoon, simple graphite or brass paddle shaper should work just done, and or a shaper that has a tubular side shape on a multi tool block of metal should work just fine, with a little work, again realize the difference between graphite and brass, and the basic shapes you are going for in the end. Prettying every shape can be achieved without more than a flat paddle, but some tools make it easier than others. All that being said, I really like graphite rollers and have tried various from different companies.

[EchoTantuli]

You mentioned lentil shaped, it would be really hard to make lentils that were big holed. To make the edges neat, and keep the proper proportions so you don't risk breakage. I really like the charm box by Zoozii's. I use it mostly as a roller, but you can use it as a press too. It gives quite a bit of options for shapes all in one tool. But as the other have said there are lots of different options for shaping Pandora style beads.

[eregel]

I LOVE CG Beadrollers, especially for big hole beads.

And add my voice to those saying lentils that size really aren't going to work well, unless you're working MASSIVE - you're just not going to be able to get enough glass around that mandrel any other way.

[CheriB]

Check out Zooziis and Cattwalk for brass presses and CGBeads for graphite rollers. What is nice about their sites is they provide photographs of finished beads for almost all their equipment, so you can visualize what shape each will make.

[AKDesigns]

Originally Posted by The_Thorne

Does is need to be a 'Pandora style' or would 'round' or 'lentil' do? What is the difference between them (besides the larger slot for the mandrel)?

Most of my Pandora style beads are round. Some are more donut shaped and some are more disc shaped. You don't need a shaping tool to make them. I've never used one.

[Ravenesque]

^this, why a shaper when they are just donuts? You can also make barrels, but again, just use a flat marver.

If I were to recommend a tool, get a ribbed one, those aren't so easy without a shaper

[FosterFire]

I love the CG Beads roller and she has great customer service.