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

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  #1  
Old 2012-05-08, 10:51am
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Jacqueline Parkes
 
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Default Painting with hair thin stringers

I have been in awe of this method of lampworking decoration for a long long time. Especially when it comes to the work of a few European lampworkers. Their skill is through the roof! I have tried myself off and on over the past two years but I never had anything worthwhile to show. I sort of do today but unfortunately my memory disk broke. I want to share something though. I realized yesterday that I was pulling stringers that were far too thick even though they seemed pretty skinny to me. A lampworker suggested to me that I yank a strand of hair out of my head and compare it to my stringers. Light bulb moment! Yupp, my stringers were way too thick so I was getting a lumpy ugly mess on my beads. So now this is how I pull hair thin stringers.

Instead of using a full rod of intense black, I now use the 2mm stringers. I melt down a tiny blob of glass on the tip, maybe 2mm round, while holding my pliers directly behind the flame so I can pull the stringer quickly as soon as I pull the glass out of the flame. You need to do this immediately! This way, your stringers are so thin that they will actually flop around once cooled.

Now the real tricky part, actually applying them to your bead. Okay so I create my bead and decoration, press etc etc. Then I gently heat the surface of the bead while holding a stringer with about three inches to spare from the tip of my fingers. I find if I use anything shorter, the heat from the surface of the bead really bothers my fingers. So again, heat up the surface of your bead, pull out of the flame and then gently touch down with the stringer, giving it a second to lay down on the bead. The heat of the bead will allow the stringer to adhere and you can then achieve some nice curving motions with your stringer. If you want to clean up the end of the stringer, you can snap it off with your thumb nail as the stringer is so so thin.

I will post more if I learn anything else.

Wish I had pics, sorry.
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  #2  
Old 2012-05-08, 11:58am
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Thanks, I'll have to give this a try.
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  #3  
Old 2012-05-08, 12:17pm
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I just learned to be careful when picking off the end of the stringer with your thumbnail. Some of them may be a little thicker than you think and you could burn your poor thumb. Give it a few more seconds to cool. Don't ask me how I know lol
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  #4  
Old 2012-05-08, 12:32pm
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Wow, thanks so much for the tips!
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  #5  
Old 2012-05-08, 12:36pm
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Welcome Beth. I am just a newbie with this myself but I thought we could learn together. I have three beads in the kiln and I am sure the first one is a keeper, second one is so so and the third looks like a kindergarten scribbled on it. I need lots of PPP when it comes to applying the stringers. I think it is a matter of applying it really quickly while there is still enough heat on the surface of the bead, not sure yet... I want to be able to create some soft loopy decoration on flowers , it is a hit and miss so far.
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  #6  
Old 2012-05-08, 1:19pm
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FWIW, I remove stringer blobs by heating a spot on the mandrel and touching down.
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  #7  
Old 2012-05-08, 1:20pm
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I've been trying this too, so I'm thankful for the timely thread on this subject! Straight lines are easier by far than curved ones, I'm finding too.
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  #8  
Old 2012-05-08, 1:21pm
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SerendipityArtGlass View Post
FWIW, I remove stringer blobs by heating a spot on the mandrel and touching down.
Thank you for the hint!
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  #9  
Old 2012-05-08, 1:22pm
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Yes straight lines are far easier........ but curved lines are so wanted. Hmm............if you use the direct flame, it will be a mess. Maybe the surface of the bead has to be hotter?
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  #10  
Old 2012-05-08, 1:24pm
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Hey Lisa, are you pulling from the purchased stringers? I suppose it would work with a full rod too but I find it easier to melt a much smaller amount of glass with the stringer. I need to think over this curved issue. The stringer has to be hotter to move but you cannot use the flame...( talking out loud)
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  #11  
Old 2012-05-08, 1:35pm
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I am pulling from an 8mm rod, but only get a small gather hot and pull about 18" hair-thin at a time.

For the curved lines, I am thinking that we are going to have to find that elusive 'sweet spot' beside the flame where the stringer will soften but not glow, then move the BEAD, not the stringer, so that the stringer stays in that sweet spot.

Kinda like drawing by holding the pen still and moving the paper around under it. Not sounding easy, but I know it's how some very stringer savvy artists work with thicker pieces.
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  #12  
Old 2012-05-08, 1:48pm
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Default stringer work

Jacqueline, thank you so much for this wonderful advice. I am sure I am not alone in admiring Astrid's amazing stringer work, and while I may never master this delicate technique, at least I know it is possible for a human to do it!
Penny
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  #13  
Old 2012-05-08, 2:15pm
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GlassGalore View Post
I am pulling from an 8mm rod, but only get a small gather hot and pull about 18" hair-thin at a time.

For the curved lines, I am thinking that we are going to have to find that elusive 'sweet spot' beside the flame where the stringer will soften but not glow, then move the BEAD, not the stringer, so that the stringer stays in that sweet spot.

Kinda like drawing by holding the pen still and moving the paper around under it. Not sounding easy, but I know it's how some very stringer savvy artists work with thicker pieces.
Uhhh, I have never gotten use to moving the bead and not the stringer. Oh no... I had this crazy thought though. What if we pulled curved stringers? Yupp, crazy I know lol . You would have to pull many small curved pieces. So picture this. Small curved pieces on your marver, heat the bead and press onto the marver. I told you it was crazy!

I was actually admiring someone's work on Ebay, cannot remember the name and felt inspired to try again.
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  #14  
Old 2012-05-08, 2:17pm
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Quote:
Originally Posted by xiola blue View Post
Jacqueline, thank you so much for this wonderful advice. I am sure I am not alone in admiring Astrid's amazing stringer work, and while I may never master this delicate technique, at least I know it is possible for a human to do it!
Penny
Haha, are you suggesting Astrid is not human? I wish I could remember someone's name here. She would create the most incredible bead sets with a plain base and intricate black stringer work. I have not seen her around as much as I once did.

Please step up and join us all you experts!
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  #15  
Old 2012-05-08, 2:17pm
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Corina also has a free mini tut she came up with about 3 weeks ago on applying hair thin stringers.
http://www.corinabeads.com/pages/finestringerhowto.php
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  #16  
Old 2012-05-08, 2:17pm
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Thank you for the tips!! I have been on a mission to practice this technique and I think you have provided the motivation in addition to the expertise!
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  #17  
Old 2012-05-08, 2:18pm
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sheila D. View Post
Corina also has a free mini tut she came up with about 3 weeks ago on applying hair thin stringers.
http://www.corinabeads.com/pages/finestringerhowto.php
Sweet!
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  #18  
Old 2012-05-08, 3:53pm
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FWIW: I've read about a technique using wet elmer's glue as a subtrate to lay down a thin stringer pattern, allow it to dry, then touch a hot bead surface to it. I am guessing the bead will pick up the pattern (similar to picking up frit) and the glue burns off in the flame leaving the stringer pattern behind. This may not be ideal for "painting" or "stringer scribbling", but seems like it could work, especially if symmetry is desired.
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Old 2012-05-08, 5:06pm
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PracticalMagicGlass View Post
FWIW: I've read about a technique using wet elmer's glue as a subtrate to lay down a thin stringer pattern, allow it to dry, then touch a hot bead surface to it. I am guessing the bead will pick up the pattern (similar to picking up frit) and the glue burns off in the flame leaving the stringer pattern behind. This may not be ideal for "painting" or "stringer scribbling", but seems like it could work, especially if symmetry is desired.

Hmmmm mm.......
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  #20  
Old 2012-05-08, 5:07pm
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Yes, Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm interesting
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  #21  
Old 2012-05-09, 5:58am
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Mary Lockwood explains how to apply hair thin stringer using the glue technique on her blog: Something about Mary - marylockwoodglass.blogspot.com. Look at entry posted Feb. 7, 2011.

Cheryl
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  #22  
Old 2012-05-09, 10:20am
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"A lampworker suggested to me that I yank a strand of hair out of my head"

Just on Monday I believe I said this to Lynne in the Gallery.... !
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  #23  
Old 2012-05-09, 10:29am
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Well it sure was an eye opener! I made some organics last year with which I thought was hair thin stringers. I was wrong wrong wrong. The IB webs so much better when it is that skinny.
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  #24  
Old 2012-05-09, 12:34pm
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One of the best blacks for making hair fine stringers is "Reichenbach Deep Black" - not the regular, it must be the deep.
I use a full rod, but just make a very small gather and pull quickly from there.
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Old 2012-05-09, 1:19pm
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All the ppp in the world is not going to make "us" into a "Astrid" I am sorry to say. I have seen her "butterflies" in the flesh. Astrid is an artist first and secondly she manipulates glass in a way that has me in awe. She truely has a gift.
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  #26  
Old 2012-05-09, 1:49pm
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Thank you for the info Jane, I have never used that black before.
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Old 2012-05-09, 4:26pm
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brilliant information all. thank you so much!!
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Old 2012-05-10, 7:42am
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Long before Astrid showed her absolutely gorgeous beads, I have been admiring Magma's and Anastasia's stringer work. I am a newbie and have purchased a lot of tuts, including Jane P's and Gems. Jane's trees show a lot of stringer work (albeit not as thin) and I have been struggling. I subscribe to Corina's site and totally missed the tut she did and I appreciate the inclusion of the link as well as other's tips.

I agree with silverlilly.

Much appreciation.
Dweezil
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  #29  
Old 2012-05-10, 2:58pm
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I've cleaned up this thread instead of totally deleting it because I think it has a lot of great advice and thoughts. Let's just keep it to that.
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Old 2012-05-10, 3:40pm
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Here's that link to Mary's blog on pulling hair thin stringer. http://marylockwoodglass.blogspot.com/
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