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

View Poll Results: Do you ever sell beads or beadsets that don't have perfectly dimpled ends?
No, never, it isn't professional. 120 37.97%
Sometimes - and leave as is. 30 9.49%
Sometimes - use a dremel to smooth out the area. 139 43.99%
Yes - what the hey... 27 8.54%
Voters: 316. You may not vote on this poll

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  #61  
Old 2009-07-02, 10:38am
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lunamoonshadow lunamoonshadow is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by beadgoodies View Post
I used to sell beads without dimples ALL the time! It was never an issue. I wanted ROUND beads and not doughnut beads, so the dimples were OUT. Burrs on the ends of beads isn’t good, but no dimples is okay, imo.



Candy
I'm lucky enough to have ONE set of your rainbows Candy & I adore them...always got outbid on them back when you sold them but scored *one* little set ....got them hoarded away in my beads-for-me-not-for-resale box

Quote:
Originally Posted by scoutycat View Post
I wouldn't sell a bead as first quality if it would cut thread or was uneven at the ends. I don't mind making a minor touch up if enamel has made an end ragged or something, but it needs to be pretty inconspicuous. I try for very minor dimpling, since I don't like losing beads in my ends, and sometimes my ends get a bit of a sharp edge that I file down. I don't sign pieces that I think are flawed, and they get sold at a reduced rate - although even those most people have to ask what's wrong with them. In general, they are beads which are aesthetically not what I want (bad casing, unbalanced, lopsided, scum, poor composition or color choice, tooling marks etc. etc.) or have some kind of structural issue, like uneven ends, noticeable fixing or filing, a blowout or bubble or whatever. Obviously, I try and fix this stuff while its still hot, or if possible when it's cold. I figure if I'm honest about the flaws & don't sell them as collectible, there is no issue selling 'lower quality' beads. Lots of people love them, are happy to work with their flaws or don't care, kids can afford them to make jewelry and so on, and I probably make as much from them or more than my more perfect-y beads. I'm way harder on myself than my customers are! Even if something hasn't worked out at all and is not salvageable, I keep it. Sometimes I let the neighbour kids pick through them, or me & the kids use in crafts. most of the time there is something right about the bead I can use as inspiration later - maybe just a color combination, even.
I'm with Scoutycat--I love my dremel ...and people buy the *weirdest* things from the "seconds" box on my table @ the farmer's market
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  #62  
Old 2009-07-16, 4:22pm
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being at the beginning, well you know. anyways I diamond hone them, then polish with a polishing wheel, but I strive for the perfect bead. I haven't sold any yet because I'm transitioning from fused to lampworked beads.
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  #63  
Old 2010-06-04, 12:41pm
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GabiLoraine GabiLoraine is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by e. mort View Post
Well, the butt was dimpled and that is kind of an end.
I don't care how old this comment is, I am ROLLING ON THE FLOOR, LAUGHING.
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  #64  
Old 2010-06-04, 2:02pm
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By the way I'm a superduperbeginner and have wondered the same thing about dimpled holes. I haven't sold anything yet as I just started, so I can't answer the poll.
I think I could argue for and against this though: I like the dimples a lot, they look great, though I completely agree that sometimes they really compromise the shape I'm trying to attempt. They DO NOT work for spheres. End of story.
I also haven't annealed a lot of my work so I haven't dremmeled a lot, but what I have dremmeled completely DIED around the edges. I will check out the grit size to see if that's the problem.

Can I just say this, and it's just my extremely humble opinion: I don't like how sovereign some people get over this subject! Like saying that people who don't do what they do aren't selling quality work? In my very short time with lampworking I know this is back breaking work, and I think that's a very hurtful thing to say! The beads that got me obsessed with lampworking are tiny colorful millifiori beads and they are probably one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen... I made a necklace out of them and my mom and I fight over who gets to wear it, all the time. These beads have the most HORRIBLE BEAD HOLES! But they were bought and given to me as a gift and I absolutely ADORE them... so seriously people - calm down over those dimples. They do not make or break a bead (unless it's like a boring one color spacer), especially for a buyer who doesn't know the first thing about lampwork.
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  #65  
Old 2010-06-06, 11:08am
RyanTheNumberImp RyanTheNumberImp is offline
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Well to have a high quality beads the holes cannot be sharp and the finish should be impeccable. Dimpled holes are an easy way ensure that your beads aren't sharp and have a glossy finish over the entire surface.

As soon as you take a dremel to the bead it will be immediately clear that the edges of the bead have been roughed up and ground. Grinding is no problem if you take it to a polish, but leaving a messy rough finish on the ends of beads is unacceptable.

Flat ends are probably the ideal, but they are far more challenging to execute properly.
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  #66  
Old 2010-06-07, 10:47pm
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I haven't made spheres in years...LOL! But if I ever do again, I have some fine grit (400? 600?) round ball tipped diamond bits that I will use to smooth out the straight edge holes. Personally, I like the look and it ensures that the edges won't cut wire or fray cord.
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  #67  
Old 2010-06-10, 12:01pm
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In our local studio I have a "Bowl 'o' Beads" where all of my bad hole/bad end beads (and all the fuglies) end up. I sell them for a mere 50 cents a piece, mostly to younger kids who would not be able to be a customer of my higher priced items. I think it helps kids to appreciate handmade

For my regular priced items, I have occasionally touched up the ends, especially if the bead was one that has been enameled. It is near impossible to sift coat a bead in enamel and not have pointy ends that need to be addressed after the fact. As long as the bead has a nice finished end that won't jepordize stringing material outside of normal wear, I have been okay with this and so have my customers. It also helps me keep my prices lower. I have never had any complaints, but I also live in a smaller town and have not yet begun to sell my beads online. Most of the people who I sell to are thrilled that they can even find my beads locally
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  #68  
Old 2011-05-17, 4:46am
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I agree. I have been collecting my imperfect beads and they are perfect for my potted plants to decorate so the soil doesn't splatter when I water, I also toss them into my flower bead outside my studio, visitors always pick up one or two to take with them, and my brother uses them to decorate his fish tanks. No tossing away or wasting glass....as little bro says " No cash in the trash"
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  #69  
Old 2011-05-17, 12:58pm
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I've thought about this and about selling "seconds"....what I come up with each time is if someone admires a bead I made that someone else is wearing they don't know if it's a second or not. I don't want to stake my reputation on taking that chance.
OTOH, I love glass. I have water annealed a few 'beads' and I have boxes and jars of the rest. I am not a good enough beadmaker to sell my beads, yet, however I have started to send one or two to people who buy from me in the gs and I did participate in a game on the patio.
I LOVE the idea of taking my 'seconds' to go live in the ocean. I use my own beads in stuff I make and I can tell people this bead is not quality that I would sell, but I wouldn't want them out there in the world.
But, this is just what works for me. I would never tell someone else whether or not to sell their stuff. we all know that beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
I think function is the key word. whether dimpled or flat, the hold needs to be smooth and level unless I'm going for more esoteric composition.
I don't think there is a right or wrong, just personal preference.
meanwhile, I love making fire and melting glass. so I'm gonna go rock my torch and see what the glass goddess has in store for me today. maybe, just maybe I'll get an even, well shaped bead with a smooth hold and maybe I'll try another goddess with Kevan's tut and dimple the cleavage and booty a little extra, just because....
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  #70  
Old 2012-05-14, 7:13am
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For me it depends on the bead I'm making, if it's a simple spacer I would say definitely have dimpled ends but if I am making a larger, different shaped focal I sometimes "flatten" each end so that the customer can fit a bead cap or flat daisy spacer and it will stay in place better.
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  #71  
Old 2012-05-14, 7:52pm
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If the holes are misshapen and sharp, I toss the bead out (unless it's a particularly awesome one that I'm keeping for myself). Otherwise I try to Dremel it smooth, which doesn't always work.
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  #72  
Old 2012-05-23, 4:59am
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I have often wondered about this.....when I purchase, I couldn't care less about the ends if the bead is cool.....(unless there are chips, or the bead has peaks that may become chips later).....when I sell (now, because at first I wasn't as careful) I go with at least slight dimples....I think deep dimples detract from the beauty of a bead. And symmetry is totally overrated too....if it won't stand on it's own, that is OK because I will never ask it to. Odd shaped beads are more desirable to me
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  #73  
Old 2013-08-26, 5:02pm
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Now that I'm coming up to three years of melting glass (still a newbie ), I've certainly done my fair share of imperfect ends. I've done the odd fabulously clean end too, but not so many that I'd sell them for a premium, just because the ends are 'perfect'.

Having said that, I do believe that care must be taken to at least ensure the ends aren't going to damage stringing material or anything else they come in contact with. I'm not so anal about it in my own practice, though, since most of my beads get wirewrapped, so a strategically ground end isn't a drama for the most part.
Oh, and if it's a really pretty bead, but with a minor flaw at an end, I'll disclose that.

But because I also make things that people put into their mouth these days, I try even harder to ensure this.
An end that isn't about to cut something is quite ok, even if it isn't the tidiest thing ever. I do a lot of sculptures, and as long as the ends are not dangerous, I'm cool with it.

I do have a big problem however, when I see other things being quite aggressively marketed, that people are expected to not only part with their hard-earned for, but also to put into their mouths, which are clearly an accident waiting to happen.

That just gives me the shivers and I really don't know what to do or say about that.
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  #74  
Old 2015-03-26, 9:57am
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I never sell beads with sharp edges, but if I really like the way a focal turned out and one or both holes are flat, I'll sell it at a discount with the flaw clearly described, I figure if the buyer is aware and the bead is otherwise very nice, then it is their decision if it is an acceptable flaw or not, who knows, it could be the perfect bead for their project!
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