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

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  #1  
Old 2012-02-21, 3:08pm
Ravenesque Ravenesque is offline
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Default Shorts Storage Help

You smarties out there, I'm sure like many others I have coffee cans full of shorts. And thing is, some are long.

When (the blue moon comes) and I clean my table I just throw the glass in a can. But I'm thinking if I had someway I could have them near me..yet able to see them I can use them down to nubs rather than go to the can graveyard and never get used.

They are too short to go into my storage but I reallllllly need to clean my table.

Any thoughts or does anyone use anything for this? The husband suggested cutting 3inch (or larger) pvc about 1 inches tall and just stand the glass up like pencils, that may work but still pondering.
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Old 2012-02-21, 3:17pm
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I bought two small pyrex dishes and put transparent in one and pastels in the other. I use the transparents to core beads. I go to the dishes when I'm making cane or BOC beads. I'm doing a better job at using my shorts, but my workspace is still pretty chaotic.
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Old 2012-02-21, 3:20pm
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I use my shorts down to about 1/2" or even all the way (let that last 1/2" melt in without my holding the end if it works for the bead) by using the hot grabbers.
But when they're getting short, I have some clear glass jars (recycled from the kitchen mostly) on the table I can stand them up in. I like the glass ones because they aren't so light & easy to tip.
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  #4  
Old 2012-02-21, 3:25pm
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I made these storage units for all of the glass rods I had left over after torching in all of the various lengths and coes. It has worked very well for me and for my hubby if he comes in after me he doesn't have to guess what short is what coe.

I always write on the longest tube what coe or brand of glass. I have a separate one for Double helix, lauscha, ASK, and Cim. I used a hot glue gun to glue them to flat cork plant trays I bought at home depot. If I have to pick the unit up I slide my hand under it to support the weight.
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Old 2012-02-21, 3:32pm
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Wow, Lorraine, now that's organization.
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  #6  
Old 2012-02-21, 3:46pm
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Oh that's nice..I have a ton of pipes too.

Glowbead I like that idea too. I try to clean up by using them for BOC beads but it's not making a dent lol.
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  #7  
Old 2012-02-21, 4:04pm
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Why don't you just melt them to another rod of the same glass so you can use it all up?
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  #8  
Old 2012-02-21, 4:07pm
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When my rods start getting short, I weld them on to another of the same color. If I'm out I use clear.
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  #9  
Old 2012-02-21, 5:20pm
Mitzy B Mitzy B is offline
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I was like Raveneque, as I finished a bead the rods of glass for it was put into a metal container. I should have been fusing them back into rods but I didn't do it. Several cleanups later I now have 50, yes 50 pounds of shorts ranging from 3-9 inches. I know cause I separated them as far as color - green, white, blue etc. and then weighed the bags. I've been sick so I haven't made beads for some time - just have the shorts sitting in their plastic bags.
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  #10  
Old 2012-02-21, 5:28pm
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9"??? I don't consider them "short" until I have a feeling of warmth from the flame while I'm gingerly heating them, LOL.
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  #11  
Old 2012-02-21, 6:01pm
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I just take the color short and attach to a clear short. This feels comfortable. So far the short rod holders I purchased just didn't feel great to me.
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  #12  
Old 2012-02-21, 6:08pm
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Wow, Lorraine, what a great system! I am revamping the studio this weekend, I'll have to try your great idea...thanks for sharing!
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  #13  
Old 2012-02-21, 8:57pm
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I have coffee-can like things sorted by color groups. When I don't have something in mind to make, I grab one and melt it, and decorate with other colors already on my work bench. It's my glassy equivilant of doodling. I'm trying to use them up when I start a rod now, but I bought a bunch from other people - the mixed shorts are like Christmas to me.

I use pliers to hold it to melt until the very nubby end, which is usually cut and scarred, that goes in the water. If it's a clean cut end, I just melt it all in.
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  #14  
Old 2012-02-21, 9:09pm
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I could not get through one bead-making day without the Greedy Grabber from Arrow Springs. You can use it to pick up a short from your table with one hand and melt it down to the last half inch or so.

I have a small mesh dish on my table for shorts, silver shorts have their own little metal dish. I try to use them up as I go, I punty up the nubs and pull stringer or make twisties. And I use them for Act of Courage beads.

Think about how many Act of Courage beads could be made with 50 lbs. of shorts.
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  #15  
Old 2012-02-21, 11:03pm
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Glowbead View Post
Wow, Lorraine, now that's organization.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bobeche View Post
Wow, Lorraine, what a great system! I am revamping the studio this weekend, I'll have to try your great idea...thanks for sharing!
Thanks Guys!
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  #16  
Old 2012-02-22, 12:11am
Ravenesque Ravenesque is offline
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I do use a lot for BOC every session

And I use them up until my fingers are at the mercy of the flame.

But it's really too much glass, as said I have quite a few coffee cans, and some are sorted to 'stick together', i never do it though and never will as that takes from precious torch time..that's the problem. Sometimes if I find a pair I'll do it as I'm working.

Now I'm looking next to my area is unused space maybe I could make a cubby system but just smaller, seems like a lot of work though lol

I just would like to be able to see my table again yet have a way to store these until I use them.
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Old 2012-02-22, 2:38am
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And I just re-found this.
If you like to make twisties Kimberly's tutorial on how to make her type of twistie (learned from Andrea Guarino) is brilliant.
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Old 2012-02-22, 5:33am
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Elizabeth,
Thanks for the info on the greedy grabber. I want one I can pick up with one hand while working. Thanks!
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Old 2012-02-22, 7:05am
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Quote:
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Elizabeth,
Thanks for the info on the greedy grabber. I want one I can pick up with one hand while working. Thanks!
You will love it. I have several of both the long and short ones. I have every other short rod holder out there and these are my favorites.
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  #20  
Old 2012-02-22, 11:29am
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Decorative votive holders (the slightly larger ones work well) from the 1$ store on a tiered shelf work well. Even if your tiered shelf is a 2x4
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Old 2012-02-22, 1:13pm
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What I do with shorts is this.....I have figured how much glass i.e. 1 inch, 1 1/2 inches etc it takes to make certain size beads. I measure my shorts and cut them to the desired length and then I use long nose pliers to hold it while melting onto the mandrel until it gets to a certain point then I just let go and let it melt in and all I have to do is guide with tweezers etc.

If they are too short for that you can crush them to make your own frit blends.
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Old 2012-02-22, 1:30pm
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That's amazing storage, Lorraine!

This is my humble example. Similar in principle to Lorraine's, but definitely not as detailed. I sort the rods by the color spectrum from left to right:
Opaques in two sizes, longs and shorts
red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, neutrals
Transparents in two sizes, longs and shorts
red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, neutrals (including clear)



I was keeping my clear shorts on my workbench at the time i took this picture, so you can see there's misc stuff in the transparent neutrals in the far right shorts tube.

These are just PVC tubes (6 inches and 2.5 inches long) press fit and wood glued into holes cut in a scrap board with a hole saw.

I only use COE 104, and I mix the three manufacturers (Effetre, Vetrofond, CIM) in each tube, but I keep the 4 rods I have of Reichenbach off to the side in the black mug. That's all the fancy glass I have. If I need to remember which glass is made by which manufacturer, I have all my glass labeled and I just remember that "511" glass is CIM, "591" is Effetre, and "791" is Vetrofond.
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Old 2012-02-22, 1:32pm
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Autumn, I've sort of tried doing that, but I notice that when the cut end/tip of a rod melts into the outside of the bead, it leaves a scum, streakiness, discoloration, or even bubbles, on the surface of the finished bead. How do you get around that with your system of making beads?

Quote:
Originally Posted by purpledragonfly View Post
What I do with shorts is this.....I have figured how much glass i.e. 1 inch, 1 1/2 inches etc it takes to make certain size beads. I measure my shorts and cut them to the desired length and then I use long nose pliers to hold it while melting onto the mandrel until it gets to a certain point then I just let go and let it melt in and all I have to do is guide with tweezers etc.

If they are too short for that you can crush them to make your own frit blends.
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Old 2012-02-23, 1:00am
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votive holders is a good idea, there are a ton at goodwill.

Lyssa I like that too! I do similar with my stringers, I use the tubes seed beads sometimes come in that I glued to a board. I really have so much pvc, I'm going to work on something like yours and Lorraine's.
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Old 2012-02-23, 1:16am
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Revenesque, you sound just like me! Some of my shorts are pretty long! Why do I do this? lol
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Old 2012-02-23, 6:41am
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Quote:
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Autumn, I've sort of tried doing that, but I notice that when the cut end/tip of a rod melts into the outside of the bead, it leaves a scum, streakiness, discoloration, or even bubbles, on the surface of the finished bead. How do you get around that with your system of making beads?
well I haven't really noticed any of this.......mostly when I use this method I am doing a decorated bead of some sort......twisties, murrini, scrollwork etc, so I guess it covers it up. I also make sure I clean my cut ends really well before using with alcohol. I actually keep a spray bottle full of alcohol close by and spray it on a cloth and wipe all my rods down before using them. May be this has something to do with why I haven't noticed any scum, streakiness, discoloration etc.
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Old 2012-02-23, 8:37am
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Quote:
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You smarties out there, I'm sure like many others I have coffee cans full of shorts
How about putting them in a flat rate box and sending them to my son? Perhaps then he would quit mooching glass off of me...



{Just trying to be helpful...}
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  #28  
Old 2012-02-23, 9:08am
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I also use 'rocks' glasses. (you know for liquor) they are a great size! I love the square ones. I have also seen a large number of these with heavily weighted bottoms at tag sales. (and I have a lot of shorts!!!!!!) I actually got a cardboard tray with a plastic lining left over from the better homes n gardens wax melts at walmart. this worked great to just toss them into a section. (AND FREE) I did reinforce the sides with tape a little. it sits on a shelf to the side and below my work bench. It would probably fit on a keyboard pull out perfectly.
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Old 2012-02-23, 10:11am
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I have 6 fence rails sitting on my porch, waiting for me to have a warm enough day that I can pull the chop saw OUTSIDE to make the huge mess of cutting them to length for rod storage. My plan is to cut the 96" rails into 10" chunks, then cut the leftover chunk (6" less kerf loss) in half and make a small storage rack for my shorts. I have a LOT of them - I've bought 3 eBay lots of more than 20 pounds of shorts each - in fact, I'm expecting 23 pounds to land on my porch any moment now! - so I've got to store a LOT of them. But at $4 a pound, it's been a wonderful way to learn - I'm not worrying about the money the whole time I'm practicing!
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Old 2012-02-23, 10:49am
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9"??? I don't consider them "short" until I have a feeling of warmth from the flame while I'm gingerly heating them, LOL.
Me, too! It's almost like a challenge for me.... To see how close I can get without actually getting burned. I need help. LOL!
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