Here's Jim Smircich's website. I imagine the major suppliers carry the DVD. I haven't seen the DVD, but I've taken his class, and it's very worthwhile. He has a lot to teach about bead shaping and use and understanding of heat.
http://www.smircich.com
What's going wrong with your ends? One thing that's very important is your initial "footprint" on the mandrel. You have to make sure that it's perfectly straight on the mandrel. If it's slanted to either side, the end of your bead will be slanted. You need that first wrap (for each end) to be straight around -- like this l, not / or \. This is the Smircich method: Apply your glass, then heat the end so that the glass shrinks away from the end toward the center and the end gets sharp and pointy. Now heat the glass so that it's melty, and tilt the mandrel toward the end so that the glass flows to cover the sharp pointy end. It will start to form a natural pucker. When it's at that point, level out the mandrel and roll the glass on a marver. You need to start the mandrel rolling before you touch it down to the marver, so that the glass is in motion when it hits the marver. The hotter the glass is, the lighter the pressure you use. The first pass on the marver is really no pressure at all. As the glass cools, you can press a little harder. Never marver when the glass is straight out of the flame and glowing brightly, or you'll just mash the whole thing completely out of shape. Always pause a little to let the glass get a bit of a skin before you marver. Once you get one end fixed, do the other end, but keep returning to flash the first end in the flame to give it "insurance" heat. Smircich says that if the glass doesn't start to glow red again right away, you've let it get too cold before flashing, and you shouldn't wait as long between flashes.
having trouble with barrel beads, help
