Mandrel Wound Implosion Beads Tutorial

[Beatrix92]

Here are my attempts. Your tutorial was so easy to follow and I have a new obsession.
Thank you so much for sharing!
Bea

[Moth]

Wow, I can't believe I posted this clear back in 2005!

Where do the years go?

Thanks for sharing all your pics!

Mary

[ltsexpressions]

Originally Posted by Moth

Wow, I can't believe I posted this clear back in 2005!

Where do the years go?

Thanks for sharing all your pics!

Mary

I know right?

[kokeshikitten]

Looking forestd to trying this weekend, with boro. I might decorate the top, blank park with some encased fuming. Really great tutorial, easy to understand. Looking forward to it.

[Ladypainter]

Just letting you know that this tutorial is still inspiring others... made my very first implosion this past weekend....

[ArcheBear]

Oh my gosh. I know what I am gonna try tonight. Thanks to all for sharing and Moth: I love it!

[PattyK]

bump!

[Chalem]

I must try this out! Can’t wait...

[cyvonneh]

Originally Posted by Moth

1- Form a thin (2-3mm) disk of clear glass that measures a diameter of approximately 2 inches.

TIP: The thicker sized mandrel you use, the easier it is to control this disk. When you try your first few, use 3/32" mandrels.

2- When your disk is round and uniform, put a ring of dots very near the mandrel.

TIP: The closer to the mandrel you get this first ring of dots, the nicer your finished product will look.

3- Continue rings of dots in a bullseye pattern, or even random still looks nice. Bring your decoration clear to the rim of your disk. Carefully melt these dots in flat. Do this very slowly. Remember, you do not want your disk to get soft yet. Only melt the dots.

TIP: The more dots, the better. Try using rainbow colored rings, or start with black (or cobalt) in the center, then dark red, light red, ,orange then yellow. Very cool flame implosion!

4- Once your dots are melted in, tip your mandrel so that the point is down, then aim your flame at the rim of the disk. This will start to condense the disk and you will begin to see implosions forming.

TIP: Do not try to do this too quickly. You can always ADD heat, but you can't take it back out fast enough to save a rush job. The most important thing to remember in this step is to do it uniformly. All sides of the disk the same temp at all times, or you will get a runny side and a globby side.

5- As you melt down the disk with the mandrel tip down, your disk will form into a cone. I personally like them best this way, but there is no reason for you not to try other shapes. You can keep imploding this as long as you like. It will crawl down the mandrel. Keep in mind, the further you stretch it, the skinner the implosion bands will be. You CAN go too far.

TIP: You will end up where at the thin end of the cone, the implosion will start 2-3mm into the bead. The implosions on the fat end will go clear to the hole. If you prefer not to have the implosions go clear to the hole on the fat end of the cone, then put a wrap of clear around the mandrel where you want the bead to stop. This will halt the implosion. You can use clear for this, but try a solid color or twistie as well. Experiment with what you like.

6- Spend some time on that thin end of the cone, use heat and gravity,to produce a nicely dimpled hole. You can gently marver to help, but beware, your implosions will distort if you are too aggressive.

TIP: Decorate with flowers or other surface decoration at the thin end of the cone to allow the implosions to be the star of the bottom half.

I don't usually encase these further, as there is already a lot going on with these beads, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't, or couldn't do it. An added layer of encasing will not shift the implosions deep within the core.

There you have it!
Hope you have fun.
~~Mary

Nice tutorial - Thanks for sharing!

[Tayana]

Thank you very much for sharing such a wonderful lesson, I will try tomorrow.

[Dextervonbakata]

It was just about a month ago that I discovered that these implosion glass technique existed. I just had to start getting my torch and basic tools. It's been 14 years since this tutorial was made and seems to be going strong for many more years. Glass has that freezing time property that I just have to dominate. Thanks for the clear tutorial and other tips you've shared. Tomorrow I'll try it as soon as I can. I'm 14 years late! Got to catch up.

[Listenup]

Inquiring minds want to know, did it turn out?

[Dextervonbakata]

Hi Listenup. Sadly I chose too dark a background color. He he. I tried too large a piece and had to mix techniques. So many things to learn. Still Less than 8 hours on my first torch. I,m humbled, sure I must work more with the basics, gathers, cold welds, get stringers thicker than a hair thick. He he. If I ever can achieve something good enough I'll post it here. Promise. Thanks for asking.

[pinar]

Cool i m gonna try it. Thank you 😍

[Jababat]

Thank you so much for this tutorial. ❤️

[Olechka]

Thank you so much for such a detailed lesson! It is clearly not outdated! I wish you health and creative mood!

[Olechka]

Творчество растет из ошибочных действий!