How do you make a poke stacked dot bead?

Jammy · #1 2008-09-22, 8:50pm

Ok I know that's not the name of it.....but it's in the book "Passing the Flame" revised 2nd edition on page 84. It's the purple bead on the lower right side. It looks like it has white dots around the circumference, and translucent purple dots ontop of those, then poked, etc...etc.....
I tried to make a bead using this technique (she doesn't explain the technique in the book so I have to go by common sense) but it just doesn't turn out looking okay. Can someone please show me how to make a bead like this? Thanks so much!

DesertDreamer · #2 2008-09-23, 6:21am

I don't have that book. Do you mean something like this?

Katey11 · #3 2008-09-23, 9:30am

Pretty bead Karen!

pittypat · #4 2008-09-23, 9:48am

It looks like she started with all white dots. Then she has about four layers on some of them using white and another color. She does say she pokes deep and then uses a big dot of transparent to cover the hole. That is all I see. Hope it helps...pat

Jammy · #5 2008-09-23, 8:03pm

Karen, that is a stunning bead.

DesertDreamer · #6 2008-09-24, 8:32am

Thanks, Kathleen and Jammy!

Here's how I do them:

1. Make a round bead. I like to use light-medium transparent colors for my base. Shaping is important. If you start out with a well-shaped bead, it makes the rest of the process much easier.

2. Dot with white in whatever pattern you wish...I do rows of 6, starting with 6 in the center, then 6 each on both sides, offset from the center row. Melt them in most of the way, minding your heat so you maintain the base shape. Your bead will spread out a bit with the added glass. Let the bead cool so it holds its shape.

3. Heat each dot and poke it with the tool of your choice. I used to use a tungsten pick, but my new favorite is a brass poke from Maria/Whimzicalities. The tool I got from her has two angles. One is slender and longer, the other is shorter and wider. I poke "opposites" to keep the heat balanced.

4. Dot the poked white dots with a contrasting transparent. Do all the dots, then melt in. If you need to do any reshaping, this is the time to make your "repairs."

5. With an opaque color, dot between the center dots. If they've melted close together, dot where they meet. Next course, dot the spaces between the center and outer dots. (Your center poked dots end up with four dots around them, like compass points.) Last, I put dots at the outer edges of the outside dots, close to the mandrel. Melt gently so they adhere but don't melt in. It's a matter of choice (and heat control) as to how far down you want to melt them.

Note: For lighter-colored dots over the white, you can get more depth by placing the white dots, adding your color, THEN poking, then adding another layer of color. OR, if I use Rubino, I put clear over the poked white/rubino dot. You can do that with darker colors, too. Lots of variations!

Jammy · #7 2008-09-25, 3:24pm

Karen, thanks for the instructions. It's going to take ALOT of practice for me to actually be able to make that bead look really pretty.

CelesteK · #8 2008-09-27, 9:53am

I know what bead you are talking about. I have the book and I counted the layers on that bead. She started with an amethyst base. Then she made four white dots. Those were melted flat and then she layered the amethyst over that. My book is out in my studio, but it seems like there was about eight layers to those dots. Then at the end when everything was melted flat, the whole stack was poked and then covered with the clear and melted.

Celeste