How to make the Hearts???

Wiley1 · #1 2009-10-08, 5:05am

Hi everyone!! I am rather new to the flameworking world and I absolutely am addicted. When I look through here and see all the great stuff people are making I am in awe. I am curious about the hearts I see on here. They look like they are made from two pieces of rod that are connected on the sides. I am just wondering how to make these as they look great.

Any help or tips?

Thanks

menty666 · #2 2009-10-08, 5:07am

Welcome aboard! Did you find anything when you did a search for heart and tutorial?

Sue in Maine · #3 2009-10-08, 5:51am

Welcome aboard.

Being new here, you may not have met the "search" feature yet. At the top of your screen, look at the line that starts with "User CP," then "FAQ," ... to the right you see "Search." Click on Search and then type in what subject you want to look at. For words 4 letters or less, use the wildcard "*" after your words... such as "boro* heart." It will then think for a moment or two and search for all threads that have those words in them.

It's a very handy tool to finding information that has already come up on LE in the past. Have fun searching.

Good luck,

Sue

Bunyip · #4 2009-10-08, 5:52am

Definitely use the search function in the tutorial room, you will find LOTS of great information. However, being the giving caring sharing individual that I am, I did it for you...this time

http://www.lampworketc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=591

That's a good tutorial but no pictures.

What I do (mostly thanks to the post which I linked)

I decorate a gather, heat to a sphere (about the size of say a quarter), smoosh to a lollipop, cut the end of the lollipop in half so I have what looks like a rod with a pac-man on the end (open mouth facin away from rod), then using heat and gravity melt each half to create a smooth rounded shape then melt them together. From there you add a loop, and pull the heart from the rod.

donia · #5 2009-10-08, 6:23am

Welcome to our playground!!!

This may be an inspiring thread to follow...
http://www.lampworketc.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=142011

Wiley1 · #6 2009-10-08, 5:09pm

Thanks for all the replys. Sorry about missing the search buttom at the top. Also thanks for all the links. I can't wait to try making these. I have only been doing this for about a week and a half but I just can't get enough.

Thanks again for the help!

menty666 · #7 2009-10-08, 5:59pm

You'll be a crazed addict, eyeballing bigger and bigger torches and lusting after liquid oxygen in no time

fannydotson · #8 2009-10-08, 6:17pm

Helloo. My name is Fanny, and I am a "Crazed Addict". I have been torching for almost a month. I am working on a HH, and have already been doing some comparison shopping for a bigger torch. Awww..Ithink I feel a twitch coming on. I haven't torched at all today. Poo.

fannydotson · #9 2009-10-08, 6:18pm

Oh yeah, I am SO lost on what kind of heart you are talking about..two rods...cutting the pancake, huh? Can someone post a pick or send me to a link with what kind of heart this is...please...

Bunyip · #10 2009-10-08, 6:26pm

Fanny since you obviously checked the link I posted earlier, did you notice Mr. Smiley's Avatar? Also, if you read further, lots of people posted their results... and you can also look here: http://brentgraber.com/

fannydotson · #11 2009-10-08, 7:05pm

Can these kinds of hearts be done with soft glass? Also, I see people saying stinless steel chopstix work as great punties. Do mandrels work? I may be just goofy, but I can't ever get the glass to stick to the mandrel (w/o bead release) to pull stringer. Should I have the release on it..?

SleepyCreekGlass · #12 2009-10-08, 8:06pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by fannydotson

Can these kinds of hearts be done with soft glass? Also, I see people saying stinless steel chopstix work as great punties. Do mandrels work? I may be just goofy, but I can't ever get the glass to stick to the mandrel (w/o bead release) to pull stringer. Should I have the release on it..?

Make sure your steel punty is hot. Hot steel will stick to glass....cold, won't. BTW - make sure to keep flashing it to maintain a heat level or it will let go.

fannydotson · #13 2009-10-08, 8:17pm

K. Thanks!

Wiley1 · #14 2009-10-09, 4:13am

Fanny
how does Esty work? I have about 45 pieces that I would love to get rid of so I could buy more rod. I thought about ebay but there is so much 99 cent imported stuff on there I don't think I would stand a chance of selling anything. I guess that must be the down side of doing this...what do you do with it after you have given family and friends all they want?

Wiley1 · #15 2009-10-09, 4:16am

Mr Smiley's hearts are the type I was looking for. They are amazing..I made a few last night and they turned out pretty good.

fannydotson · #16 2009-10-09, 4:21am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wiley1

Fanny
how does Esty work? I have about 45 pieces that I would love to get rid of so I could buy more rod. I thought about ebay but there is so much 99 cent imported stuff on there I don't think I would stand a chance of selling anything. I guess that must be the down side of doing this...what do you do with it after you have given family and friends all they want?

Well, to be honest, I like my etsy, but I also have an artfire. Etsy charges .20 per item listed. So if you have 3 of the same thing, it is .60. Artfire has a special now through the holidays that you can have unlimited listings free. Then, it is only so many, or you can pay like $12/month for unlimited listings.
So, 45 items on etsy would cost you $9. On artfire. $0. I like them both. Although I have not sold anything on artfire yet, but I just set it up a week or so ago. It took me a full month before I sold anything on etsy, and still, I have only sold 3 items..Ho-hum.

Bunyip · #17 2009-10-09, 6:22am

Fanny - yes you can make those hearts with soft glass but you have to be careful or the soft glass will get away from you. You don't really need a punty to make these at all - you can make them on the end of a rod and then use pliers or tweezers to hold the loop and remove from the rod and finish the pointy end. Punties are definitely optional.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wiley1

Mr Smiley's hearts are the type I was looking for. They are amazing..I made a few last night and they turned out pretty good.

This post requires pictures!

fannydotson · #18 2009-10-09, 6:43am

Thanks!

SleepyCreekGlass · #19 2009-10-09, 7:42am

OK folks. We seem to have a bunch of newbies to the Dark Side....WELCOME!!

In regards to hearts...I took a quick 15 mins this morning to help everyone help.

HOWEVER - I want to be VERY CLEAR on this post. I learned this technique STRAIGHT FROM Brent's (Mr. Smiley) original post on how to do hearts. ALL CREDIT needs to go to him.

I'm not a tut writer folks...and please keep in mind I am flaming with one hand with the camera in the other.

I've just learned an immense amount from the folks here (like Brent) and believe this forum is the best way for our community to help each other out.

Brent's Post -> http://www.lampworketc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=591

gmkcpa · #20 2009-10-09, 10:23am

I've made hearts periodically for a few years. I've made them several different ways, depending on how I feel when I sit down at the torch. Sometimes I make a ball on the end of a clear rod, cover it with colors, flatten the ball while it is attached to the punty, and then push down on the top of the disk in the middle with a knife or something to separate the top of the disk into two lobes. When I push the glass down with the knife it bunches up as I push down with the knife. Then I push the bunched up glass further down over the lower part of the disk, re-flatten the disk, and continue shaping the heart. Another way is to make the disk and instead of pushing down with a knife, use a pair of scissors (I use tin-snips) to cut the disk to separate the two lobes of the heart, and then continue shaping. If you use Gypsy Queen or Antique Beauty, or any striped rod to cover your initial clear ball, you get very different effects between these two ways. But with each of these ways you wind up with a flat heart. For a 3-D heart there are many suggestions above this post. And Brent's DVD is VERY well worth it.

Dasi · #21 2009-10-09, 10:31am

Brent Graber (Mr. Smiley) is the king of heart making. He teaches it in his classes. He is in Florida so you should PM him and ask when he is giving another class in Florida. He also travels and is planning to be in many studios around the country.

He is a great teacher and the class is excellent.

Wiley1 · #22 2009-10-09, 5:03pm

ok here are my pics of my first hearts. Be easy on me...remember I have only had a torch for about 10 days. I will keep working on them.

Kalera · #23 2009-10-09, 5:50pm

I'm SO impressed that you were able to make those hearts after only having had your torch for a week and a half!

jamie lynne · #24 2009-10-09, 5:58pm

holy moley! I was lucky to get a semi round bead, no broken bead release, bead in my first week on the torch! Great job!

houptdavid · #25 2009-10-09, 5:59pm

Hey Wiley Why don't ya also post in the newbie S&T in the Gallery thread there are a few new boro folks in there too.

fannydotson · #26 2009-10-09, 6:45pm

Wiley, post those in the Newie Challenge. It is on hearts this time. Great job by the way!!!!

Wiley1 · #27 2009-10-09, 6:51pm

Thanks for the kudos. I know they are rough but that just means I have to play in the fire more!! Here a couple more that turned out ok. The compressions are hard for me. I don't get many to turn out right but this one is not too bad. The little potions bottles are fun to make and get me blowing a little. Thanks again for the replys and the kind words

fannydotson · #28 2009-10-09, 6:52pm

Can you do vessels with a hollow mandrel, or only with a glass tube?

Wiley · #29 2009-10-09, 7:30pm

Nice hearts!

Another Wiley too!

Margrieten · #30 2009-10-10, 9:01am

Perhaps I am to late, but I love this heart-tutorial:

http://www.amytrescott.com/hearttutorial.htm