Silver cored beads using the Impress bead liner - updated!

[theflyingbedstead]

I have been planning to post more info about using an Impress bead liner from www.artintheround.com as there have been some additions to the range. So I have modified my post from several years ago - feedback is welcome!



Step 1

I used a 5mm mandrel for my beads lightly dipped in Fusion bead release.

It is important to use beads with good dimples otherwise the beads can crack as the silver needs somewhere to move to when it is flared and beads can also break if they are not a consistent width as this can cause uneven pressure being applied.  I have ground down bead holes using my Dremel and a spherical abrasive bit and that works very well providing I get the silver to flare out to cover the ground area.



Measure the bead using digital callipers.  Dave suggests adding a minimum of 3.6mm to the length and cut using a pipe cutter.  Ensure that the blade is sharp and that you cut using little force to prevent the pipe from being squeezed too much.  In my first picture, the left bead has tube cut 3.6mm longer, the middle 4.2mm longer and the right bead 4.6mm longer than the bead.  

De-burr the ends on the inside and outside; many pipe-cutters have an attachment which pulls out and can be used to clear snags from inside tubes, although I find using drill bits gives a neater finish. Dave sells a bespoke tube de-burrer which works very well.  Use fine sandpaper or a fine file to carefully remove any ridges or burrs from the outside of the tube, whilst being careful to keep the cut edge flat.



I annealed the tubes by heating with a blowtorch until they are a dull cherry red colour and quench.  Then clean the tubing.

Step 2
For the 4.3mm I/D tube, I used the 4.2mm peg (with a blue marking in the screw slot)...ideally a 4.3mm peg should be used, but Art in the Round does not have an 'off-the-peg' 4.3mm peg yet!  

Step 3
Place the bead to be lined in the centre of the tube and place into the Impress



I followed Dave's instructions and positioned the flaring tool to be snug on the tube (without applying pressure) and then turned the arm 3/4 of a turn, and flipped the bead & tube over then turned another 3/4, flipped the bead and turned the arm 1/2 turn, then flipped the bead and another 1/2 turn and repeated this until the tubing was curled over both ends of the bead.
For the third (right hand) bead I turned the arm a whole turn then flipped the bead and turned a whole turn and continued this way to get the tube to flare out more.  It is difficult to get the thin-walled tube to flare out flat; the thin-walled tube seems to suit the curved edge better and it is easier to get a good result this way.



The cores above have not been polished yet. With the thick-walled tube I sometimes need to finish off by gently tapping the core with a repousse hammer with the bead supported on a rubber bench block. The beads lined using annealed thin-walled tube seem secure enough to skip this process.

If you have a long bead, you can adjust the height of the tool by adding some risers, which are also available from Art In The Round. Unscrew the base plate from the tool and add as many risers as you need. The kit comes with two steel blocks to raise the height by an extra 2.5 cm. I bought two sets so I can line even taller beads!




For a long bead I experimented with the length and found that an extra 5mm was required to get the edges to curl over nicely. I guess that the extra length of tubing in a long bead contracts that bit more when riveting.
The longest bead that I have lined in silver to date is 5.3 cm, and the thin-walled tubing is just starting to slightly buckle inside. The tubing is 5mm O/D and 4.3mm I/D, so it is a thin walled tube.



If you need to change the peg it is really important to follow Dave's instructions.  You can either use his custom 'Little Phil' tool, or a similar #2 size phillips-head attachment if you can find one short enough.



Alternatively, you have to remove the handle with the flaring section (complete with ball-bearing) and change the peg by using a screwdriver to unscrew the peg through the top of the liner, as in the photo.  



Do not screw up the new peg tightly (just 'finger-tight' will do) as you may damage the peg otherwise.
Replace the flaring section and screw-thread arm ensuring that the flaring section is straight.  Dave sent some brass tubing and nuts to practice with the Impress, so I made a bead using these components which I use to centre and set the flaring section in place.




The thin-walled tube that I used fits the Troll and Pandora systems...



The image above shows the thin-walled tube 5mm O/D 4.3mm I/D with the 4.2mm peg
http://www.fritenglas.nl/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=7_61&products_id=572

Rashbel 5mm O/D 4mm I/D tube with 4mm peg
http://www.rashbel.co.uk/index.php?route=product/product&path=1_19_20_83&product_id=1911

Cooksons 5mm O/D 3.8mm I/D tube with 3.8mm peg
http://www.cooksongold.com/Tube/Sterling-Silver-Tube-Ref-1-Outside-Diameter-5.0mm-Inside-Diameter-3.8mm-0.6mm-Wall-Thickness-prcode-RSA-001

With regards to peg sizes it isn't as nearly as complicated as trying to explain it!

If you start with the mandrel size – I usually use 5mm for my silver lined beads.
You then need to find some tube to fit that. Rashbel sells some 5mm O/D (the size of the mandrel) with an inner diameter (I/D) of 4mm (it has a 0.5mm wall thickness).  So the peg that you need has an I/D of 4mm, and Dave has one of those which he has labelled as 3/16.118 inch O/D / .156 inch I/D (4.8mm O/D / 4mm I/D).  The important size here is the I/D as the outer size is not considered in the peg design.  The larger pegs are basically screws which Dave has turned on his lathe to be the right I/D size.  
For the Cookson's 5mm O/D tubing, that has an I/D of 3.8mm, so the peg you would need for that would be the 5mm O/D / 3.8mm I/D.

This is the current list of pegs that Art in the Round sell - the ends or slots of the Centering Pegs are color-coded as follows:
5 mm OD / 4.1 mm ID (.200 inch OD / .162 inch ID)  - Purple on end
5 mm OD / 3.8 mm ID (.200 inch OD / .150 inch ID)  - Green on end
5.5 mm OD / 4.2 mm ID (.216 inch OD / .165 inch ID) - Blue in slot
6 mm OD / 4.6 mm ID (.240 inch OD / .181 inch ID)  - Black on end
6 mm OD / 5 mm ID (.240 inch OD / .197 inch ID)
6 mm OD / 5.1 mm ID (.240 inch OD / .201 inch ID) - Aqua on end
3/16  inch OD / .156 inch ID (4.8 mm OD / 4.0 mm ID) - Plain
1/4 inch OD / .218 inch ID (.635 mm OD / 5.5 mm ID) Plain
Special peg for 4.37 mm ID - Dark blue on end
#101-8 Flaring Die for 3/32 OD X 1/16 ID 3/32 mandrel beads
#101-9 Flaring Die for 1/8 OD X 3/32 ID 1/8 inch mandrel beads
#10110 Flaring Die for 5/32 OD X 1/8 ID tubes for 5/32 mandrel beads

Dave produced some custom pegs for me, which he later incorporated as part of his range.  So before buying any tubing that he hasn't already got a peg for, it would be worth asking him if he could make one.
I have also successfully lined beads with copper, brass and thin walled stainless steel tubing; the brass is stiffer and the copper softer, so it is worth experimenting with these to get the finished look you prefer.

With copper tubing:


With stainless steel tubing:


And these are lined with brass, silver and steel tubing:




It is worth noting that Troll, Pandora, Love Links and the other charm systems have different sized cores for their beads, so you will need to check which ones that you would prefer to cater for.
Lovelinks measures 4.82mm in diameter if you take the fluted end section into account.
Pandora is 4.25mm in diameter if you take the screw-thread end section into account.
Troll measures 3.3mm across the diagonal of the foxtail chain.  
This means that all of the above beads will fit the Troll system, the Lovelinks bead will fit the Pandora, but only the Lovelinks bead will fit the Lovelinks bracelet.

I have the original Impress but there is now also a Wide Impress Bead Liner for even bigger beads.

[Lush!]

Charlotte, thank you so much!

That is a beautifully written explanation, I hope Dave has been warned that there's likely to be a rush!

[silverlemon]

I got mine Friday last week and have done 4 successfully.
It's so easy, you don't need to bother with annealing the tube and the great thing is it doesn't leave lots of dents and scratches that need filing and polishing out like you get with using dapping punches.

I thought 2 cones would have been better, but actually the cone on the top with the taper and flat at the bottom seems to shape both ends in different ways. The cone does the flaring and the bottom bit flattens the bit just flared. Excellent, 2 operations at the same time.

I managed to break 2 beads because I was getting carried away with how easy it was and was rushing, so my top tip would be to take your time and be careful to centre the bead up the tube, ie just actually watch what you're doing instead of keeping one eye on the telly and thinking about dinner!  It was my fault not the tool, operator error 

[theflyingbedstead]

Thanks for your comments Sarah!  Yes, the two ends shape in a different way. 

I annealed my silver because I didn't want to take any chances with the tube splitting and it is something I was trained to do as a silversmith, and old habits die hard!  If you can miss this step out then that's great as it all adds time to the process and not everyone has the tools for this.  I modified my post as I forgot to add that I had NOT finished the cores by tapping gently with a planishing/rawhide/rubber hammer, as the bead I used above did not need it, and I wonder if that is because I annealed them to make the metal softer?  If you don't need to do that either then that is great!

I haven't had many casualties either.  It is important to use beads with good dimples otherwise the beads can crack as the silver needs somewhere to move to when it is flared and beads can also break if they are not a consistant width which can cause uneven pressure being applied.  I have ground down bead holes using my dremel and a diamond bit and that works well. 

I think I'll add this to the post as well! 

[dinah46]

Good tut for a good tool   I'm sure a few who've been considering a beadliner will be pushed over the edge by this

I must say that it's really easy to use and the only beads I've broken have been the slightly wonky ones that I thought I'd just try out to see i f I could get away with it   I have pinged a few bumps off bumpy beads though

[theflyingbedstead]

I have pinged a few bumps off bumpy beads though

So have I!!!    I think that the trick is to not have the bumps too close to the edge so that they do not come into contact with the Impress, and to not have to finish off the coring by using a hammer.  I think that the FenG thin walled tube will allow me to not have to do this step!

[julieHB]

Great tut, Charlotte! Very clear (and gorgeous beads to show for it  )

Where do you get the FenG thin walled tube from, if you don't mind me asking?

[Rosenquartz]

This is an excellent tutorial. I've bought some big hole mandrels and had assumed that I would buy the glue-in liners if I start making good enough big hole beads - after this tut I'm more likely to consider getting the Impress tool.

More money!

Thanks though.

[theflyingbedstead]

Thank you Julie and Neil!

Where do you get the FenG thin walled tube from, if you don't mind me asking?

It's from Christina at Frit & Glas.  http://www.fritenglas.eu/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=91&zenid=70c783ca62dd95890128a0fe02ad3d68

Thank you very much for the prompt - I have added links to the tut.  I think that she has several sizes so it is best to contact her before ordering to make sure that you get the right one.  She also sells the FenG beadliner, which I haven't tried. 

[Hels4444]

What a fab tut, I have put that the bead liner on the top of my I want list!!

Hels

[silverlemon]

I posted and ran last time, but I meant to say good tut, thank you Charlotte.

I always anneal silver (my training too) but was intrigued to see if it would work ok without. I thought it would
a) save time - getting out tools and pickling
b) hopefully mean less dents, and therefore less polishing

I did finish my beads off with hammering down, and it wasn't quick, probably because they weren't annealed.
The one I tried to use the tool all the way was one that broke, but it was slightly fatter on one side, if I'd finished by hand like he suggested it would have survived.

I also like the fact that the cone end burnishes the silver slightly as it rotates and pushes the silver down and out.

[silverlemon]

I also meant to say that I bought the deburring tool also, and run this around the inside of the tube after I have cut it, then run a small file around the outside to clean off the annoying ridge that you get around the outside. Still very quick compared to the other time consuming method.

[turnedlight]

I really want to buy the thin walled tubing from Frit & Glass, but I keep getting put off by the 15 euros postage.. surely it can't cost that much?!

[theflyingbedstead]

Thanks Sarah!  I think that we should assess our beads before we core, to check that any imperfections don't risk breaking the bead!  I'll try not annealing the tube next time and see how I go - I agree it would save a lot of time and faffing about.

I love the tool, it is so simple and portable.  The Jim Moore one is a lot faster and I notice that they now have a demo video for it on their website.  I think if I was doing a lot of these then I would invest in one.

I really want to buy the thin walled tubing from Frit & Glass, but I keep getting put off by the 15 euros postage.. surely it can't cost that much?!

Christina sent mine by EMS so it came via Parcelforce in a couple of days rather than Royal Mail taking longer.  I also ordered some enamels, sifter pots and Lauscha & Reichenbach glass, so I made as much use of the postage as I could!  It did take a long time to arrive as Christina had to wait for her silver order to arrive and she was ill, but the wait was worth it!

[Lush!]

Hope its okay to add a pic in this thread?

I wanted to show how I adapted my Impress to take large focal beads - I simply unscrewed the legs from underneath and added a nut either side to raise the height (had to use longer screws to reassemble it).