In your beadmaking...is there something you do, or has someone given you a tip, that has been worth it's weight in gold?
Care to share? I have two.....
I use a doming block to get round beads in a set about the same size (tip given to me by Sarah!).
I pull my stringers using a piece of a bought clear stringer as a punty, rather than tweezers, and leave it attached, that way I get to use my stringer to the very end!
To make creases, instead of a razor tool, I use a stanley knife!
When using frit put it in a little foil tart tray. Thay way it is easy to use, you can pick the tray up if you need to and you can crease it to put your excess frit back into it's jar or grip seal bag.
buy cheap buy twice !!........we all love a bargin ...but i have had to remake stuff for people because i skimped on materials ...not worth it in the long run !!
Got myself a great tip from Rosenquartz.
I was using Vermiculite in a plany pot to cool my beads but found they were still cracking. He told me that he uses a slow cooker with the Vermiculite in it. Got one for £11.99 from Tesco and it works great. I can turn it down over 3 stages and not had a bead crack since. Thanks Neil, great tip.
Graeme
I also used a slow cooker to cool my beads before I got my kiln but now I use it to keep petals etc warm. I Just removed the ceramic pot and use the metal base and its big enough to do several lots of petals at once.
Trusty kitchen knife from a charity shop for making grooves and flattening dots!
When making long cylinder beads, make a bead at each end before filling in the middle. This should keep your dimples all nice! ;D
Thanks to Anna for this one I think - turn the valve on the your propane bottle ON as far as it will go, so that you never have any trouble working out which way is OFF. ;D
Quote from: Lush! on April 02, 2009, 08:31:30 PM
Thanks to Anna for this one I think - turn the valve on the your propane bottle ON as far as it will go, so that you never have any trouble working out which way is OFF. ;D
LOL Julie!
That's a good tip that I will have to remember!! ;D
Never put a light bulb in your back pocket ;D ;D.........and use a marble press to make round beads, you only need half the press so one press can be made into 2 round bead makers! That's how I do my round beads, I'd be lost without it!!!
Some great tips everyone! I have another one......
Use a riveting tool (along with a rubber washer) to remove totally stuck beads from their mandrels!
I've just bought one.....it's awesome!!
Cut up the little books of silver foil (into 3 or 4 smaller books cutting across the spine so they stay together)
Balance a bead by building it up. Make a small bead, balance it, add another wrap, balance it, etc. etc.
When using a press, if the bead is too small add glass at the middle, rather than the ends so that the glass pushes outwards and makes better ends (obviously won't work with a pre-decorated bead where your guesswork has to be much better!)
Kazx
Always wear an apron! Worth its weight in ruined skirts and trousers.
Quote from: TiaraHelen on April 07, 2009, 09:33:27 AM
Always wear an apron! Worth its weight in ruined skirts and trousers.
and skin :(
Quote from: Lush! on April 02, 2009, 08:31:30 PM
Thanks to Anna for this one I think - turn the valve on the your propane bottle ON as far as it will go, so that you never have any trouble working out which way is OFF. ;D
Cause if you ever need to turn it off in a hurry you know which way to turn.
a tool i use to swish colours around is a clear stringer, if it gets stuck i can melt it away rather than tugging at the tungsten tools which have gotten stuck before
i put mica into mini jam jar pots as it is enough for me to put the whole bead in, spin and remove, reducing spillage
Quote from: beads-on-toast on April 07, 2009, 09:52:05 AM
i put mica into mini jam jar pots as it is enough for me to put the whole bead in, spin and remove, reducing spillage
I like that - I recently made some beads wuth mica and the mess was terrible - put me off using it again - but the beads look great. I left mine on the surface and found that it was coming off a little - so I put a very light layer of hairspray on them, and they've been great ever since!
Quote from: Dee Dee on April 07, 2009, 08:48:03 AM
Some great tips everyone! I have another one......
Use a riveting tool (along with a rubber washer) to remove totally stuck beads from their mandrels!
I've just bought one.....it's awesome!!
I can't quite picture this - would you be able to post a picture???
Thanks
T x
Quote from: Trudi (aka Kooks lady) on April 07, 2009, 10:23:49 AM
Quote from: Dee Dee on April 07, 2009, 08:48:03 AM
Some great tips everyone! I have another one......
Use a riveting tool (along with a rubber washer) to remove totally stuck beads from their mandrels!
I've just bought one.....it's awesome!!
I can't quite picture this - would you be able to post a picture???
Thanks
T x
Trudi, I'll post a pic tomorrow. Steph x
I think Diane from Sowzere gave me this tip, it seemed so obvious once she said it, and I'd probably read it too but you know how you get in to bad habits ;D
Introduce the tip of your glass rods to the flame horizontally/from the side rather than end down/rod pointing up, it reduces the likelyhood of the glass shocking when you first introduce it and getting all those lovely hot splinters lodges in your chest.......'Apron'...... must get one ;)
Quote from: Trudi (aka Kooks lady) on April 07, 2009, 10:23:49 AM
Quote from: Dee Dee on April 07, 2009, 08:48:03 AM
Some great tips everyone! I have another one......
Use a riveting tool (along with a rubber washer) to remove totally stuck beads from their mandrels!
I've just bought one.....it's awesome!!
I can't quite picture this - would you be able to post a picture???
Thanks
T x
(http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii32/finishingtouchjewellery/WORKOUTPHOTOS046.jpg) (http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii32/finishingtouchjewellery/WORKOUTPHOTOS048.jpg)
You definitely need to place something in between the bead and the riveter - I reckon a rubber washer would be good, but I couldn't find one, so used this plastic cupboard thingy (technical term ;)!) instead. And then you squeeze the handles slowly together and it pushes the bead off.
If you don't use anything to cushion the bead, there is a good chance that it will crack the glass, there is always the chance that the glass may crack anyway, so I reckon this would be the one to use before a hammer!
The "nut" type thing in the end comes in various sizes, so make sure you get one that fits your mandrel! I have used this to get 3 long tube beads off - 1 cracked (but I didn't put anything between it and the riveter) and the other two came off easily with no damage.
Brilliant Steph!
ingenious!
Great tip with the riveter - I have to add the Cillit Bang (lime and grime) tip that redhotsal gave recently, a couple of squirts in the mandrel soaking water has never failed me yet.
Use the bad beads to push the boundaries. This has dawned on me slowly over time, I used to ditch them in frustration because they weren't what I wanted them to be but discovered that every bead can teach me something new. Play with it and see what you can turn it into.
QuoteAlways wear an apron! Worth its weight in ruined skirts and trousers.
When I read this yesterday I thought didn't apply to me as I wear old worn old clothes, but last night dropped a hot bead into my lap where after a small puff of smoke and flare of flame it burnt through my shirt and was on it's way through my trousers before I lept up!
Time to invest in a leather apron!
I can vouch for the leather apron, I've got one and It's saved me a few times!!
Also as my imagination is quite naff, I have a digital picture frame with pics of beads on that I watch as I torch, to help give me some inspiration! It flicks through each pic just like a slide show on a PC. FAB! :)
XXX
Always make sure the lid is tightly screwed on your bead release before shaking it.
Kirsty
When using a blow-pipe mandrel, I use Blu-Tack to seal the end of the pipe after I'm happy with the hollow size.
im another one for the leather apron. I bought one recently off of ebay for 1.99. it a shame i waited until after I had a selection of burns in my cleavage though. I've also got a really bad burn where a very large chunk of glass got stuck in my cleavage, must have been over 2 weeks ago it happened and its still not healed.
Wow Stacey, £1.99! What a bargain.
Quote from: Stacy on April 08, 2009, 08:49:09 PM
im another one for the leather apron. I bought one recently off of ebay for 1.99. it a shame i waited until after I had a selection of burns in my cleavage though. I've also got a really bad burn where a very large chunk of glass got stuck in my cleavage, must have been over 2 weeks ago it happened and its still not healed.
I have still got the scar from a bosom bouncing hot lump of glass from almost 12 months ago!
Kazx
Kaz - I remember you telling me about 'beader's neck' but 'beader's bosom' is far, far worse in my opinion. Your story has ensured that I now wear polo-neck tops when playing with glass!
I bet there's a market for leather pelican bibs. Not only would that protect delicate areas but it would also catch wayward shards of glass. I suppose that I am showing my age here...probably no-one remembers what pelican bibs are?
Quote from: theflyingbedstead on April 08, 2009, 10:55:30 PM
Kaz - I remember you telling me about 'beader's neck' but 'beader's bosom' is far, far worse in my opinion. Your story has ensured that I now wear polo-neck tops when playing with glass!
I bet there's a market for leather pelican bibs. Not only would that protect delicate areas but it would also catch wayward shards of glass. I suppose that I am showing my age here...probably no-one remembers what pelican bibs are?
Oh I do!! My next door neighbour's baby had one, but my Mum said they were 'revolting'. (Not sure why, but then she is odd ::))
I have looked on Ebay for leather aprons, as I am a bit clumse-prone (DH just rolled his eyes when I said I wanted to take up lampworking!), but nothing much under £10 inc postage at the moment, so have put out a request on Freecycle.
Quote from: squirsygirl on April 08, 2009, 07:22:55 PM
Always make sure the lid is tightly screwed on your bead release before shaking it.
Kirsty
I agree with this one. i threw 1/2 a large pot all round the kitchen, i could have cried. apart from the expense and the waste it went everywhere and took days to clean it all up.
Cecilia X
I got my apron from here:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=250395407358&ru=http%3A%2F%2Fshop.ebay.com%3A80%2F%2520250395407358%2509%3F_from%3DR40%26_trksid%3Dp2773.m38.l1313%26_nkw%3D%2B250395407358%2509%26_sacat%3DSee-All-Categories%26_naf%3D1%26_fvi%3D1&_rdc=1 (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=250395407358&ru=http%3A%2F%2Fshop.ebay.com%3A80%2F%2520250395407358%2509%3F_from%3DR40%26_trksid%3Dp2773.m38.l1313%26_nkw%3D%2B250395407358%2509%26_sacat%3DSee-All-Categories%26_naf%3D1%26_fvi%3D1&_rdc=1)
It might not be pretty but it does the job and although its not spotless its not terribly bad either. Also cheap!! ;D
QuoteI agree with this one. i threw 1/2 a large pot all round the kitchen, i could have cried. apart from the expense and the waste it went everywhere and took days to clean it all up.
I always keep my jar of bead release in a fairly large sealed zip lock bag for several reasons. If you do leave the top loose the release stays in the plastic bag when you shake it and it also helps to stop the release from drying out (especially round the lid). When I use the release I stand the jar inside the bag in a small plantpot and just roll back the plastic bag - this keeps the jar more stable - having knocked over bead release several times this isn't really a chore ::)
Diane x
Quote from: Graeme on April 02, 2009, 05:18:15 PM
Got myself a great tip from Rosenquartz.
I was using Vermiculite in a plany pot to cool my beads but found they were still cracking. He told me that he uses a slow cooker with the Vermiculite in it. Got one for £11.99 from Tesco and it works great. I can turn it down over 3 stages and not had a bead crack since. Thanks Neil, great tip.
Graeme
Just seen this. Thanks Graeme. Glad it worked for you. I use mine on a sort of chilly anneal-as-you-go program - I have the slow cooker on hot whilst I am working and then tuck the mandrel in under the lid and turn the cooker off when I'm done and leave it over night. I know it doesn't anneal but as you've discovered it does avoid cracked beads.
Neil