I've heard that you can use bicarb on your beads to produce different effects. Could someone please explain how to and post pics of the effects produced?
Thank you!
;D
Bee,
The way I use it:
I make a beads in transparent glass and then roll it in bicarbonate soda. Then I heat it again, which create bubbles in the glass, then I encase the bead. It's quite a nice effect (it looks a bit like seeded glass). I'll try to find a picture.
I think you can also use it on opaque glass for an aged look.
Annelyse
Here's a picture!
[attachment deleted by admin]
Wow! Thanks for such a quick answer! I might have to try it... Soon...
If you leave it on the surface and heat it, you get a pitted, aged look too. Not my style, but I've seen it look great!
Thanks Mary! :D
There is a lady on Ebay - artfulbeadcreations who has done this - and they look stunning - sometimes they look like natural stones - I didn't think it'd be my thing - but they look stunning - I haven't tried it yet - but keep meaning to!
I seem to remember there was a lot about this on Lampwork etc at one time, might be worth moseying over and doing a search...looooaaads of eye candy over there :)
give it a go, its great fun ;D
LOL - I actually have the bicarb in the studio ready to go - but there always seems to besomething else to try - and before I know it time has slipped away!
I'm having a jewellery party on Friday (I'm new to lampwork but I've been making jewellery for a few years now) - and I was pankiking that I didn't have enough pieces made with my own beads - but whay I'm planning to do is to have orpahn beads & sets laid out for people to see and from there they might say - oh can you make me a bracelet from that - etc!! A new way to try - I have taken beads into work and I've been asked to make things up from them - and again it makes the jewellery more individual!
Trudi x
Have you tried just making up odd beads as charms to go on a charm bracelet, those are always popular!!
I love odd or orpahn beads - as you say they make great charms - I use then on phone charms & bag charms too - I tend not to give them up as I always find a uase for them.
Before I made my own beads I was given a load of orpahns and I'd look at them all the time. I had a couple of different orange ones that were jsut stunning - and I had them for ages before I used them. One went on a book mark for me - I'm a fiddler and I always admire the bead when I pick up my book. The other went on a bag cham with pinks & purples (love that combo) and it really stands out!!
The beauty of making my own beads is that I can make the colour combos I like!!
Isn't it amazing when you were pre-bead maker and all glass beads were gorgeous even the chinese imports....now when you look at them you can see the beauty in the ones that deserve it and the sloppyness in the mass produced
I know. Someone once made me a special foacl bead with 2 holes in - my mind is noe boggling!! I have so much more appreciation for the work and craftmanship that I perviously took for granted!
I've got lots of odd beads :)
However I am also one of the few it seems who has tried the bicard to "age" beads and it works a treat, however that look pretty crappy to be honest - you know like old aged beads. ;D
However having seen what Annelyse has done I gotta give it another try with transparent.
(http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r225/josephinewadman/P6140738.jpg)
I used bicarb on these beads as Iwanted them to look like pebbles.
I like the look of those, they are most definitely touchy feely beads!!
Now they look lovely Josephine, I really like them.
Perhaps I used too much bicarb in my enthusiasm. ;D
Here ya go!
http://www.frit-happens.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=525.0
http://www.frit-happens.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=287.0
Thank you! ;D
One day my husband was outside making bombs in the garden with the boys (yeah I know, don't say it :-\) with the kinder egg capsules vinegar & bicarb...so I nicked some to use on a bead & it looked like a pebble, but not one I'd fancy wearing...I guess it takes practice ;D
I saw a pic of some blue and green beads done with bicarb and they looked amazing.
hi
does anyone know if the bicarb makes the beads more prone to cracking. i have just bought an amazing set from america in shades of blue and silver with an aged look. i accidently droppeda bead on my tile floor , duh , and it cracked . i often drop beads and they usually survive . i don't know whether its a coincidence or not but now i am worried about using the others in my jewellery !!
ali X
Funnily enough I was just reading about that on LE. Someone said that the baking soda added to the soda lime glass changed the composition, so might make them more fragile. It was all just conjecture though, no hard facts to go on, sorry!
Quote from: tanok on April 29, 2007, 04:46:54 PM
I like the look of those, they are most definitely touchy feely beads!!
I find that
all beads are touchy feely beads :D
Quote from: ali on May 02, 2007, 02:18:53 PM
hi
does anyone know if the bicarb makes the beads more prone to cracking. i have just bought an amazing set from america in shades of blue and silver with an aged look. i accidently droppeda bead on my tile floor , duh , and it cracked . i often drop beads and they usually survive . i don't know whether its a coincidence or not but now i am worried about using the others in my jewellery !!
ali X
Thats a shame :'( I showed my mum a bead my hubster really liked and you should have seen her face when she dropped it on the tiled floor and it shattered into pieces, it was one of mine so I wasn't too bothered...but poor you, save the pieces and love them anyway ;)
Well I went and had a play with Bicard and made some bubbly beads
(http://www.lesleymcfarland.com/Beads31/IMG%5F3556%5Fedited%2D2%2Dmedium.jpg)
I reckon I went a bit too far with this one though...
(http://www.lesleymcfarland.com/Beads31/IMG%5F3557%5Fedited%2D2%2Dmedium.jpg)
That second one is veeery sexxxy, I like it a lot :)
I likes the bubbles :D
Thanks Tan and Les, forgot how much fun the bicarb is ;D