I'm probably doing everyone's heads in with these contant "help me!" posts, so apologies in advance for yet another one!!
I decided to have a bit of an experiment tonight and tried to make my first "poked eye bead." Everything was going okay, I made a plain bead, put some dots on it, melted them in, put some more dots on the first ones, melted them in and then attempted to "poke" the dots, with the intention of getting an air bubble which I could then encase with clear.
I have a tungsten pick and also a rake, but for some reason both of these tools got stuck in the glass - what was I doing wrong?? ??? I spot heated the glass and waited for the glow to fade, but found that the glass had solidified too much to poke - when I tried again leaving the glass warmer, both my tools got stuck - I tried to pull them out but no luck - I had to heat the bead and then yank it which totally ruined it!!
Gutted - I thought I was doing it really well until the poking stage!!
Any ideas?
Thanks so much.
are u heating the pick? if u heat the pick the glass will stick to it causing u to distort the bead when you try to remove it. solution is to keep it out the flame and dip it into some water to cool it regularly whilst u work.
:-*
Hi Rachel
Were your tools cold? It sounds like they were hot & so the glass stuck to them.
I keep a little pot of water by me which is good for cooling tools down between uses. Hot glass won't stick to cold things which is why you need the heat mandrel when you begin.
Hope this helps
Sarah
xxx
Snap!
Quote from: elburnzo on September 12, 2010, 10:10:24 PM
are u heating the pick? if u heat the pick the glass will stick to it causing u to distort the bead when you try to remove it. solution is to keep it out the flame and dip it into some water to cool it regularly whilst u work.
:-*
No, I didn't heat it, but I think that the glass was maybe too hot.... I will try again tomorrow and use your suggestion about the water, thank you. :)
Quote from: Sarah on September 12, 2010, 10:12:16 PM
Hi Rachel
Were your tools cold? It sounds like they were hot & so the glass stuck to them.
I keep a little pot of water by me which is good for cooling tools down between uses. Hot glass won't stick to cold things which is why you need the heat mandrel when you begin.
Hope this helps
Sarah
xxx
Thanks Sarah!! Will have another bash tomorrow!!! ;D
This MAY be pretty obvious but never, ever, ever, use your tools actually in the flame or they'll stick like the proverbial. You probably know this already but from my experience in teaching people it's usually where they are going wrong.
Hot glass......cold tools.
(Unless you're using a tungsten pick to make a hole in something.) ;D
if your tool does get stuck in the glass, wait a few seconds - the metal will cool quicker than the glass and will come free
I normally use a brass pointer. I have one of Carl's (Wibbly Wobbly Glass) 3mm sets and I find them great for poked eye beads.
Jenny
Just to add, don't worry if the tool is still wet from the cold water. It won't affect the bead unless you splash lots of water on the bead. I sometimes use a tiny palette knife to push glass where I want it to go rather than letting gravity work on it. As long as the tool is cold it works well.
Quote from: Fruddy on September 12, 2010, 10:04:48 PM
I spot heated the glass and waited for the glow to fade, but found that the glass had solidified too much to poke
Sounds like you heated the surface quite quickly, so the glass underneath didn't get hot enough to move. Try spot 'warming', ie heat your spot further out in the flame, allow the heat to soak in a little, even come out & allow to cool until no colour, and heat again, before allowing to cool again to no colour, and poking with a cool tool. If the glass surface is cool enough for a skin, and the glass under is plastic/fluid, you'll get a perfect poke without any stickiness at all...
:)
Sean
Thanks so much to everyone who has taken the time and trouble to reply!
I havent made it into the studio since Sunday night, but the torch and I have an appointment later this evening, so I am going to try all your ideas and let you know if there's improvement!!!
;D
Quote from: Fruddy on September 12, 2010, 10:04:48 PM
I'm probably doing everyone's heads in with these contant "help me!" posts, so apologies in advance for yet another one!!
Actually, I think you're asking all those questions a newbie normally has when starting, and it must be quite helpful to those who are wondering but too afraid to ask...
I'm quite enjoying reading all the answers!
I'm enjoying reading all the answers too - keep on asking those questions Rachel!
Me too. I always read your posts. Keep on asking :) :) :)
Just remember that we do have the glass wiki, which will answer pretty much all of the fairly basic glass questions.
We are a really helpful forum, but the wiki was compiled specifically to save other members from having to look up information or give advice on most basic techniques / problems repeatedly, for each wave of new comers ... please use it before asking too many questions in the forum ? :)
You'll probably find the answers you need and lots lots more fantastic information :)
There's a link to it at the top of each page in bold red text ;)
xx
Actually I find the Wiki a bit difficult - there is no overview or index, and I tried typing in 'bubble dots' and 'poking' but found nothing...newbies don't always know the right terms to search for anyway. I've often wondered if I have just not 'got' how to
use it???
I'm not picking any one person out, but this seems the most relevant thread, currently, for this response.
Quote from: Lesley Jane on September 23, 2010, 07:36:42 AM
Just remember that we do have the glass wiki, which will answer pretty much all of the fairly basic glass questions.
We are a really helpful forum, but the wiki was compiled specifically to save other members from having to look up information or give advice on most basic techniques / problems repeatedly, for each wave of new comers ... please use it before asking too many questions in the forum ? :)
You'll probably find the answers you need and lots lots more fantastic information :)
There's a link to it at the top of each page in bold red text ;)
xx
Thanks for saying that Les.
Just so everyone is aware, in a lot of cases when a question is asked, we run a forum search to point you in the direction of an answer, rather than just plucking one out of thin air, as most of the questions asked have been asked lots of times before.
The forum is a resource. As well as threads being sticky'd, and boards sorted into categories so that answers are easy to find, we also have wiki. A lot of time and effort has been into sorting and categorising information on the forum, and it's others resources. Mods, or other members of the forum, take the same amount of time to run a search as someone who is newer to the forum and TBH it's quite frustrating when it's evident that a person has popped a question up without bothering to run a search, or looking under a Board to see if an answer is already there. It's particularly obvious when similar questions have been asked a few days apart.
Please, PLEASE, do NOT post a question on a thread because you think it's the fastest way to get an answer. All you'll find is that eventually people stop answering because they'll realise you aren't bothering to find the answers for yourself.
As I said on a thread just a few days ago, if you don't know how to run a search, then ask :) If running a search doesn't provide the answer you need then please start a new topic.
Also, if there are topics that you'd like to see included in wiki, or tips and tricks on the forum, that aren't already there then please let us know.
Quote from: Margram on September 23, 2010, 08:55:11 AM
Actually I find the Wiki a bit difficult - there is no overview or index, and I tried typing in 'bubble dots' and 'poking' but found nothing...newbies don't always know the right terms to search for anyway. I've often wondered if I have just not 'got' how to
use it???
To run a search, click on the HOME tab on the forum, then when all the boards are displayed, go to the SEARCH box and type in the word(s) you're searching for. I just ran a search with
poking and got 2 pages of threads/topics come up (some obviously not relevant to manipulating hot glass) which included how to do bubble dots :)
The whole point of a wiki is that it is member-edited. You can create your own account and then add anything that you think other members of the forum might find useful. It isn't just for experienced lampworkers to add to, it is there for everyone to pitch in. So anyone who has found all this information on poking hot glass useful can now go to the wiki, create a section if they want, and add it. :)
That is exactly it in a nutshell Emma, thank you for posting that info. As long as you have 25 posts on FH to your name, your wiki log on will be exactly the same as your FH one.
One of the reasons that this forum is so great is that there is nearly four years of research and first hand experience gathered together here in one place by it's generous members, for newcomers and old hands alike to read, use, absorb and delve into and.......most importantly, to add to. The collective wealth of experience that is here is an extremely valuable resource.
I usually bite my tongue but am getting a more than a little frustrated at seeing the well covered topics turning up over and over again as new theads due to a lack research on the boards and in using the search facilities on the forum. Never be afraid to reserect an old thread if you have any further information to add to it or a further question to ask on it.
I personally like to see questions raised by new members, as long as they are new questions, this is one of the ways in which our knowledge base as forum will grow......but please please do look for the answer first.
Thanks, Jo x
:-[ Sorry - I use the search buttons on the forum all the time - they are invaluable!!! I was just wondering if I'd missed something on how to use the Wiki...
I think the wiki does take a bit of getting used to, but if we all take the time to tweak it, and if it isn't the way we like it, to suggest better arrangements of subjects etc... then it would become easier to use, with much more information.
No-one should feel unable to add information - the worst that can possibly happen is that your words get edited :)