I'm just starting to melt old pieces of stained glass into simple beads, but some of the pieces of glass are a bit short (ouch!) I imagine theres some sort of grippy tweezery things available but I'm not sure what I'm looking for! I do have some long tweezer type things but they're a bit pointy...Any ideas?
You want one of these:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=350567445415
I just use a pair of needle nose pliers - but they do slip off quite a lot.... Maybe I should get one! ::)
Rod Holders!
I got mine from Agate 58 and they are fab, I know Sally Joyce sells them to I am sure she will be along and give you a link
http://www.frit-happens.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=37075.0 (http://www.frit-happens.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=37075.0)
Although they are designed for rods they hold flat too!
Thanks Sally & Jenny, just what I need! Sally Joyce where are you ?!! :D
my fingers till they start to burn then just attach to a spare bit of stringer or glass that happens to be kicking about the bench ;D
I use needlenose pliers too. I've been occasionally tempted by the rod holders, but don't actually need them cos the pliers work fine ;D
Any old needlenose pliers or do they need to be special lampworking ones? ::)
Any old needle nose pliers, in my case. Though I use them for everything - pulling stringer, poking stuff. Don't think I could manage without mine. :D
Got mine from the local hardware shop: they're got a bit of a pattern inside to help with grip, aren't the shiny smooth (more expensive...) jewellery version.
Kimster have sent you a pm :D
sally
Sally - do you have a link to your rod holders? I'm sure there would be quite a few people interested? ;)
I thought for ages I don't need rod holders, I have tweezers, I have pliers (from the tool shed, cheap tool place in plymouth has huge £1 section of stuff inc pliers)
but then I got those ones from agate58, and they are brilliant (think they are similar to Sally's but those weren't available at the time)
the thing is, you can't grip a bit of glass with pliers and turn it all the way round at the same time can you?
lately I've been using lots of silver glass, must use every last bit!
often I'm just using the rod holders to hold one rod end while I stick another rod end to it, to make a longer bit to use.
although just as often I'm getting down to the last bit of a rod and with these I can just keep going, I am terrible for not using up rod ends unless they are expensive glass, so this means there are less rod ends for me to not use up.
Quote from: MadelineBunyan on May 22, 2012, 09:58:04 AM
the thing is, you can't grip a bit of glass with pliers and turn it all the way round at the same time can you?
That is very true.
I have some of Sally and Alan's grippers for small pieces if glass and stringers and they are great got mine at flame off and would not be without them :) :) :)
With my rods I just pick up another one and melt them together. Or I do also nearly burn my fingers off!
but if you are just using up odd pieces then yes a vote for Sally and Alans grippy.
agate58's are smooth and rounded so while that are fab for rods you aren't going to get much of a grip on the flat sheet because only the edges will touch the glass.
How about using Crocodile clips from EBay (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Crocodile-Alligator-Clips-Pack-4-2-Red-2-Black-52mm-length-5amp-/150770330781?pt=UK_BOI_Electrical_Components_Supplies_ET&hash=item231a9cac9d) ( take the plastic off and adjust the front "teeth" ) and attach them to an old mandrel
For flatter glass, I use a pair of these: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/260727107555 - nice and cheap and just the job :)
I melt rods together!
I melt rods together too - couldn't bear to have shorts left over - it's now like second nature! ;D
The (Alan & Sally) grippy will let you melt down to the last couple of centimetres comfortably - wonderful ;D
I melt rods together too. It's a job for when the kiln has to be moved on so we can go home at a reasonable time! Fairly therapeutic until you start on the shocky rods >:(
For small stained glass pieces (say an inch), I use pliers, any old ones I have knocking around on my bench. For larger pieces, I put them in the kiln when cold and use the garaging program to heat them up. Take out using a stringer made from stained glass, any colour will do. Most Spectrum is compatible with itself and some uroborus. I've just picked up free, two bucketfulls of scrap from a studio in Surrey. I let her choose a focal bead from my collection though. Kate Drew Wilkinson uses scraps of stained glass and she makes fantastic beads. Larger pieces I cut into strips and use as a rod. Just as easy to twirl a strip as it is to do a rod.
Kim, I think we just held the strips when you came for a lesson. That works fine as long as you don't let the flame shoot along the flat face of the strip.
I reckon any old pliers will work for the shorter pieces but try to melt a long strip on before it gets too short, then you won't have any problems holding the glass.
When are you going to show us some beads?
Come to think of it, aren't I supposed to be annealing a hundred for you as part of your starter kit? ;D ;D ;D
Thanks for all the helpful replies everyone. I think it'll be a pair of old pliers & some of Sally & Alan's grippers!
Donna - I am managing the stained glass strips fine, it's the broken bottle pieces I wasn't sure about! You can see them when I learn how to put photos up !
I hadn't forgotten about the annealing, but I have now ordered a kiln (oh god oh god) and thought if I gat it all wrong it won't really matter with all my mis shapes etc.
Hope to see you soon!
Ah, broken bottles. I think they're now on my 'I'm NEVER doing that again' list ;D ;D ;D
The holding isn't the problem for me, the shattering off of mahoosive chunks all over the studio is!!!
I hold the nasty little chunks of glass with my reverse action tweezers and watch them fly apart dangerously!!!
Quote from: Donna@Rockin' Beads on May 24, 2012, 03:28:33 PM
Ah, broken bottles. I think they're now on my 'I'm NEVER doing that again' list ;D ;D ;D
The holding isn't the problem for me, the shattering off of mahoosive chunks all over the studio is!!!
I hold the nasty little chunks of glass with my reverse action tweezers and watch them fly apart dangerously!!!
Ah, praps I'll leave it till I've run out of other things to melt!
Quote from: Donna@Rockin' Beads on May 24, 2012, 03:28:33 PM
Ah, broken bottles. I think they're now on my 'I'm NEVER doing that again' list ;D ;D ;D
The holding isn't the problem for me, the shattering off of mahoosive chunks all over the studio is!!!
I hold the nasty little chunks of glass with my reverse action tweezers and watch them fly apart dangerously!!!
Preheat broken bottle pieces in the kiln by putting them into a cold kiln and running your garaging program. Make a stringer from a piece of the same glass and use that by heating the end to stick it onto a bottle piece in the kiln before putting it to the torch.