Encasing...

[aoturoa]

Yeah, I know - I should learn to walk etc etc but I was feeling adventurous so I gave encasing a go.

Only the instructions I have are a little vague - it says to allow the bead to cool. I guess to allowed it to cool too much, cos I touched it with the clear and it shattered. Boo. Was purple bead with silver foil and pretty.

How cool is 'cool'? I mean the book says a dull orange for foil, which worked a treat, but gave no such indication for encasing.

[Caroline]

if you search the forum you'll find loads of topics on encasing

[Mary]

Cool enough that it's hard, or you'll squidge it when you put the clear on. It should be OK if it cracks when the hot glass hits, you'll be melting it anyway, but you've alreadyfound out that too cool isn't good! Practice I'm afraid!

[Wishing Wells Glass]

As Mary said, it really comes down to practice.  If you're doing encased florals or any type of design that you want to stay put, it is very important to let the bead cool before applying the encasing layer.  I do lots of encased florals and I let mine cool to no glow at all.  While I heat the clear, I 'flash' the bead back and forth in the upper part of the flame to ensure that it won't crack.  It really is something that you just have to get a feel for as I'm sure different people use different methods as well.  I would suggest moving the bead into the upper part of the flame and just moving it in and out for a bit THEN heat the clear.  This should give it a chance to cool down so the design won't smudge. 

As a side note, when I make encased frit beads I don't let the bead cool as much.  I actually like the smudging effect and so I keep the bead relatively warm.  It just depends on what look you're after.

Hope this helps a bit

x

[aoturoa]

I've been winding transparent stringer this afternoon and realised it must be a very similar technique. Will keep practising.

[Trudi]

When htey say cool - they mean cool enough so that the glass doesn't move - ie if it's still glowing when you try to encase the base bead would just "shift" and go out of shape. It is a little confusing. Different glasses will cool differently (white or ivory for example) - to geta good feel for it try encasing trans black. You will see easily when the glow has gone and it'll be an easier one to start with!

[Redhotsal]

Yes, as Trudi says - different glasses will have different cooling rates. The hardest colour to encase is white or ivory as they are squidgy and soft at a much lower temperature than the melting point of the clear and they'll always "leak" out around the encasing. You can practise first with a "mid-range" opaque like turquoise or violet. A transparent colour is also good as they are much stiffer and you can't see if they haven't been perfectly encased! (Great for "cheating"!)
Get the base bead stiff (it will have JUST lost it's glow - that's the best time to encase. You can let it get really quite cool - very often my bead cracks as I apply the clear but 95% of the time I can get away with it by simply reheating. It's a pain if the bead release has split though. You'll get better results if your base bead is stiff as the underlying pattern won't smear but it is better if you can encase without it cracking first

[Trudi]

Wow Sal - you called me Trudi and not Kooks lady - I'm impressed!

[aoturoa]

Thanks for those tips guys. I'll keep trying.

[Redhotsal]

Wow Sal - you called me Trudi and not Kooks lady - I'm impressed!

So am I! Argghhhh - that song....it's re-entered my head. NOooooo.......

[Trudi]

Wow Sal - you called me Trudi and not Kooks lady - I'm impressed!

So am I! Argghhhh - that song....it's re-entered my head. NOooooo.......

That sounds interesting Sal what's the story??  Trudi calls me the Mad Bead Woman I dont know where she's got that idea from I'm sure...........
I got that lovely bead today Trudi -  its Gorgeous lovely, lovely, lovely beadie.................. yummy yummy..............mmmmmmmmmmm ................... teeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrriiiiffffffffiiiiiiiicccc   ~  I'm not MA, MA, MA, MAD!!!!!!!!!!   

Hi Elaine

It's my log in - shine on - reminds her of the Kooks song!!

But as for yo umy dear - does what it says on the tin - 

I also got my gorgeous heart - it's very sweet - thanks!