Pressing problem!

[cbeadies]

Just a quick question.
I have been trying out a few beads recently using a press (small straight sided tab shapes at the moment) - it's great, but I am struggling to get nice bead ends and end up with lots of rough pointy ones! Does anyone have any advice / tips...or is it just lots more PPP needed??

I'd like to buy a couple more presses but don't want to spend out until I have mastered the technique!

Thanks in advance. 
Jill

[helbels]

The most helpful bit of advice I got when I started using presses was that you don't just press once and that's it.  You press, add more glass, press again, flame polish, press again - anywhere up to about 10 times a bead.   Each time you press you kind of refine the shape a bit and it gets better.  Also, once your bead gets too big for your press, you've had it - you can't get nice ends no matter how hard you try.  Try making the width of the bead about 1mm less wide than the hole in your press, and that way you should'nt get glass oozing out the ends when you press.

[Redhotsal]

You many have to spread the glass further along the mandrel before pressing. i.e. make the bead rounder (spherical) as opposed to do-nut shaped - with many presses you almost have to have the basic shape in place before you press - very few presses will magically transform your standard do-nut into the perfect pressed shape.

Never put a wonky bead into a press - it'll just end up as a wonkier pressed bead. Centre your bead and let it go solid and then reheat gently and then press. You don't need the bead as hot as you think to press anyway - certainly not glowing.

As Helbels says - press and heat a few times. Not sure I've ever done it as many as ten times but yes, two or three is normal. And don't press the crap out of it in the first go. "Ease" it into shape.

You can practise getting your anount of glass correct by practising with some bluetack on a mandrel. If you can find any. There's never any in my house. 

[beadysam]

Pressing may be seen as a cheat by some people but I definately think it needs a whole new set of skills to do it well - and there is a learing curve for each press too.  I've got zero patience so I have waay too many presses all gathering dust....

[squirsygirl]

Pressing may be seen as a cheat by some people but I definately think it needs a whole new set of skills to do it well - and there is a learing curve for each press too.  I've got zero patience so I have waay too many presses all gathering dust....

Nothing to say about presses, but Welcome Back Sam!

Kirsty

[Mary]

Make your footprint about a mm short of the press cavity at each end.
Don't press with your glass too hot, let it form a skin first. You don't have to do the shaping in one go, reheat and re-press, you don't always need to add more glass. Try pressing a couple of times just reheating in between.
It's not the easy option, but it is worth it!

[julieHB]

I am not overly clever with presses, but I know well how frustrating it is when those bead holes get all sharp!! I try to make sure that the core does not get too hot - that way the hotter glass on the outside will flow out to the sides of the press, while the glass close to the mandrel stay more rigid, and I end up with nice puckered holes. Well, that's the theory anyway - easier said than done, and I certainly don't always get it right!!

Like the others say above - easy does it! If you press lightly and more times the greater chance of getting it right, I think. The press you have is not the easiest, so probably needs more practise than f.ex. a lentil shape.

[cbeadies]

Thank you everyone for the helpful replies  . I think that in my enthusiasm I have been rushing the process a bit (the 'splodge and hope-for-the-best' approach!) - I need to slow down and put some of the advice into practice.
Also think I have been using too much glass and too hot.

Now where is that blutack...

Jill

[CeeGeeJewellery]

You can practise getting your anount of glass correct by practising with some bluetack on a mandrel.

That's a bloomin brilliant idea, thank you! Each time I use a press I forget how much glass I need on the mandrel, so might have to make myself some blu tack guides to keep handy...