How do people use shorts and how short is a short?

[Enchanted Cobwebs]

Hi. Maybe my shorts are a bit long coz I'm scared of burning my fingers but on average they are about 3.5 inches long. So far I have taken 2 the same colour and melted one end of each then melt them together, I always get a nobbly at the join and its never a straight rod but but at least I can use more of the glass that way.
I just wondered if there is a better way? I'd love to know what everyone else does with theirs as now I'm on a roll there will be loads of shorts soon!

Any advice appreciated

[Jolene]

A short is a short when it is too hot to hold in your fingers, mine are about an inch. What you do is a good way to use up your shorts or of you are using a lot of the same colour then join it to a whole new rod. Alternatively if you are making a large bead that will need shaping and manipulation on the mandrel. melt the whole rod end in to your bead.

You could crush them for frit, fuse them together to make coasters (I've never tried this), make a pot melt (I've never tried this either) or use them to make twisties.

[★★Terri★★]

Perhaps I'm just a bit mad - but a lot of my shorts get down to well under 2".  Depending on what the glass is - I stick them together to make a new knobbly rod, or just attach them to the end of a new rod.  Ivory shorts tend to be made into silvered stringers.

[Blue Box Studio]

I use a rod holder, start to melt the short rod onto the mandrel then let go of the rod and just turn the mandrel to melt it in.  Other smaller bits I do melt together in the kiln and make window decorations and have bought a mould (but not the kiln wash   ) to cut and melt bits into small shapes for pendants/fridge magnets etc.  My shorts are probably only an inch long, before the faff, because of the rod holder.

[paintboxcrafts]

I'm with the stick them together people. Mine are about one and a half inches long.

[Helen G]

I usually get down to about 1 inch before it gets chucked away  I figure that most colours are around 40P per whole rod so I'm chucking away maybe 3 pence worth? Maths isn't my strongpoint though so feel free to tell me I've got it wrong  Silver glass sits in a jar until I can be bothered to make it into frit?

[♥♥Tan♥♥]

If it is a basic colour like white or clear I just fuse it onto the end of the next rod, if it is a colour then I chuck it in my metal short bucket and use them for all sorts.

[flaming beads]

I use a rod holder, start to melt the short rod onto the mandrel then let go of the rod and just turn the mandrel to melt it in.  Other smaller bits I do melt together in the kiln and make window decorations and have bought a mould (but not the kiln wash   ) to cut and melt bits into small shapes for pendants/fridge magnets etc.  My shorts are probably only an inch long, before the faff, because of the rod holder.

Me too..

[Enchanted Cobwebs]

Thanks everyone

Looks like my shorts are a tad too long then but I like the idea of fusing them on to a full rod, being dim I never even thought of that and have been waiting till I have 2 'shorts' to put together, I will introduce a 'process amendment'!

I also like the idea of a rod holder, I remember seeing on on a site but think it was quite expensive and I did the maths that it was cheaper to chuck the ends away but now I'm setting sights on fancier glass...

Are rod holders easy to use?

Hx

[sparrow]

Mine go down to an inch or so, although, if a student is coming and I have to tidy up, anything under half a rod gets designated to the shorts pile - I regularly have a pile of shorts waiting to be fused together, which I do when I'm waiting for students. If I make a large bead, there never is a short, I just let the rod fall on the bead and melt it in. If it's a colour I don't use often, I'll fuse it to a full rod, or to a rod of clear to pull into stringer...and if I can't remember which colour it is, I use the 'drop it onto bead' method to use up in a focal. Oh, and if I desperately need more of the colour while I make a bead and can't be bothered to get up and get a fresh rod, I just hold it with tweezers - I can get down to less than 1/6 of an inch that way if I don't want to use the cut end (for transparent beads) - *that* short, I throw out 

[flaming beads]

I've got the "hold me tight", and find it easy to use...except the other day, when it couldn't have been in there properly and flew out with speed!!!...

[Frenchie]

So....how do you use shorts for fusing? I always thought you had to use sheet glass?  I have never fused but know the basics re glass, have a boxfull of shorts (glass not pants  ), have a kiln, could possibly find a firing schedule on here somewhere....get where I'm going with this??

I'm off to the fusing tutorials....

[Lotti]

Mine are down to about 1 and a half inches handheld and about 1 inch with a rod holder.  I frequently find myself going 'ow' as I get lost in the bead and not noticing how short the rod has got. I have tried sticking them together but the joint always seems to be too weak and I end up in a mess!  Just have to train myself to throw them away - have quite a collection!

[MyPrecious]

My shorts tend to be about 3cm long (just over an inch). I used to just chuck them in a bowl but now I have a special tool that helps me use them until they are about 1cm long.
This is the tool : Click Here

[awrylemming]

I bought my rod holder from etsy, it was about £12 with postage.  Any ends I have left I make into twisties, a white paddle, lay the shorts on side by side, melt and twist.  Cheap and cheerful.