*sigh* footprints

[Hazer]

I didn't really want to post this, but I've got to the grr stage, so...

I've been lampworking every other night for a few weeks (I was a newbie last year, but I had an eight-ish month break), and despite everything I do, the footprint *always* goes 'dog bone' shaped. I've tried holding the mandrel in straight lines (even tilting it almost by degrees to make sure it's straight), throwing out my bent mandrels, and just touching the tip of the gather to the mandrel, but no go. Still dog bone. It's making me crazy and sad

Any help please? I've tried practice, but at this point, I'm starting to realise there may be something faulty in my method

[helbels]

If it goes dog bone shaped, can't you just roll it on a marver to even it into a barrel again?  Or am I not understanding properly?

[jammie]

Any chance of going to a get together where you can get someone to wtch what your doing and give a bit of advice. 

[squirsygirl]

do you mean when you make a tube bead?

Just marver it - you're not necessarily doing anything wrong.  I always end up marvering mine.

K

[Margram]

I'm not sure what you mean either, but if you mean the centre of the bead is lower than the ends as you add the glass, it could be that the mandrel is too close to the flame and the rod of glass is pressing the molten glass down...best way to solve these niggles is to get along to a beady meet-up and get some advice

[hollergrafik]

Sounds like you don't have enough glass on the initial footprint, for practicing try making 3 different coloured spacer beads a couple of mm's apart and heat and Marver them til they join and make a stripey barrel. You will then have an even footprint.

[Hazer]

Any chance of going to a get together where you can get someone to wtch what your doing and give a bit of advice. 

June (of Beaujolais Beads) came over for a meet-up and showed me how she makes beads, but I didn't seem to have the problem that day, and any wonkiness I thought was because I'd only just starting lampworking again the morning she visited.

[Hazer]

Quick Photoshop of what I mean. On the left is one view of the bead on the mandrel, on the right is the view on the other side:


footprint by Continuum Designs, on Flickr

Thank for all the suggestions so far guys

[jammie]

Ah, is the glass tailing off too soon before you flame cut it then?

[hollergrafik]

Ahhhh ok, make a bigger gather, touch gently on the mandrel, pull away so you have like a fat stringer and turn, by having more glass to start with and by adding it in one continuous motion it will start straighter, if you still have skinny bits, heat the bead til it starts moving the glass and take out the flame and slowly turn to even it up, rinse and repeat

[Hazer]

Ahhhh ok, make a bigger gather, touch gently on the mandrel, pull away so you have like a fat stringer and turn, by having more glass to start with and by adding it in one continuous motion it will start straighter, if you still have skinny bits, heat the bead til it starts moving the glass and take out the flame and slowly turn to even it up, rinse and repeat

Thank you! I'll have a play with this tomorrow.

[binty]

Hazer, I do this too!

The lovely SpecialKay showed me how to correct it, so what she said lol!!

[Redhotsal]

It's not the end of the world if you get this footprint. You can correct it by getting the glass really hot and slowly rotating the mandrel. "Chase" the glass slowly around the mandrel, but don't rotate too quickly - you almost want the glass so that it's hot enough to nearly fall off the mandrel. If you get it really hot and if you turn it really slowly this footprint will even out. This footprint is really really common when people start making (or start remaking) beads and is usually because you don't get the glass hot enough initially.
(BTW - I call it the "classic newbie underpants shape!"  )

[Hazer]

It's not the end of the world if you get this footprint. You can correct it by getting the glass really hot and slowly rotating the mandrel. "Chase" the glass slowly around the mandrel, but don't rotate too quickly - you almost want the glass so that it's hot enough to nearly fall off the mandrel. If you get it really hot and if you turn it really slowly this footprint will even out. This footprint is really really common when people start making (or start remaking) beads and is usually because you don't get the glass hot enough initially.
(BTW - I call it the "classic newbie underpants shape!"  )

rotfl

Thanks Sal - not getting the glass hot enough could be part of my problem since I work outside and the wind often blows at the wrong moment I'll try rotating a lot more slowly too, in case that's the trouble too.

Will report back!