How I made daffodils

[marijane]

I never thought I would be doing this (posting a tutorial).  I hope you like it.  I tried lots of ways that did not work, but this method made it easier to control heat.  Here are all the words.  I do not have a website at the moment so the pictures are over on Flickr.  (Mods, please let me know if you know a better way)

Glass Daffodil Tutorial

This tutorial assumes that you have lampworking skills and does not cover health and safety aspects of glass working.

Preparation

Cut six equal lengths off a yellow rod of glass.  Each should be approximately twice as long as the rod is wide. (Picture 1)
Prepare a stringer of an accent colour for the trumpet if desired.
Have to hand; a petal pulling tool, a Japanese flower tool, round nosed pliers and a graphite marver (picture 2), plus tweezers (not shown)

1.   Make a small bead on the end of a dipped mandrel.  Keeping the bead hot, pick up one of the pre-cut short lengths of glass, heat it in the flame and join it to the bead.  Repeat this twice more until you have a weird tripod shape on the end of your mandrel, as shown in the third picture.
2.   Heat one of those rods using heat and gravity to encourage it into the shape shown in the next photograph.  Repeat with the other two legs.
3.   Use the flower pulling tool to squish the short rods into petal shapes.  Then attach the remaining three rods between and slightly behind the first set of petals as you can see in the sixth photograph.
4.   Keep the distinction between the sets of petals by angling the first set forwards and the second set back.  You can refine the petal shape, check they are fairly uniform and firmly attached to the base bead. (picture 7)
5.   Use the marver, or other suitable tool to gently ease the petals into almost the same plane. (picture
6.   Melt the end of your original rod (or a contrast colour if you wish), warm the base bead and add a blob of glass from which you will form the trumpet of the daffodil.  Heat that blob and use the Japanese tool to create a dimple.  Apply a stringer for an extra colour accent and melt in. (pictures 9 to 11)
7.   Heat the trumpet and use your round nosed pliers to flute it. Heat each petal in turn and use the end of your rod of yellow glass to pull it into a nice shape.  (picture 12)
8.   To finish I have made a sterling silver bale to attach a chain.


https://www.flickr.com/photos/beadsbymari/sets/72157643272131863/?fb_action_ids=10203414157695698&fb_action_types=flickr_photos%3Aadd&fb_ref=w&fb_source=aggregation&fb_aggregation_id=288381481237582

If you have time https://www.facebook.com/mariandjonathanscyclechallenge expains why I have been making daffs, and  this http://www.justgiving.com/L2Pteamhughes

[highgardenbeads]

Very cool!

[Jeanniegems]

Clever!

Jeannie x

[spexy]

That's brilliant, thanks for sharing.

[Margram]

Lovely of you to share and really clear instructions and piccies. Makes me want some new tools! But when I am back in action I might improvise and have a go 

[marijane]

As, thank you for your kind comments. I'm so glad you like it.  I have not tried, but you may still get good results with a small flat tweezers of the type Tuffnell sell, and a graphite rod, shaped to a rounded taper. Much of the petal shape comes from flame.  I'll have a play next time.