Gravity Beads

[Hil]

Hi Guys

Gravity Beads sound like they should be easy to make but whenever I have tried, the pattern just goes splodgy (technical term, of course!!) and the ends go too thin, which make them ugly and sharp when taken off the mandrel.  I like the gravity beads to have uniform swirls in them - any suggestions?

Cheers

Hil x

[sparrow]

Hi Hil, when I make mine, I first do a sausage-type bead (technical term again!), hen I dedicate my attention to one end at a time, letting it drop in one direction and starting to twirl, holding it nearly horizontal - if you want one swirl going all the way round, you'll have to twirl it the other way once it starts drooping near the other end. I always fing the end at the end of the mandrel easier to do, because I don't have the whole mandrel in the way - does that help? Mine then end up looking kind of bone-like, thinner in the middle and a blob at each end.

[saffie]

Hi Hil,
when i make mine i stick the colours i want onto my mandrel then heat them all up so they combine. I then spot heat sections and use my prodding tool to drag alternately up and down the length of the bead. Mmmm... difficult to describe without pictures!! basically i end up with a lumpy looking piece of glass that instead of having uniform colours that go round the mandrel the colours are dragged up and down the length of the mandrel, does that make more sens. I then do exactly what Sparrow said in her reply, heat ends and allow gravity to do its thing, of course remebering to keep the end you are not heating warm!!
i hope that helps a bit, i may try to get some piccies up but here is one of my beads!!

[saffie]

Ooh!! Sabine i just noticed that was your 1000th post. blimey matey you are on fire!!!!!

[sparrow]

LOL, yeah, I just changed the text with my photo to at lest try and explain myself Caroline, that bead's gorgeous! I've got a lot to learn about gravity beads!!!

[Mary]

Another thing you can do is press them or add end caps after swirling. Like these.

[Sandra J]

Yum yum Mary they are delicious!!

Sandra

[Mary]

Thanks!

[Hil]

Oooooooooooooooh! Thanks guys - those beads are all fab and just what I want to produce.  Thanks for all the suggestions - as soon as I learn how to put photos on here I'll post some once I have had more practise!!!   (tongue out practising!!!)