Homemade beads?

Google search says glass starts at melting points of 1400 centigrade. Propane flame temperature is 1990 centigrade

According to that you can. I thought you might because we found some glass lumps that were originally bottles after a wood fire we made for Easter as kids (German tradition).

Facetious answer: your rubbish can?

(Interesting idea, that. We do have a propane torch. I usually only use it for burning weeds. Too bad that the idea of running out of stuff that needed to be done yesterday or last week/month/year to me usually has the response "fat chance")

Maren Palms, Etc.: Tropical Plant Seeds - Hand-made Jewelry - Plants & Lilikoi

Well, thanks for the responses. The wife kept on me so much that I took out the hand held propane torch and bought a bottle of propane and fired it up.

After some experiments, some glass melts easier than others. Window glass was "kind of workable", with much patience it might be possible to turn out something usable. The glass from light bulbs is about the same, since it is so thin it seems to melt a bit easier.

Also, the glass bits purchased from dollar stores softens but really can't be "worked" in any useful way.

A few jars and bottles I tried were impossible to work and would barely even soften. One exception was an old style coke bottle, it melted about like the window glass and light bulbs.

My conclusion is that a propane + oxygen torch is necessary--as Graham Bell pointed out. And, Maren is correct, you can melt the glass with a propane torch, but just barely--IMHO ...

Thanks :-)

Regards, JS

and (i'm not exactly a glass bead maker), your wife will need mandrels to make the beads on, bead release to get them off, bead reamers to get the bead release out of the beads, a kiln to anneal the beads so they don't break while cooling down (or right afterwards) ...

I made one glass bead in my life so far, and that was in Kalera's shed where she was making her beads at the time. You may be able to use just a propane torch and just recycled glass, but to make beads that last and that people will buy for more than a penny on the dollar there's a few more things to do and to get. I still might try this if I can figure out the mandrel/bead release stuff.

Maren Palms, Etc.: Tropical Plant Seeds - Hand-made Jewelry - Plants & Lilikoi

Here is one page dealing with a recipe for bead release:

As for the furnace to anneal the beads in, my wife says she had seen bead crafters just stick them into a flower pot of vermiculite (can be bought at garden supplies) and left to cool slowly. As you can tell, my wife is very adamant about me helping her ...

And, my wife just wishes to craft beads for herself, family and friends ... I am sure less than perfect commercial quality beads would be fine with her ...

Regards, JS

Another:

My wife picked up some thin stainless steel brazing rods from a welding supply, guy just gave her a couple 3 ft. long lengths, she is going to try cutting/using them to form beads on ... Regards, JS