1. Home
  2. Beading Crafts
  3. Baby Lampwork:)

Baby Lampwork:)

So...one week in, and we can see our improvement over the course of 7 days. We fired up the kiln twice, and decided it wasn't worth it just yet, so we're just using the fiber blanket for now.

I keep pulling out the beads we made 2-3 years ago, in our stolen moments at the torch in my folks' basement. Wow. Compared to what we made this week, those beads are insanely bad:) Its amazing what a bit of reading (over and over) will do for your rudimentary skills.

So far, my focus has mostly been on learning what each glass can and can't do...how it reacts to other glass, to different flames, etc. Adam's has been on technique, since the basics seem to come naturally to him. By Friday, I could make a pretty darn good basic bead, the donut shape with good dimples. It took some trial and error, figuring out how best to position my body, the torch, the glass rod, and the mandrel. It turns out I'm a side winder--I need to look at what I'm doing from the side in order to lay down a good, even footprint. After that, I can go back to looking over the torch to do the decorating:)

Adam's big hurdle is prepping the bead properly for the fiber blanket, and keeping his beads warm and rotating while working on them. He's very impatient, and wants to be Done when he's done. I keep reminding him...okay..nagging him...to keep the glass warm, and to follow the steps for prepping the beads for the fiber blanket, but he's a stubborn dude;) After working on a bead for half an hour yesterday, and finding it cracked right down the center an hour later....he may have gotten the point.

So...we've learned some important things. One, Candace cannot and should not use opaline glass. It will boil, and it will burn. Nor should she use most of the yellows, and one grass green. They strike or burn, every time. Adam should not remove beads from the mandrels. They will be unusable after leaving his hands. Adam should also not take glass rods from the jar and thrust them directly into the flame. The amount of shattered glass is growing by leaps and bounds:D

All in all, we're having a blast. Hopefully, our skills at the torch will continue to improve, and someday, I'll post our first lampwork AD:)

Wanna see the beads?

formatting link
~Candace~ (who has found the color Powder Pink and wants to hoard about a million pounds of it!!!)
formatting link

Reply to
~Candace~
Loading thread data ...

Candace -- I love, love , love frit beads. You are just making lots of frit for my frit beads!!!

Adam is doing real well getting "round" down.

Becki

Reply to
Beckibead

Some of those blue rounds in his pics are mine:p But yeah...he can crank out the rounds like nobodies business--and the weird thing is that when he starts, you'd think there's no way that bead will turn out round.

I'm digging the frit, too, layered with hair-thin stringer. Oh! Stringer! I can pull stringer like a mad woman:) Nice long even stringer, about 2-3mm wide. Yay me! LOL We're both having fun with twisties, too, at least....making them. Using them....different story:p

~Candace~

formatting link

Beckibead wrote:

Reply to
~Candace~

wonderful smile i see a bright future for you both i liked your orange focal bead best smile you both will improve keep having fun hugs to you both and thanks for the idea for photos I going to make one too lol free is always good ! I see your son is enjoying the sound of music as well good for him lol Happy ness is a bead made by your own two hands! Victoria

Reply to
Vicky

I can see you guys are having a wonderful time. The bottom of your kiln can't be hot enough to bother those gas canisters. Though, if you're going to stay with your hothead for a while, you might stop by the nearest bottled gas dealer and see if you can get a bulk MAPP tank. I had three at one point--I used my hothead for two years and made some nice beads on it. When I got a minor, I sold two of the MAPP tanks to another beadmaker in my area, so it's not a permanent investment.

I found my first beads a while back and started carrying them to shows with me. When people said, "Oh, I could never do this!," I'd pull out my string of baby beads and show them what newbie beads look like. That was until the sharp ends cut the string, anyway!

I'll be interested to see your progress in week 2, 3, 4, 5 .... 52!

Nolly

Reply to
ngelsinger

Oh we made it thru about 5 canisters and said screw it--we're getting a tank:) And so we did. Its propane, but it'll do for now, while we are getting the basics down. I kind of see it as levels--first we see what we can do with this gas, then we see what can be done with that gas, then we move up a step with the torch and add in an oxycon, and and and! There are years and years of new explorations to be had:)

I just wish the roaches would leave us alone when we are out there at night. Our whole neighborhood is populated by 2-3 inch cockroaches, and having them on the walls, ceiling, and floor while we're in the garage is disconcerting. Whoever isn't torching is on Roach Watch. Luckily, the bulk of them stay in hiding until we go in for the night.

~Candace~

formatting link

snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com wrote:

Reply to
~Candace~

I primarily lurk and drool over everyone's pretties. Some day, I'd love to try lampwork but don't know anyone in my area to learn from and too scared to try learning on my own. Plus, at the moment, the cost is prohibitive.

So, Candace, I'm living vicariously through you. Please keep posting your experiences and pictures. I'm loving it!

CindyB snipped-for-privacy@sweetpeacreationz.com

Reply to
CindyB

Will do, Cindy:)

~Candace~

formatting link

C> I primarily lurk and drool over everyone's pretties. Some day, I'd

Reply to
~Candace~

Ah, Candace, what a long way you two come from that day we spent in your mom's basement :)

I spent yesterday at the torch and actually made a round bead. I was so frickin' proud of myself, I couldn't stand it . Of the seven beads I made, I managed to get each and every one off the mandrels, too.

So, okay, I haven't been around for quite a while, just dealing with lots of family issues and major "hate my job" issues. But here I am, catching up, seeing what other folks are up to.

Cheers, Carla

~Candace~ wrote:

Reply to
Carla

Its thrilling isn't it, Carla? Week two has seen us progress from "arrrgghh....I'll TRY to make a round freaking bead. It won't be round, and I'll hate it, but I'll try..." to "Hey, lookit that, another round bead." Its a wonderful feeling, to know we can get that simple round bead with not a whole lot of effort now, and concentrate on decorating it:)

I'll have pics tomorrow of Week Two's efforts:) I think both of us have found our first beads for the *must make these to sell--I enjoy making them, I can do it well, and I have a billion ideas for the style* pile.

Have you roughed up your mandrels? We are still, after two weeks, having to mess around with one particular size mandrel we have.

So...show me beads, m'lady! I wanna see:)

~Candace~ (who should have been work> Ah, Candace, what a long way you two come from that day we spent in your

Reply to
~Candace~

YUCK ALERT

OK this sounds gross, but it might work. Squash the roaches (step on them, beat them with a hammer, whatever), LET THEM LAY THERE... eventually it may act as a repellent. I've done this with smaller roaches, and ants... it seems like they finally get the idea that this is a bug kill zone and stay away. Since I'm allergic to pesticides, it was an experiment born out of desperation, and seems to work! I know some organic gardeners grind up bugs and add water to the slush and use it as a pest spray... it seems to work against the same kind of bugs ground up.

Reply to
Vibrant Jewels

[...]

Maren (unless you're in certain parts of Texas our roaches are guaranteed to be bigger than yours. If you're in Texas there's some annual competition)

Reply to
Maren at google

frying pan do you cook them or beat them? V

Reply to
Vicky

Reply to
Kalera

InspirePoint website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.