Baking Soda Beads

Howdy! I also like baking soda beads. Two important things: Don't use very much baking soda and don't forget to neutralize them.

Becki,

Click on the link to my photos. Click on Beads and it is the first photo you will see. It's labeled Baking Soda Beads. You can click on the image to make it larger so you can see all the bubbles.

Starlia

Yes,they are one of my fav types to make. Tyr trans cobalt encased with clear.

Nope, no cracking. Am wearing some that are nearly a year old.

I checked out teh pics of teh ones you made and they look great!

How do you make them? They're so pretty!

Charlie.

Here's a thread about baking soda beads on Wet Canvas. Obviously, you can't do much to neutralize encased baking soda beads, but if it's a surface treatment, the use of vinegar might slow down the deterioration.

Something to remember is that the glass that most lampworkers use is Moretti/Effetre. SODA lime glass. The addition of baking soda to the glass actually changes the matrix of the glass, I do believe. So you're changing the structure on a molecular level.

Cool, huh?

On a personal note, I haven't had any trouble with the encased baking soda beads that I made well over a year ago. On the other hand, non-encased ones continued to deteriorate to the point that they finally looked like small meteorites. These were not neutralized.

Ah, you have to have like, lampworking stuff. Never mind, I thought it could be a possibility for those of us with no money or room to put stuff!

Charlie.

AH HA, thank you!!!

Becki "In between the moon and you, the angels have a better view of the crumbling difference between wrong and right." -- Counting Crows

Umm- can we try this when I'm there??? Please please :)

Kathy K

I hate to show my ignorance, but could someone please enlighten me about "baking soda beads"? Process, etc.? Thanks jim

starlia wrote:

It's not ignorance. I just learned it this week myself. I had never heard of it before I read a thread on wet canvas.

I have had success doing the following:

I take a 1/4 teaspoon and just fill it about 1/8th full of baking soda. I put the baking soda on my graphite marver. I make a bead (dark transparents are very pretty) and while the bead is still molten I roll it in a very thin layer of baking soda. I then put it back in the flame to reshape, but high in the flame. Then I encase it with clear, but I'm sure other transparent colors will look well.

You have to be careful to not put a lot of baking soda or the beads will crack. However, play with different mixes and you'll get to know how much is too much and how much will leave the effect you like.

If you haven't seen the photos yet, go to my photo album at

Will do - I'm a bit scattered myself. Lists can be really good things :)