I was browsing Wet Canvas last night and found a thread on baking soda beads. Has anyone ever tried making them?
I ended up making 16 beads in all. I have some with very large bubbles in them. I read that these beads may crack, but usually when you are making them. None have cracked on me so far.
Any insight to these beads would be great. BTW, I love the look especially with dark colored glass.
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.
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.
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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.
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
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Click on the Beads folder and theyare the first photo available. You can click on the thumbnail and get alarger photo. Starlia
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