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Class Report and questions

Well, the bad news is, you guys have spoiled me... visions of minor burners, kilns, wonderful glass assortments, etc etc.... meeting up with the (expected) reality of a hot head, a fiber blanket, and a dozen pieces of non-matching colored Moretti... :-)

BUT... it was VERY cool anyway, and I actually made beads that look like beads! (ok, so the first half dozen are squashed and rough... I kind of forgot to let them cool a bit before stuffing them in the blanket, being so worried about shocking them and all... but I have 9 beads that are actually recognizable as beads, all reasonably round and symmetrical, and 7 or 8 have decent holes. Now to figure out how to make something out of lime green, clear blue, and amber. :-)

There are 6 women in the class, one has taken a four-week course before, and this is the first time they are teaching it for 8 weeks, so we should get quite a bit of practice. The teacher is Michelle Eilts

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if you're interested.) I'm totally psyched:-) Now, I know I can't even give any of the beads I make in here to anyone, since they're not being annealed, but how big/complex do you think you can get without running a huge risk of them shattering? Just curious - don't have access to a kiln right now (she hasn't offered to take them home to her studio, anyway - and would that even work if they've been out of the torch for a while?) but I hate the thought that I might actually make something COOL someday and have it break later...

The class runs 8 weeks, 3 hours a session, she's thinking we probably won't make it to florals (which is of course what we all want to do), but she's given us some foil, some silver wire, and we'll be doing encasing at least.

On the off chance that I'm halfway decent at this, and my dh is willing to go along with yet ANOTHER craft (and all the supplies that it entails) and we can figure out where on earth to do it safely - would you think it makes more sense to spend the money up front on a kiln or on a better torch? And can anyone recommend a kiln that costs less than the $900 of the one 'on sale' that everyone has been touting?

Thanks! Karin

Reply to
Karin Cernik
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Glad you enjoyed yourself!

What did she say about annealing? Just curious :-)

As for torch vs. kiln: IMO, if I had to choose, I would be hard pressed to do so.

If you work with a HotHead, you're going to spend bow koo bucks on fuel whether you buy the little 1 lb canisters ($8 for a couple of torch hours. Not even a full day) or invest in a bulk tank (which you must buy or rent, then fill, not to mention hauling). Keep in mind, however, that there are a LOT of great beadmakers out there who continue to use a HotHead because they like it and it works best for them.

At the very least, a kiln would allow you to anneal which could conceivably help you make money to put towards a different torch. My kiln is the Toolbox Annealer by Don McKinney (

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) witha digital controller. It was about $685, I think. I can't conceive of tryingto do this without a digital controller, but that's probably just because Idon't trust myself to baby-sit the kiln throughout the process. The thoughtof losing a day's work because of a brain fart didn't appeal to me ;-)If you can do it, a dual fuel torch (like the Minor), the Toolbox Annealer,a grill tank/hoses/etc., and an O2 concentrator would give you a greatstarting setup.

Again, just my opinion. Your mileage may vary, as may your destination...

Reply to
Tink

I can't answer about the kiln or torch questions, but I'd put aside the questions a little longer until you have a better idea of whether you'll continue. Unless the couple thousand dollars you'd need is easily accessible.

In case you don't know, Michelle Eilts' beads are the ones Kevin Duggan posts here. I have some of her beads and they're wonderful.

How often per week do you have the 3 hour session? Can you use the studio any time except during lessons? Maybe she'll bring in an annealing kiln if you ask her to.

Tina

Reply to
Christina Peterson

Oh, I'm not planning on doing anything right away. Just curious as to which would be the better first step, assuming I go any farther.

We have one session per week. I don't think we can get in there any other time, they teach other classes in the studio, and you can't use the torches without an instructor present. But I'll ask this coming week. I'll also ask questions about the kiln.

Thanks! Kar>

Reply to
Karin Cernik

Karen, did the instructor talk about annealing at all? Safety? Stuff like that? Just curious, as I was contacted by the Education Person from ISGB for a grilling when she thought I was teaching beginner classes. I have no interest at all in teaching them, primarily because I feel there are so many IMPERATIVE things that must be covered (annealing, safety, etc.) and I would be concerned that I would forget something incredibly important.

Reply to
Tink

vj found this in rec.crafts.beads, from Karin Cernik :

]in his opinion the only good gift is one with a power ]cord and/or power supply. :-)

LOL! aren't a *LOT* of men like that??? my brothers certainly are!

----------- @vicki [SnuggleWench] (Books)

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's not what you take, when you leave this world behind you;it's what you leave behind you when you go. -- Randy Travis

Reply to
vj

I just want to add one quick note - if you're using any kind of metals (silver foil, etc.) you *need* to have adequate ventilation, and a respirator if at all possible. Same with glass powders, enamels and frits. The rest of the questions got lots of answers, so I will leave those alone. :) Your class sounds lots of fun!! :)

Reply to
Kandice Seeber

There is an huge ventilation system in the back of the classroom, hood and fan, etc. And she recommended respirators if we are going to be working with metals on our own. Not sure what we're going to do when we do it in class.

Thanks, Kar>

Reply to
Karin Cernik

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