A lot of it has to do with the fact that the beads are boro, but it also has to do with the protrusions. If wings, dots, flowers, etch aren't melted in enough, they may break off, even if annealed - no matter what kind of glass it is. Protrusions which have undercuts are more likely to break off. An undercut is when the base of the bump, wing, etc. (the part that sticks to the main body) is thinner than the rest of the bump, wing, etc. Any thin, delicate protrusion on a bead is more likely to break than if the bead were just a regular shape. Of course, that all varies with the artist's techniques and designs. Basically, if you can grab the bump with your fingernails it may not be melted in enough. When I first began making beads with applied flowers on them, I had a few break off. Same with bumps and such. Breakage happens, but the artist can do things to make it happen less often. :)
Sculptural Lampwork
Feb 25, 2004
46 Replies
Aha. Pyrex "wants to be smooth". Now I get it. Perfect. Thanks.
Tina
Beki
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I agree Becki...and I feel that way about most of their beads. That style just lends itself to feminity...which is how I like my jewelry to look.
I have one of their beads with a slight flaw in it. Can I make you a deal? I will send you the bead if you promise to make a smashing necklace with it and show it off to everyone! Deal?
Beki
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I believe I can complete my part of this deal, LOLOLOL. Will email you with the snail address! And thanks.
Becki "In between the moon and you, the angels have a better view of the crumbling difference between wrong and right." -- Counting Crows
These things shatter. Not like regular beads at all.
Becki "In between the moon and you, the angels have a better view of the crumbling difference between wrong and right." -- Counting Crows
As I understand it, you have it right on the nose... it is indeed more brittle and therefore more likely to fracture through physical shock, though less susceptible to thermal shock. Lots of people think of Pyrex as being more durable than "soft" glass, but and in terms of being able to heat and cool it rapidly with no ill effects, it is (hence all the cooking and serving ware) but in terms of surviving getting banged around, it's actually soft glass that's more durable.
Sort of like the kind of toffee that's too soft and yet too hard to chew at the same time... you know the kind I mean? You have to suck on it, because it's so hard your teeth can barely dent it and not hard enough to be crunchy. That's soda-lime glass. Then there's the kind that has no give to it at all, but is crunchy. That's borosilicate glass.
-Kalera
Cheryl wrote:
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