How to Make Dichroic Beads

Making glass beads has become very popular, especially those made with dichroic glass. Dichroic glass is an iridescent glass that changes colors when the light hits it. Beadmakers like using dichroic in their beads, as it adds interesting effects to their beads. Dichroic glass comes in rods and sheets, with a base of either clear or black glass. There are many suppliers where you can buy your materials.

Things You'll Need

• Mandrels Mandrel release Glass rods Dichroic glass Torch Annealing kiln or fiber blanket Flameworking glasses

Instructions

Making the Bead

1. 

   Coat your mandrels with the mandrel release. Mandrels are the rods that you will use to wrap your glass around. Mandrel release is a coating applied to the mandrel so that your glass will not adhere to the rod. There is a large variety of products on the market for coating your mandrels. Dip your rods into the release and set them upright to dry in a container. You can speed drying time by placing rods in a sunny spot or by using the flame-dry release formulas that can be dried in the torch flame.

2. 

   Once your mandrels are dry, light your torch. Pick up a glass rod that you have chosen for your base color and slowly introduce the rod into the flame. You need to heat your glass rod to a molten state. Once the glass has reached the molten state, you are ready to apply the glass to the rod.

3. 

   Turn your mandrel in a rotating motion as you apply the glass, keeping the mandrel horizontal. Make your bead into your desired shape and size. This will be your base bead.

4. 

   Add your dichroic glass. The dichroic coating is only on one side of the glass, so you will need to decide onto which side to apply it. When working with dichroic on a clear base, apply the dichroic on the bead with the dichroic facing down and the clear glass facing up. If the dichroic is on a black base, apply the dichroic glass face up with the black base facing down. Apply as much dichroic as you want. When applying the dichroic, keep the bead in the cooler part of the flame. As you wrap the dichroic glass, keep the bead beneath the flame.

5. Finish the bead. After applying the dichroic glass, you can add decorations with more glass or encase the bead in a clear casing. Encasing the bead will give added depth. Make sure the bead is smooth and in your desired shape before removing from the flame. Once the bead is completed, remove it from the flame, and place it in the annealing kiln or fiber blanket to cool down.

Tips & Warnings

• Experiment with different dichroic glass. Read books on beadmaking.

• Always use safety measures when flameworking: When working at the torch, always wear your safety glasses, keep a metal container of water handy to cool off your tools, make sure you have a fire extinguisher, and have a first-aid kit nearby for burns.