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Each bead is created on a mandrel, which is a hand-held steel rod. Although mandrels have a high heat resistance, they must be prepared with a bead release solution to ensure that the finished glass can be separated from the rod.
Acquire a supply of mandrels and bead release solution from a lampworking vendor such as Frantz Art Glass. Dip about an inch in the substance and place the rod in an upright position where it can dry. Follow the directions on the bead release for necessary drying times. Generally, solutions take about 24 hours to fully cure. -
Using specific hand movements and the torch's flame, beads are shaped and sized according to your preference.
To begin, turn on the torch and start rotating the coated mandrel until it has a light orange glow. This allows molten glass to stick to the mandrel. Now, heat a glass rod and, when glowing, touch the glass to the mandrel in the flame to make an initial connection. Continue by moving the mandrel underneath the flame so that just the glass rod is directly in the fire. This way, you can rotate the mandrel, hold the melting rod in place and allow the glass to wrap around automatically.
Next, determine the type of bead shape you desire. Common forms include the classic tire or the elongated barrel. To get the tire, simply continue to rotate the mandrel and let the molten glass overlap onto itself. For the barrel, slightly pull the molten glass left or right to elongate the winds of the bead and get more width. Additionally, you may opt to wind more glass around the center to get a true barrel design. For each shape, the more glass you wind, the larger your bead becomes.
Finally, smooth out your bead once you have the size and shape you require. To do this, circle the bead in the flame to melt in the glass and smooth out any obvious ridges. -
With stringers of colored glass, you can add intriguing decorations to your bead.
First, pull a stringer, or thinned out piece of colored glass, to use for the bead enhancement. To accomplish this, heat the end of a rod until it glows orange. Pull the glass out of the flame, grab the molten end with tweezers and hesitate for a second before stretching the rod and tweezers apart slowly. This task takes some practice because it takes some time to understand how the glass behaves.
Continue by rotating your bead in the flame and then position it directly underneath. To make a dot, move the stringer through the flame and onto the glass bead and then quickly pull it back out of the fire. Again, if you are new to glass work, this action may take several tries before getting it just right. Continue to make as many dots as you like.
Another decorative technique is to wind glass stringers around the bead. The winds can be as straight or as wiggly as you prefer. Similar to dots, these winds are accomplished by holding the bead below the flame and moving the stringer through the fire. Experiment with different areas of the flame to determine where you have the most control of the glass. -
Glass needs to be annealed to bring it down to room temperature and simultaneously remove any stress. Use vermiculite or a bead kiln for this purpose.
Place the vermiculite in a fireproof container. When the bead is ready, position the bead face down in the vermiculite so that the other end sticking up. Beads are ready to be handled again in eight hours.
To use a kiln, position the bead inside the bead door, with the metal end sticking out. Allow your bead to run through the annealing cycle before removing it. Again, cycles take about eight hours to complete. - When the bead is cool, remove the glass from the mandrel. First, begin twisting and pulling on the bead to see if it moves. If not, place the glass under running water and use pliers to grip the mandrel and then push the bead again. After the bead is free, continue to let water wash over it to remove any remaining bead release.
