National Button Week 2018

 Well, I'm late to the party as usual~ it's now close to the end of National Button Week, 2018! Yup, it's a thing- who knew? It was begun in 1989 by the National Button Society and occurs in the third week of March. This year, it is from March 18-25. In honor of this, I have put my lampwork glass buttons on off 25% sale for the remainder of the week. Find them all here!

For more about glass buttons and some links to interesting button stuff, check out my earlier blog 'The Technology of a Glass Button'.

Murrini!

My murrini is on the purple, Kaz's on the blue and orange

Oh my! I've gone on a murrini making binge. I bought a few from Kaz Baildon in England, but couldn't wait for them to arrive, so I got a rod nipper and began making a few of my own. Still working on making them turn out as I have envisioned them- right now, some come out quite nice and others, well, not so much. But, because I'm making them, I must also learn to use them. I have resisted this whole silly thing for more than 15 years! Now? Well, I may be getting just a wee bit addicted....


If you are not a bead maker or glass afficianado, you may wonder what the heck a murrini is. For your edification, I must, as usual, point you to the wiki about such things. One builds a tube shaped blob of glass using a lot of different colors, pulls it into a rod and then cuts thin bits off of it. These cross section pieces have sweet designs in them that get placed onto the hot bead. They can look like just about anything- the classic use is in a millefiori (thousand flowers) design, where piles of flowery-looking murrini are placed all over a piece. But a murrini doesn't have to look like a flower- it can be a fish, a heart, a star, your initials- anything, really!

So now on to the small touch of something I think I've learned. First, in the purple fish pictured- the murrini at the bottom is encased, while the ones at the top of the bead are placed on the surface and melted in. The encased murrini was an extremely thin slice which I simply laid on my marver and picked up with the hot bead. Because it was so thin, there was no worry about it shocking and breaking. And it was easy to melt smooth and encase. A nice use of those bits that are simply too thin to pick up, and it really shows off the design nicely.



Another cool thing is the 'barnacle effect' as seen on the tree bead. As best I can remember, I did not melt these murrini all the way down, but got them about 1/2 way melted in and then  put a blob of clear on top. Not exactly what I was going for- it looks a barnacle or eye-leafed tree, but it's a fairly fun idea that could be used effectively somewhere, I'm sure! Those wee murrini next to the tree are the ones I used on it, and my favorite pull so far- modeled after peacock tail eyes.

If you are interested in learning the art of murrini making, I can highly recommend the October 2013 issue of the Soda Lime Times. I read through all the different instructions there and ended up sort of combining things together. John Rizzi did a particularly nice job with his tut! The magazine also has murrini recipes from a whole bunch of different people. I have not attempted to follow any of those, but it was great to see see what folks do!

I use just regular tweezers ('cause that's what I've got!), but I have heard that it is helpful to have either tungsten tipped tweezers (so they won't stick) or some pipe and tube or universal cylinder tweezers from Micro-Mark. I have not tried these, but folks were pretty excited about them on facebook.

Testing 1,2... Support Spindle Bowls, Diz or Worry Stone Beads????

   Well, I had an idea. But I don't know if it was a good idea, or one of those ones I should have ignored. Ha, too late, I already got involved. But I have questions and plenty of them! All of these are also beads, so they can be worn or hung when not in use.

   Are either of these styles good for a support spindle bowl? I showed them to some spinning friends and they seemed to like the smaller, deeper indentation that's in the wee fishie~ it's about 3/8 in. in diameter; the tip of my pinkie fits it perfectly. That's a little easier for me to do, so that would be a good thing. The larger indentations tend to have concentric circle impressions inside them- chill marks from the cool tool touching the warm glass. Does that make them a 'no' for support spindles? I have seen a couple of folks making similar pieces; I wonder what they're using to indent the glass!

   Also, they all need to be on a no skid surface. And they are on the small side- about 1 1/2 x 1 1/2 inches. The spindles spin on the fish particularly nicely, but when you actually attempt to use them as support spindle bowls, will they stay in place or not? Boy do I need a tester!

   Does it make sense to add a wee diz to them, or is the diz bit too smooth to work? The diz holes are about 1/4 inch- is that a sensible size?

   If nothing else, they are great to use as worry stones!

The Technology of a Glass Button

Well, every time I start on a new or revisited project, there is something new to learn. Glass buttons have been an elusive thing for me. I've tried many times over the years, and always given up, normally in pretty short order. But this time, I feel like I've gotten a much better feel for the whole button-making process. There are two very difficult things about making glass buttons- getting the glass smoothly in the tiny space between the two mandrels, and making them round, or at least somewhat regular.

Because of the way the mandrel is made and turns and all of that, the natural shape for a two hole button is rather oval. In the past, I've tried to make them semi-round. But I have recently realized that that is not necessarily necessary! So my new buttons are sometimes oval, and sometimes not so much. I keep them in my etsy shop, alongside my glass whorls and other spinning supplies

Ah, decorative buttons are a thing! Who knew? Well, probably lots of folks, but buttons are not always functional. So, if a button is oddly shaped, it can simply be sewn onto a lovely fiber design as kind of an alternate form of jewelry.

The backs of buttons- well I was kind of going for flat. But guess what? Many buttons are actually curved on the back side as well as the front. Why? Well, I think it's because you have to be able to button them. If they are too flat on the fabric, it could be a no go!

And then someone mentioned weight. If the button is too heavy, it will pull things in some random undesirable direction. Hmmm... I wonder how heavy is too heavy?

And did you know that buttons have their very own measuring system? They are measured in lignes, with 40 lignes equal to 1 inch. The American National Button Society divides its buttons into 'small', 'medium' and 'large' sizes. But how many lignes is a large button? I will have to leave that to the experts!

Ready to learn more about the ins and outs of button history and technology? You can always find fun info on Wikipedia . There's also the Keep Homestead Museum in Massachusetts, which has a button collection and this treatise on buttons by Charles Dickens. Amazing!

New Headpin Tool, New Ideas!

A couple of months ago I had an inspiration- a headpin tool that is easy to open and close, and that the wire could fit inside to solve the making a bead on a moving wire experience. I spoke to Craig Milliron at Arrow Springs- and voila! Just like magic he made the tool I was looking for!

It's so easy to use too. Just cut a length of wire (I like to use wire that is about 18 - 20 gauge for a nice sturdy headpin), make sure it's pretty straight, open up the jaws of the clip, push the wire down inside leaving it sticking out an inch or two so you're not overheating the tool, and get to work making your headpin. Since the wire is nice and stable, it is really easy to make anything you'd like on the end of the wire. I decided to try making some hearts and was very pleased.

When you're ready to put the headpin into your kiln, swish it through the flame, grab a bit of the wire between the tool and the glass with a pair of tweezers or a locking hemostat, open up the jaws and pull it out. Caution: the tab of the tool may be a bit hot, so give it a quick test before you press down. Craig put little thumb tab on the tool to keep it touchably warm- just in case you put it right into the flame.

There's a bit more info on how I make headpins here.

Here are some of the results. Need one? You can get it from Arrow Springs! They call it a broach clip.

The language of Lampwork, a guide to terms used in lampwork glass beadmaking

This article was originally published as an 'Expert Advice' column in the June 2011 issue of Bead & Button. Some revisions, photos and further explanations have been made here.

Handmade lampwork beads, made by an ever-growing community of people working in their home studios, are quite popular in today’s jewelry designs, but do all of those odd words people use to describe them just confuse you? The next time you hear someone say ‘Look at that shiny design- is that fumed or did they use silver foil?’ don’t just smile and nod; pull out this handy glossary and say ‘I think I see a bit of dichro encased in there!’

If you are a purchaser of lampwork beads, you may also find this article of interest.

Techniques and Basics

Annealing- Cooling a bead slowly in a kiln to equalize the temperature of the glass. This relieves stress, which keeps cracks from forming; even a small crack in a bead can grow, eventually causing it to break.

 Some small beads are cooled in a fiber blanket, annealing bubbles or vermiculite though annealing in a kiln is preferred. Lampworkers should specify the cooling method used.

Encasing (overwrapping)- A covering of transparent glass that will magnify the pattern in the core bead. The best encased beads will not contain unintentional bubbles, though many do. These bubbles do not hurt the integrity of the glass.

Fuming- Flame-Vaporized silver or gold thinly coats a bead; the metallic ‘fumes’ are deposited on the bead.

Hollow Bead – Two parallel disks of glass are wound on a mandrel and sealed together to form thin- walled, lighter weight bead.

Imploding- A series of dots placed inside a hollow tube are encased and elongated, creating the appearance of an explosion inside the piece.  An ‘inside-out’ design most often associated with boro glass.

Lampworking (flameworking)- Melting and working glass over an open flame.

Masking- Melting and overlapping dots to make a design which becomes more complex with each additional layer.

Puckered ends- Indented holes at the end of the bead. Beads should never have sharp holes; these can chip or cut through beading cord.

Raking- Dragging a tool across lines or dots on the surface of the glass creates a zigzag or elongated pattern. Similar techniques are furrowing, feathering and combing.

Plunging- Trapping air bubbles by poking a divot into the bead and encasing with transparent glass.

Trail (stripe)- A line drawn on a bead.

Materials

Cane- Any glass rod, especially a handmade rod of layered colors, often used for plant stems and leaves.

Devitrification (devit)- A powdery looking glass surface that develops on some glass.

Dichroic Glass (dichro)- Glass coated with a thin metallic film, causing the color to shift depending on the angle and light in which it is viewed.

EDP- Evil devitrifying purple, a color prone to devitrification.

Enamel- Powered glass pigment used to add a thin layer of vivid color; mica and pixie dust are also used in this way.

Frit- Small bits of broken glass; a hot bead rolled through frit picks up pieces as it goes. ‘Raku’ frit can turn many different colors.

Metals- Silver, Gold, Palladium or Copper may be used as a core, to coat a bead, or to create different colors and designs; comes in the form of foil, leaf, wire or screen.

Murrini or millefiori- A thinly sliced tube of glass with a design in cross section. Millefiori has a floral design; other designs are referred to as murrini.

Reduction or striking glass (reactive glass)- Shines or changes color depending on the heat and amount of oxygen used in the flame. Also known as reactive glass.

Shards- Small pieces of thinly blown glass used to apply color and texture to the outside of a bead.

Silvered Ivory Stringer (SIS)- Stringer made from ivory glass rolled in silver.

Stringer- A thin rod of glass often used for drawing on a bead.

Twistie or latticino- Different colors of glass are layered and twisted together. These can be anything from a simple two color twist to very complicated lacy designs.

Types of Glass

Borosilicate glass (boro)- Hard glass; a type of pyrex used to make beads, pendants, and sculptures.

Soda Lime Glass- Soft glass, used for most lampwork beads. The type of glass used will vary depending on colors, effects and COE desired.

            Bullseye and Spectrum- Produced in the U.S., COE 90 and 96

CIM (Messy Glass)- Produced in China.

Devardi Glass- Produced in India.

Double Helix, Rocio and TAG- Specialty glass made in the U.S. Most of this is reactive glass.

Gaffer- Produced in New Zealand.

Kugler, Lauscha or Reichenbach- Produced in Germany.

Murano Glass- Made on the Italian island of Murano. Effetre (Moretti) and Vetrofond are produced in Murano or Venice.

Technical Terms

Chill marks- Concentric circles left after a cool tool touches the glass, causing stress on the glass surface, usually ‘fire polished’ out over the flame. Minor chill marks are infrequently used as design elements.

COE- Coefficient of Expansion. A number describing how quickly glass expands and contracts. COE determines whether the glass is ‘soft’ or ‘hard’. Generally, glass used in the same piece will have the same COE, though sometimes small accent bits with a different COE may be used safely.

Cold Working- Any procedure done while the glass is cold, such as electroforming or using a lapidary wheel.

Mandrel- The steel rod on which a bead is built which determines the size of the bead’s hole. The bead release or ‘sludge’ used to keep the glass from sticking to the mandrel should be removed from all beads.

Tool Marks- Marks left on beads from tools. Sometimes, as in the case of fish fins, tool marks are used decoratively.

Wonky- Uneven or out of round.

Bead shows, galleries, gift shops, even farmer’s markets are great places to see the work of your local lampwork artisans up close; online choices include personal websites, faccebook, etsy, artfire and ebay. The best indicator of the quality of a bead maker’s work beyond the photos or handling the beads yourself is their description of the techniques, cooling process and materials used.