What's sludge got to do with it?

Well, here I go again, waxing on about sludge, bead release, whatever you want to call it. I have some strong opinions on the subject, but I still don't have all the answers!

Sludge is that clay-like stuff that a mandrel is dipped in to keep the bead from sticking to the steel. There are a lot of different kinds made, and I have tried quite a few. Here's my run-down:

My favorite sludge so far is KRAG Mudd made by Kittrell-Riffkind Art Glass in Dallas, Texas. It's strong, dries in the flame, is nice and smooth when you dip, and leaves a lower residue than anything else I've tried. But yes, you do still have to ream the beads. And, though I've tried just using a pipe cleaner, it seems that a diamond reamer is still necessary to get ALL of the sludge out. KRAG is a more expensive sludge, but I feel it is worth it/

Another one I've tried out is Fusion, which is carried by Frantz Glass, among others. This is pretty nice- strong and fairly smooth; for tube beads, but I'd definitely double dip this one for tube beads ar anything that might be difficult to remove.

 

Right now I'm using Dip n' Go from Arrow Springs. I actually wanted to finally try the Foster Fire, but they were out (again). Dip n' Go is nice- it's strong, and it can be dried in the flame without weakening. It is not, however a really low residue sludge, and that is what I prefer.

Flame dry bead release from Ed Hoy- GARBAGE. That's where mine ended up. Because it's weak and hard to clean.

Air dry bead release from Ed Hoy- Pretty good. Strong, reasonable to clean, and it can actually be flame dried, so why bother with the other?

Alice's bead release- I don't like this. I find it VERY hard to remove the lumps, weak, and hard to clean out of the beads. But it is quite inexpensive, as you get it in powdered form and mix it yourself.

Frantz has some other decent bead release, though I haven't used it in years, so I can't tell you which I like best. I'm still waiting to try the Foster Fire. I have heard good things, but can't say until I actually get a chance to try it out myself.

So why get all the sludge out, anyway? Some people don't, so why should you? Well, it's a powdery clay, and you're not really supposed to breathe it, so why make your customers do so? And how would it be if someone wore one of your bead necklaces into the shower, and it started weeping an icky grey slime all over them? I look at it as the last necessary touch to my bead-making, that shows how much I care.

For more on getting all the sludge out, check my other blog post out! https://isinglassdesign.blogspot.com/2018/02/clean-clear-holes-for-your-lampwork.html

Ten (or so) Things You Shouldn't Do With Glass

Ok, so I'm assuming you've gotten the general rundown on the safety rules of working with hot glass. You know- wear proper eyewear, ventilate properly, and wear a mask when needed. Please get a good book or go to http://www.lampworketc.com/ if you don't know about these things and be safe!

I'm here to tell you about a few things I have done wrong, and a few that my pals who work with glass have told me they've done. Some stuff you may not find in those books:

1) Do not put fiber paper in your kiln after it's hot- it will catch on fire. I think it's the binder in the paper that makes this happen. If it does, turn the kiln off and close it tightly to block air flow, and it should go out. Yes, I did this.

2) Don't put a cold bead directly into the flame. It will explode. You may, if you're much more patient than I am, be able to slowly heat the bead back to working temperature. I don't even recommend trying. Just start over.

3) Don't wear nylon, polyester, or other fabrics that are not natural. They will melt when the hot glass hits them. Then it sticks to your skin, and that hurts.

4) Don't wear false fingernails. Ok, I didn't do this, but a friend did, and it wasn't pretty. Remember, the fire on your torch is hot. VERY hot!

5) Don't use a lighter with fuel in it to light your torch. The fuel is flammable, and if you lay it on your table it can catch fire. Again, a friend did this- I was just lucky. Use a flint .

6) Don't wear flip flops or sandals. Ok I break this one all the time, but I also get pieces of hot sharp glass stuck between my shoe and foot, and have to fling the shoe across the room while I whoop and holler.

7) Don't let your poor dog, or cat, or child, lay at your feet- especially on your dangerous side (the side the glass is most likely to fly). Eventually a piece of glass will get lodged in their fur or hair, and smolder down to their skin. And then you'll be very sad. Ok, it really doesn't matter which side they're on, it's a bad idea. (Yes, I did it- poor pup)

8) Don't try and unscrew your torch right after you've used it. It's still hot- so are the glass rods you've just used. If you are cleaning up your table right after you've finished torching, remember this. It's the real reason some of us have such messy tables- we've been burned so many times that we've given up on cleaning. Like Pavlov's dog! I can't believe I almost left this one off!

9) Ok, this is kind of three in one. The following rules apply to hotheads. I don't know the specifics when it comes to an oxygen propane system, since that's not what I use, but I know that draining the line is ALWAYS recommended.

a) Don't leave the tank on, especially if it's in the sunlight. There will be some very weird flames if you do. And it will take you a LONG time to get the line drained again. And it might scare you- I know it did me.

b) Drain the line. Again- weird, high, bad scary flames.

c) Don't put a large tank or a small one in a really hot water bath. Same reaction as above. A pretty warm one is good for a little screw on tank. You shouldn't need one at all for a larger tank.

That's it for now. I'll let you know the next time I do something really bad. And I'm sure I will!

Other folks who use my beads

Here are a few folks who have used my beads in their work.

It's about time I gave them a bit of credit!

First is my partner in a cooperative effort on etsy, Sue at Signature Sterling- I made some beads, and she'll be using them in a piece of jewelry. I can't wait to see what she comes up with.
Here are the beads I made that she'll be using:

They don't look like much in the picture, but I know Sue's going to come up with a great plan to show them off! And they look so much nicer in person- a bit of blue opalescent Italian Moretti glass rolled in goldstone and white enamel, with some sapphire blue scribbled over it all.

The jewelry Sue makes will be sold as a benefit for Creative Minds for Charity , which will benefit an etsian in need through the helping others street team (HOST) on etsy. For information and updates, go to the Creative Minds for Charity link. There is also a Flickr Group set up for the project.
To see the progress on the piece Sue's making with these beads on her blog, go to http://signature-sterling.blogspot.com/

You've got to go to Sue's blog and see what she's been up to- she stays pretty busy, what with the kids and her- shall we say obsessive? (sorry Sue)- love of OSU!

Here's Sue's shop on etsy: http://signaturesterling.etsy.com/
And her flickr address: http://www.flickr.com/photos/signaturesterling/

Next is Paula Berry, who made some lovely earrings out of a pair of fish she purchased. She also encouraged me to make seahorses- which was fun, and I actually did a decent job of it! Here's one swimming past now!

Here is the picture of the fish earrings Paula made. She did a great job with her photo!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/20974800@N06/2319651073/in/photostream/

And here's her shop on etsy: http://www.paulaberryjewelry.etsy.com/


And last is Nancy and the kitties who have the frillz shop on etsy:
http://www.frillz.etsy.com/
She took an odd piece that I had fused from bits and pieces of glass I had left over, and made a lovely bracelet out of it. Here's a picture: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=10577372

I'm so excited to have others using some of my pieces in their jewelry, and to actually get to see photos of the pieces is great. Thanks to all of these lovely women for their help and support!

Making Disk Beads

Another in a series of basic techniques, here are some disk-making tips and techniques:

Disk tips:
Be sure each layer of glass you add adheres well to the layer below it. The glass must be wrapped firmly on the previous layer as you spin the bead.
When wrapping the glass, your bead should be slightly behind the flame, while the glass rod is in the flame. Make sure the glass rod is heated all the way through, not just on the bottom, so that you don’t pull the base bead around misshaping it or breaking the bead release.
You may be able to wrap and spin as you go, or you may want to pull a bit of glass off the melting rod and attach it to your disk at regular very small (like 1/8-1/16 inch) intervals. This requires a certain rhythm- melt, pull, attach, melt, pull, attach, etc.
Push the hot glass onto the disk as you add it to make the layers adhere to each other nicely. Make sure the layers of glass are adhering all the way around, and there are no gaps between the layers.

Making a basic disk:
Start by making a pea-sized bead. Shape into a small cylinder. This will be the core of the disk, and should stay pretty much as is during the whole process.
Start winding the glass onto the cylinder (see above for tips). You can add colors as you go if you want, or leave it all one color.
If necessary, the disk can be straightened using the flat part of your tweezers, or a masher. Don’t pull up on the disk; just flatten all the way around.
Remember to look down your mandrel to see how even and round your disk is and add glass or use gravity to correct.
Flash the disk often to keep it warm; otherwise pieces may break off. Cool in the flame for a minute or two before putting away in your kiln. Keeping the disk warm without melting it down and cooling the disk without breaking it are the two hardest parts of this process.

What to do with your disk:

Disks are the basis for a number of different bead styles, including hollow beads, folded beads, 3-dimensional flowers, and fluted disks.