Stainless steel mandrels or rods in sizes ranging from 1/16
th to 7/16
ths. This is how they look after I strip the beads off of them. A little bit of leftover bead release here and there, but basically ready for another go round :)
Bead release works as a "
separator" so that the molten glass does not permanently adhere to the rod as the bead is formed. It should have the
consistency of a thick milkshake. Some release can be flame dried and others dry overnight. The type I prefer can be flame dried although I usually let it dry overnight as it seems to be more stable.
After the mandrels are dipped in the bead release I keep them in a mug one of my friends from school made. The mug is filled with sand and I just poke the mandrels in. I also have a couple of soup cans and some drilled stands Matt made for me just for drying mandrels. So I usually have plenty ready to go at any given time :) Dipping mandrels is one of my least favorite things to do.
Ahhh at last some real color. I am easily distracted by all the color. Many many times I have gone out to my studio with ideas I have written down only to be distracted and inspired to go in another direction. Today for example I had a list of
Morretti combos I wanted to work from. I went out and promptly cleared the
Morretti from the bench. Yep cleared the
Morretti from the bench~ out came
reichenbach and some compatible friends. I spent my glass time experimenting and playing and I had a blast. I hope everything looks great in the morning. You just can't really tell until everything has cooled off.
So when my thumbnail caught on fire today I was a little surprised. I have a tendancy to use the glass down to the very end and that means I get my fingers really close to the flame. Still the little burst of flame at the end of my thumb was surprising as I also keep my nails fairly short. I was so grateful that I always have a cup of cold water nearby for cooling my tools off so the glass doesn't stick to them. My hand flew into the glass, a little "psst" noise and the drama was over. That little jolt of adreneline was great for creativity lol :)
Bead release works as a "separator" so that the molten glass does not permanently adhere to the rod as the bead is formed. It should have the consistency of a thick milkshake. Some release can be flame dried and others dry overnight. The type I prefer can be flame dried although I usually let it dry overnight as it seems to be more stable.
After the mandrels are dipped in the bead release I keep them in a mug one of my friends from school made. The mug is filled with sand and I just poke the mandrels in. I also have a couple of soup cans and some drilled stands Matt made for me just for drying mandrels. So I usually have plenty ready to go at any given time :) Dipping mandrels is one of my least favorite things to do.
Ahhh at last some real color. I am easily distracted by all the color. Many many times I have gone out to my studio with ideas I have written down only to be distracted and inspired to go in another direction. Today for example I had a list of Morretti combos I wanted to work from. I went out and promptly cleared the Morretti from the bench. Yep cleared the Morretti from the bench~ out came reichenbach and some compatible friends. I spent my glass time experimenting and playing and I had a blast. I hope everything looks great in the morning. You just can't really tell until everything has cooled off.
So when my thumbnail caught on fire today I was a little surprised. I have a tendancy to use the glass down to the very end and that means I get my fingers really close to the flame. Still the little burst of flame at the end of my thumb was surprising as I also keep my nails fairly short. I was so grateful that I always have a cup of cold water nearby for cooling my tools off so the glass doesn't stick to them. My hand flew into the glass, a little "psst" noise and the drama was over. That little jolt of adreneline was great for creativity lol :)
4 comments:
This was great! More about 'the mysteries of glass' would be wonderful...glad you only lost a bit of nail. Carmon
Carmon,
I was glad It was just a bit of nail as well~ the whole flaming fingertips thing yikes!!!
More to come on The mysteries of glass...
Kris :)
Kris , I have burn myself so many times it's pitiful. It took me forever to learn not to touch the bead till it was cool . Glad to here it's just a bit of the nail .
Lou
Lou,
Touching the bead before its cool, Yikes!! I have been tempted to do that more than once~ My advice: do not use your mouth as a third hand. It isn't a good idea to hold stringer with your lips :) I could feel the heat coming and still couldn't stop in time!
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