Handmade Glass Beads
admin | October 17, 2009
The method and technology of making handmade glass beads is considered as one of the oldest creative pastimes of humans. Egyptian faience beads are glass-like beads which come from a sort of clay bead that has a self-forming vitreous coating. They are maybe the earliest beads found from the ancient Egyptians. In some cultures, glass objects were reserved for royalty and owning a glass object was closely associated with owning other luxurious objects.
What are glass beads? Glass beads are beads made from glass. They are often called lamp work beads. This kind of bead can be poured into moulds, cut and polished as faux gemstones, and can be stretched and pulled into any shape you desire. These beads can be simple or ornamental depending on the artist’s preference. Different sorts of glass and colors are used and played with to create the specified look. Before you start to make your own beads and finish up with a bowl full of different sorts of beads all mixed up, take some time to learn How to Organize Your Beading Stuffs.
The first thing to do before using the torch and other dangerous tools for glass bead making is learn some Safety Tips in Jewelry Making. These tools can be very dangerous not only to you, but to others around you. When making glass beads, you have to melt a narrow rod of glass employing a torch. The molten glass is wound around a mandrel which is a thin length of chrome steel. The space where the mandrel is placed becomes the hole of the bead. Holding and turning the mandrel in different positions allows gravity to help form the bead. There are specific tools needed for pushing and pulling glass beads to form different types of shapes.
Working with a lamp to make glass beads isn’t particularly easy, but patience and practice will help along the way. You have to remember that you are working with glass and a torch ; you’ll have to learn the different levels of heat that are required for the glass to flow.
The beads are pulled out from the flame to chill ; they’re left out in the open air which means that while the exterior of the bead is quickly cooling, it remains awfully hot inside. The uneven temperature coming from this method will often cause a bead to break as the beads often cool too quickly.
Kiln annealing is a process by which both the inside and outside temperature can be closely regulated. The bead is placed in a high temperature kiln to make certain that all the glass is evenly heated. After a few hours, the beads can now be put out at 70 degrees for cooling. But it is critical to make certain that the glass beads you buy are all kiln hardened. For tiny glass beads, you may also try cooling them within layers of insulation. This method is different from the hardening process but it has proven to be effective for small quantities of glass. Most products and tools come with a set, so always follow the Beading Instructions an Important Tool for Beading if you need to learn and get it right.
