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Handmade Glass Beads

By: Peter Mitchell

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The technique and technology of making hand-crafted glass beads is regarded as one of the oldest creative hobbies of humans. Egyptian faience beads are glass-like beads which come from a type of clay bead that has a self-forming vitreous coating. They're perhaps 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 anyway? Glass beads are beads made of glass. They are occasionally called lamp work beads. This type of bead can be poured into moulds, cut and polished as fake gemstones, and can be stretched and pulled into any shape you desire. These beads can be straightforward or ornamental depending on the artist's preference. Different sorts of glass and colors are used and played with to create the desired look. Before you start to make your own beads and finish up with a bowl full of different types of beads all mixed up, take a while 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 deadly not only to you, but to others around you. When creating 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 stainless-steel. The space where the mandrel is placed becomes the hole of the bead. Holding and turning the mandrel in different positions permits gravity to help form the bead. There are explicit tools required for pushing and pulling glass beads to form different types of shapes.

Working with a lamp to create glass beads is not easy, but patience and practice will help on the way. You have to remember that you are working with glass and a torch ; you will 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 meaning that while the exterior of the bead is rapidly cooling, it is still very hot within. The uneven temperature coming from this technique will often cause a bead to crack as the beads often cool too fast.

Kiln annealing is a method by which both the inside and outside temperature can be closely controlled. The bead is placed in a high temperature kiln to make certain that all of the glass is uniformly heated. After a few hours, the beads can now be put out at room temperature for cooling. But it is critical to be sure 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 isn't like the annealing process but it has proved to be effective for small amounts of glass. Most products and tools come with a set, so always follow the beading instructions an important tool for beading if you'd like to learn and get it right.

Article Source: http://depositarticles.com/

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