Hollows - On My Annual Technique Pursuit of Creating Hollow Glass Beads

About once or twice a year, I spend a day working on making hollow beads. 

Usually I end up with some wonky egg shaped hollows as my technique is not the most efficient for heat control.

I am fortunate to not having any disasters or explosions of glass, but my end result beads are certainly not perfect - Is that what they call One Of A Kind? 😉
I am still in search for the best technique to consistently create hollows. Suggestions from my fellow glass artists is always welcome!

This post will show the various hollow beads from my Easter break.
My goals for each bead was:
- Clean Bead holes
- Some expansion of each hollow bubble
- Each bead survived a night in the kiln and emerged with no cracks.

Let's take a look at the beads!

 

CiM's Lake Baikal is one of my favourite glasses. I love the striations of red and blue that run through each rod that transmit wisps of lavender within the blue base glass.

These 3 hollows are pure Lake Baikal with the centre bead wrapped with 99% fine silver wire. These beads range in measurement of 22.4mm to 28.6mm hole to hole.

On the same blue theme, CiM Jetstream was the main glass in these two hollow beads.

 

 

One bead, egg shaped, was wrapped with 99% fine silver wire measuring 26.9mm hole to hole.
The other bead has CiM Ming added to each bead end measuring 31.6mm hole to hole

This bead was my most success in creating a round hollow bead shape. It was created on a base of CiM Leaky Pen. Leaky Pen is a very dense transparent glass that in hindsight should have been diluted with clear to show the true color in the hollow round. 

 

 

I placed a wrap of Double Helix Psyche silver glass around the centre, a couple wraps of 99% fine silver wire and melted it in to secure the silver droplets. This bead measures 18.4mm X 21.7mm.

These next two hollows are bright for spring composed of CiM Scotch Broom glass with silvered ivory stringer decoration. CiM Scotch Broom is a luminous golden yellow with varying degrees of transparency/opalescence. These range in size of 17mm to 21.1mm hole to hole.

 

CiM's Beeswax Misty is a soft pale misty opal yellow that can strike to a deeper amber depending on the time and temperature it is worked. In this hollow, the centre glass was shouldered with Double Helix silver glass known as OX 459, an emerald green luster that shines to a metallic sheen when reduced. The gentle wrap of 99% fine silver completes the bead.

Finally, two hollows of bright green for sunshine days of summer!
CiM's Budgerigar is a candy colored yellowy green misty opal that creates the hollows of these two beads.
Hollow 1 is a simple one with a wrap of 99% fine silver wire measuring 21.8mm hole to hole.

 

 

Hollow 2 is measured 25mm X 25mm with streams of Double Helix OX 459 melted in and reduced to create the reactive golden streams for this one of a kind bead.

Each hollow bead would look great on a simple chain!

Glass availability at the time of this post may be available through Nortel. I purchased Lake Baikal there recently. Budgerigar, Scotch Broom, Beeswax Misty, Leaky Pen and Ming are showing as available in their online cart. Jetstream may be available at other CiM distributors.

I purchase my glass from Jennifer and Jean at Nortel in Toronto. Reach out to them for your glassy needs.
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#cimbudgerigar
#cimbeeswaxmisty
#cimleakypen
#cimscotchbroom
#cimjetstream
#doublehelixglass
#99%finesilverwire
#nortel
#pendragonfyre
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#handmadeincanada
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@nortel_glassgirl

Queen's Court Sampler - Part 3 Results

This post will cover the last of the test beads using the CiM - Creation Is Messy glass colors within the Nortel Queen's Court Sampler pack.

This first set of crystal  and barrel shaped beads were created with stripes of the following Limited Run colors:
Ocher, an opaque yellow
Monarch, an opaque yellow orange
Budgerigar, a misty opal kiwi green
Oobleck, an opaque vibrant acid green
Each bead was sprinkled with Val Cox rare Purple Rose made with Z-99 glass frit. 
I rarely use my small supply of this frit as it is no longer available for purchase.
A few beads got a wrap of 99% fine silver wire which was melted in for a tactile feel.

These fine silver wire wrapped beads were created on bases of CiM Butter Pecan, a creamy non reactive opaque beige and CiM Maroon Ltd Run, a dense maroon red. 
The glass melted smoothly and there was no adverse reaction against the silver so colors stayed true.

These mini beads were created on bases of CiM Red Alert Ltd Run, a bright red and CiM Blue Arrow Frog Ltd Run, a bright opaque blue. 
Simple dots of CiM Peace for a classic look.

The next few posts for this blog will review some colors within another Nortel Sampler named Bountiful Harvest as well as previewing new 2020 CiM color releases!

Stay Tuned and thank you for following Pendragonfyre Tales!

Smiles,
D.

Spring 2019 - New CiM Color - Budgerigar Ltd Run

Today's post highlights one of the many new CiM - Creation Is Messy green colors for Spring 2019.

The beads below were created from CiM's Budgerigar Ltd Run.
Described as a translucent lime green which is bright and cheerful for spring.

It plays nice with silver glass whether it is on the surface or as a base with silver glass frit encased in clear.

The first focal bead was created with a sprinkle of Val Cox new frit, Flora. It was then encased with Double Helix Zephyr clear glass. 
You will see a wrap of 99% fine silver at the centre of the bead that was melted in to create the silver droplets suspending in the glass.

The second focal tested encasing Budgerigar with DH Zephyr and layers of Double Helix silver glasses, Kronos 2 and Helios. 

Unfortunately, I spent too much time playing with the decoration and the glass cooled too much and resulted in a crack. Not the fault of the glass, it was definitely the artist.

Definitely a very pretty color and I am looking forward to further testing this with other silver glasses.

All the new CiM colors are available through www.nortelglass.com. Contact Jean for your glass needs!

D.

#creationismessy #cimnewcolors #cimbudgerigar