How to Print on Lampwork Beads
- 1). Apply bead release to the top of the mandrel and allow to dry. Insert a 12-mm cylindrical bead on the mandrel. Turn on your torch. Rotate the mandrel with the 12-mm bead over the flame to evenly heat the bead. Hold the dark rod of glass over the flame and just above the bead. Heat the bead by moving it along the edge of the flame. Heat the tip of the glass rod until molten.
- 2). Touch the molten tip of the glass rod to the bead and create patterns by rotating the mandrel. Draw swirls, lines or dots covering all sides of the bead. Move the glass rod and bead along the edge of the flame to ensure that they are kept warm at all times.
- 3). Continue heating the bead evenly once the design is complete by moving the bead along the edge of the flame. Rotate the bead until the new glass you have added is melted into the surface of the bead and the surface of the bead is smooth.
- 4). Remove bead from the flame and let it cool slightly. Roll the bead gently on the graphite paddle to create a smooth cylindrical shape. Roll both ends of the bead against the graphite paddle to ensure top and bottom are smooth and even.
- 5). Rotate the bead gently in the flame until the surface is smooth again. Cool the bead by moving it to the edge of the flame. Place the bead between fiber blankets while allowing it to cool completely. Turn off the torch.
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