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Author: Glass_Masters, Contributing Editor
| Twisted Heart How-to
I’ve been doing these hearts for a while and I consider them to be one of my signature beads. They’re a great way to save that bead that just went awry. I’m using the colors and patterns that are in my example photo, but of course you can use any colors or patterns you chose. To make this heart you’ll need glass rods, your choice of colors. I‘m using black, spring green and pink, and a length of latticcino, (twisted glass stringer/rod, mine is pink and spring green), enamels, and a twisting tool or stringer. I prefer the little twist tool because it gives you something more substantial to hold onto, and it’s a great way to use those small ends of rods. Here’s how to make one…
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| Take a short rod of glass and melt just the tip. Using a pair of tweezers pull out a few inches of stringer, I pull about 3 inches. When it’s cool snip off the very end so it’s clean. It should look like this: |
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| Step 1. Start winding on a basic black bead… this one was approx.15mm.
Step 2. Roll the bead lightly in ivory enamel, and melt it in. Step 3. Next add a second bead slightly smaller in pink, along side the first one. The size depends on what kind of embellishment you plan to add to it. Marver it down into a barrel shape. It makes it easier to judge how much decoration you need to add to match the size of your first half. Step 4. Wind on your pink and mint green latticcino until it covers the surface. Step 5. Melt in the latticcino. Step 6. Marver the two sides smooth into one cylinder shape. Step 7. Swipe on a thick stripe of spring green transparent. You might want to do 2 swipes side by side so that you’re close to the width of the bead. You will get narrower with these stripes as you go. I use whatever side of the bead I’m least happy so I can hide any mistakes. Step 8. Heat up the stripe a bit and tap it into the cream enamel, so that the whole bottom of it is covered. Step 9. Now swipe on the next color, in this case black, and tap that into the enamel. Step 10. Now swipe on the pink and dip this one into enamel as well. These stripes are getting a bit shorter each time. Step 11. Continue on striping and tapping into enamel until you’re happy with the effect. I often only use one color for these enamel steps. The layered marble effect is what we’re shooting for. Your last stripe should really just be a dot. Step 12. Melt everything in and gently shape with your marver until you have somewhat of a smooth slightly flattened cone coming down from your original barrel. Step 13. Using the edge of your marver, make an indentation in the top to finish your heart’s shape. Nudge and smooth as necessary. Step 14. Now here’s where you use that little stringer twist tool. Heat up the center of your heart, and put the tip of your twist tool in the center and twist. The glass surrounding it will follow and all of the elements of the bead come together. Remove it from the flame till it cools enough to snap off the twist tool. It should snap off right at the connection. Now do this again on the other side of your heart. Step 15. You’ve done it! Now if you like, you can place a tiny dot of glass right where you twisted. TA DA! |
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