Encasing

[Jennifree]

Can we have a little encasing workshop in a thread? My encasing is hit and miss. When I use the side by side lines technique I get a very thick encasing. When I spiral the glass down the bead I get air bubbles. When I do dot encasing I distort my image underneath. How do you all encase? I'm looking for a nice smooth think layer of clear glass and am having some trouble.

[WAW]

What kind of clear are you using??

[Jennifree]

I'm using lauscha clear, which stays clear. Before I was having a problem with scum on my encased beads. It's a bit firmer, though and it's difficult for me to get a thin layer on the bead using my hothead

[ValorieCox]

I get a nice thin encasing with (Bullseye, Schott clear, Lynx torch, average bead size: 12mm x 8mm), but having my base bead fairly cool, and my encasing glass 'super hot'.

I first spiral on the left side, flash it in the flame a bit, let it cool, then spiral on the right side. Works everytime, thin encasing without bubbles! I'd say it took 150 beads of 'encasing practice' before it started to work without thinking about it. (Step by step photos needed?)

Val

[Mark Wilson]

here is the best way to encase your beads

http://www.artglass1.com/kilnsetupWEB/kilnsetuphg1401.htm

also follow this link

http://www.artglass1.com/dippedbead.htm

[midniteburner]

Val: I use the same technique. It's the only thing that works for me.

Mark W: My hubby says that you need to quit showing me all of these neat tools and equipment.

He says, "Sara, don't you have enough? " Then he carries on, "If you were to die, no one would know what this junk is".

Well, at least he doesn't ask how much I spent anymore. LOL!!!!

Sara (the tool queen)

[Mark Wilson]

Originally posted by midniteburner
Val: I use the same technique. It's the only thing that works for me.

Mark W: My hubby says that you need to quit showing me all of these neat tools and equipment.

He says, "Sara, don't you have enough? " Then he carries on, "If you were to die, no one would know what this junk is".

Well, at least he doesn't ask how much I spent anymore. LOL!!!!

Sara (the tool queen)

how much do people spend on boats, cabins, cars..... this pails in insignificance.

[Jennifree]

I'd say it took 150 beads of 'encasing practice' before it started to work without thinking about it. (Step by step photos needed?)

Well, there's my problem. I haven't encased 150 beads yet. Did I ever mention how impatient I am? lol If you have photos I'd love to see them.

Mark, cool crucible kiln. I'll bet that makes a sweet encased bead. If only I had a studio, oh and some money that isn't earmarked for vehicle repairs.

[sylvie]

Jenn,

I'm not sure what the side by side lines technique is, so maybe this is totally unhelpful....

If it's thinner casing you're after, have you tried using a thinner rod with which to encase? You can pull almost a thick stringer width and try that. I watched a Pati Walton demo at the gathering several years ago and had an "aha" moment when she used a thin clear to encase portions of her bead.

Just a thought.

[Lenda]

Very good thought Sylvie!! My thought too. Jennifer are you using the large mm rod of Lauscha or the 5 mm size? I am getting better results with the 5mm for encasing.

Heat the glob fairly hot, and you need to make your swipe quickly. If you make it with a slow stroke, you will get a thicker casing on your bead.

Unfortunately, yeah about 150 beads sounds right to get it down. :crying: LOL!!

[sadiesjewels]

Oh no!

A whole hundred and fifty encased beads .... eeek! There really is no hope for my encasing!

patience, patience, patience ....lol

Sadie - queen of smeared encased beads (yep I need to keep the base bead cool)!

[Jennifree]

I'm using 5 mm rods. Swiping quickly might help. I'll try that. I usually go slow because I'm trying to make sure I overlap the last swipe, but quicker makes sense. I hate practice. lol

[sylvie]

Ok...I still am unsure of the swipe method...am I right thinking you're just striping on encasing rather than going around and around???

If so...when I took a class with Loren stump and he was teaching us about making murini canes, we swiped on glass going in a vertical motion...holding the Glass we were swiping onto vertically so that we could swipe down quickly. This let gravity work with us and the quicker stroke with this vertical swipe made for the thinnest coatings....

So...if I'm not totally off base, try the quick with holding your mandrel as vertically as possible swiping the encasing down the bead AND THEN making 150 encased beads (LOL)

[Jennifree]

Now, swiping vertically is not something I've tried,...yet. I'll give that a go.

Quick downward swipe with really hot clear glass, cool bead,...

150 times! <g>

[Onalee]

Mark it almost seems like cheating but I'm for it. How do you take care of the ends at the mandrel or did I just not understand what you were doing? Onalee

[Mark Wilson]

Originally posted by Onalee
Mark it almost seems like cheating but I'm for it. How do you take care of the ends at the mandrel or did I just not understand what you were doing? Onalee

follow the 2nd link in my previous post. it shows how a "dipped bead" is made. basically, you work the bead right at the end of the mandrel, dip it, use cutters to remove excess glass on the mandral, marver to expose the mandrel, and then anneal.

another way to do it is to make your beads just exactally like you do right now, then when you want to encase, use a preheated steel punty to gather a bit of molten glass out of the crucible, and then thread this glass onto your bead. so the bead it not dipped. the only difference in how you do it right now is the glass is premelted, you don't have to melt it from a cold rod of glass.

[Lenda]

I have made this really bad drawing trying to explain the encasing process. It would be easier to show you, but I can't, so bear with the bad pic! After you lay on your stripes of clear, you will see air trapped inbetween the stripes, that's ok. You need to start heating in the center, this pushes all the trapped air to the open ends. Think of the space inbetween the stripes as little channels, as you heat the glass in the middle, it pushes the air down the channels to the end, where it escapes. Move your way toward one end, then start in the middle and work toward the other end. It has taken me 9 months with no classes to figuire this one out, and I have almost NO bubbles in my encasing now. If someone would have explained this to me like 1000 beads ago, I would be much farther than I am today, so I hope this helps. For some reason encasing is always a mystery, so here it is unsolved.You may want to rate this thread, so we don't loose it. :D

[mcstellen]

Thank you, thank you, thank you, Lenda!!!

Can't wait to try it tonight!

-Ellen

[Jennifree]

Thanks, Lenda!
The picture helps a lot.

[Jennifree]

I tried rating the thread but got this message:
ATTENTION ADMINISTRATOR: You MUST revert your showthread_threadrate template!

[NewCreation]

I use the method that Lenda so beautifully illustrated too. I learned it from Lisa St. Martin, who learned it from Loren Stump, so I think it's the same thing you learned from him Sylvie. You can control the thickness of your encasing with this method by altering the angle of the encasing rod to the bead. If you want thin encasing,use a very steep angle. If you want thicker encasing, you can swing the angle wider ( to be closer to perpendicular to the bead.) If this is unclear, I can try to draw a lovely diagram like Lenda did.
I have been having good luck avoiding bubbles in my encasing today by getting my encasing glass much hotter. Make sure the base bead is relatively cool though.

[Lenda]

Originally posted by NewCreation
If this is unclear, I can try to draw a lovely diagram like Lenda did.


So you like that drawing, did ya Amy??? LMAO!!!! Well, I was in a hurry, what can I say?

Did you all understand that lovely diagram? Cause if you didn't and I need to draw a better one, I'd be happy to (you know I used to draw and paint before glass ;) )!

[wmo]

Ok, here's MY question: what is the smallest encased bead you can make? I'm looking at Glasscreek's beads at 8mm. I kept measuring mine for a time and the smallest encased bead I could make was about 11mm. Obviously my encasing is not that thin!

[Lampburke]

Sabrina must be using clear stringer to do the encasing on those puppies. I have a set of her "itsy bitsies", and they are smaller than a rod's width. I've got an encased one that is 4mm in diameter!

[skreemin' chicken!]

Thankyou for the diagram!! I went out today....(cuz you see...I *am* encasing challenged) and encased...encased....encased!!! Even got alllllllmost...and I mean *almost* to the madrel on many of them! BUT!!! I could only do it using a 1/16 mandrel?!?!?! lol...normally I use 3/32! k....gotta go practice now!! lol...

I am SOOOOOOO excited!!! wooohoooo!!!

:clap:

Alesha