MZ Glass: Tips & Tricks

Tips & Tricks…

Reduction Frits and Soft Glass… mixing compatability and avoiding cracking…

Question: I was wondering if you've ever had beads crack from the frits inside. I tried one with reduction frit on a Moretti base and Vetrofond clear and it cracked, then I tried one with just frits and it was okay, I didn't know if it was the 'reduction frits' that did it.

Answer: Yes, I do run into cracking, but rarely... and likely that reduction frits were the culprit of cracking in your bead. When I have beads crack, it’s usually with faceted pieces... a trip on the wheel is sometimes too much for frit-rich beads that are already compatibility-stressed. With regular ol’ flameworked pieces, the problem is much rarer- perhaps 2 in the last year have cracked? Those, of course, have ended up in planters and dishes around my house and yard! Here’s the problem: “Reduction Frits” are crushed glasses from Kugler and Reichenbach (sp?) colors, which are COE 96 or 97. Most soft glass used for beadmaking (Effetre, Vetrofond, and Lauscha) are COE 104. So, the frits and the glass used for base beads are not exactly compatible. But, you can still use them together!

With reduction frits as surface decoration (unencased), you're able to use more than if it were encased. That said, you’re somewhat able to push those rules by using a thick encasing and by limiting the amount of frit you put into a single bead. It's the same idea as with making paperweights with a Schott (COE 108) clear outside with components that are COE 96 or 97 (Kugler colors). If you have a glass of a lower COE (harder), you can get away with encasing it with a higher COE (softer) glass if you use enough. Keep in mind I’m talking a difference in compatibility of 10 or so points, no more… Encasing with low COE glass, you create a situation with tension (low COE) surrounded by compression (high COE). (Loren Stump’s demo at the Gathering helped to solidify my understanding of the tension/ compression idea… so thanks to him!)

A few things you might try:

Use a thicker encasing. I've encased with Effetre clear and Lauscha clear, usually without problems.
Use less reduction frit.
Make sure you're putting fritted beads into a hot kiln and annealing them properly. I use a 1/2 hour - 1 hour (depending on size) soak at 950, 1 hour ramp down to 500, then off, and I let the kiln cool to room temp.
Make a larger base bead. That way you'll have more mass and frit will constitute less of the total mass of the bead (and creating less stress).
Use smaller frits. Large size frits (size 2-3 and bigger) can cause problems (I still use them though, just sparingly.)
As a general rule of thumb, for using frit as surface decoration, you want frit to constitute no more than 5 -15% of the total mass of the bead. With encased beads, you should reduce that percentage.

Posted August 8, 2004

Lentil-shaped Beads

Question: How to make lentil-shaped beads using Mag Alef’s Mag Mashers?

Answer: Here are a few tips on using Mag Mashers:

If the mashers don’t line up, bend the loop end of the pliers so that they do (they’re made of aluminum just so you can do that).
Your base bead (pre-mashing) should be round (really round, not donut-shaped) or a soft football shape. A shape WITHOUT dimples (but without sharp edges) and without “shoulders” works best (prevents the humps at the mandrel in the squashed piece). Your finished lentil will have dimples, provided your base bead didn’t have sharp edges.
On the smallest pair of cups(that doesn’t have markers for mandrel), use a permanent marker to mark the middle of the side of the cup so you know where your mandrel goes. Made things much easier for me.
Many small squashes work better than one big squash (gradually as opposed to all at once).
Let your bead harden before mashing more than you think it should- (kind of fits in with previous comment) it’s a good control to make sure you don’t squash too much.
Mag has lots of info on her wonderful mashing tool on her site too: Black Dot Designs

Posted August 8, 2004

Leaf Beads

Question: This question came from a friend who wanted to borrow a pair of leaf mashers. I am a bit of a tool fiend, but leaf mashers are one thing I don’t have. So, I sent her this quick tutorial instead:

Answer: I don’t have any leaf mashers but you can easily make leaves without them.
Here’s how:
Step 1: Make a spacer bead and stick that in the kiln.
Step 2: Then, heat up the end of a transparent green rod and get a good gather. Decorate with other greens, etc. as you see necessary. Then mash it with regular mashers until you have a lollipop shape. Grab onto a small bit of the lollipop opposite the rod and, after heating the lollipop a little (heat one end more than the other so that you get a taper) pull the leaf to your desired length. Burn the leaf off of the rod (holding onto the punty side) and keep it warm while you grab your spacer bead out of the kiln and reintroduce it into the flame. Attach the leaf to the bottom of the spacer bead, burn off the punty. If you have a glob at the punty end, pull off bits of glass using tweezers. Give the leaf a good flame polish, and into the kiln!
Posted August 8, 2004