I thought it was about time I start updating this site with
current information and decided
a "How-To" page was a good start.
Over the next few months I plan to get several
tutorials posted, but for now I'll start with the Talisman Bead. While in Tucson last winter,
I was honored to be asked by the editor of Lapidary Journal to write this article.
Talisman Bead
I wrote this article for Lapidary Journal, Oct. 2006 issue.
Enjoy the tutorial, and don't hesitate to
email if you have questions.
The metallic effects created by using Effetre Dark Silver Plum can add a new element to any design. In the Talisman Bead it emphasizes its handmade origin, and lends a medieval feel.
1 Set your kiln to 950 F. Before I start, I like to have all my glass and elements ready. For this bead we will need colored rods of your choosing, a rod of Effetre Dark Silver plum, a latticino and a few murrini.
2 Get creative, create a latticino using silver leaf. Im using Effetre Opal Yellow, striped with Dark Silver Plum and Rubino. Carefully wrap the striped gather in a piece of silver leaf. Burnish the silver leaf with your marver and burn it off.
3 - Twist tightly and pull out to about 3mm thickness. Set aside to cool.
4 – I’m also going to make some murrini from a simple striped cane. Use what ever colors you like, I’m using Effetre opal yellow and Effetre Intense Black. Make a small gather of opal yellow on the end of the rod or a mandrel, and shape into cylinder, stripe several times with an intense black stringer. Pull the gather straight out into a 3mm stringer. Be careful not to over heat or the black will start to bleed. Once it has cooled use a nipper and slice into 4 mm lengths.
5 – Make a tube shaped bead using your favorite color(s). I’ve made this one with Effetre opal yellow encased with a light transparent green.
6 – Using your latticino “draw” a pattern on your tube shaped bead. I like to create a couple spirals. Melt them in smooth, use your marver to refine the shape.
7 - Pick up one of the murrini slices we made earlier with your tweezer, warm slightly in the flame while heating a spot on your bead. Place as many as you would like on your bead.
8- Heat the murrini slightly until you see it start to round off. Using a tungsten pick poke the center of the murrini to draw all the stripes to the center. Repeat this on all the murrini and continue to heat the bead slowly until they have melted in smooth.
9 – Apply Dark Silver Plum to both ends of the bead and adjust the shape using your graphite marver.
10 – Create a small gather on the end of your Dark Silver Plum rod. Don’t forget to keep your bead warm! Lightly touch the hot gather to the end of your bead and wind on several small trails, keeping them raised. Repeat on the other end. Warm the entire bead and melt in the raised trails slightly, just enough so they won’t pop off once the bead has cooled.
11 – If you have the metallic look to your ends that we are after, you can place the bead in the kiln to anneal at this point, or you may add a little more texture. If you do not have the metallic look we are after at this point, you will need to adjust your flame chemistry to achieve the desired effect. Unlike most glass that reduces, I have found that I get better results with Dark Silver Plum if I increase the oxygen a little.
12 – Anneal at 960 F for one hour and ramp down at a rate of 75 F per hour until the kiln reaches a temp of 400 F and then shut off and allow to cool to room temperature before removing from the kiln. Or use your preferred annealing schedule for Effetre glass.
Talisman Bead