Glass Bead Tips & Tutorials

Bead Release Recipe
I used to use a recipe I got from Corina Tettinger, although i don't think she uses it herself anymore... It is 50% Kiln Wash and 50% alumina hydrate -both of which you can buy at pretty much any pottery supply place. I add a touch of regular beadrelease (commercial) to it, just because I didn't have any graphite at home, and I know the commercial kinds have graphite as an ingredient. Shake in a jar with a few wonky glass beads, and Voila! Beadrelease!

The above recipe works great, but recently I've started using KRAG MUDD from Kittrell Riffkind. The benefit with their mud is that you get really clear beadholes!

More to come below....

Bead Cleaning Tips: To clean my beads I use a Rotary tool from Harbor Freight (last time I checked it was $7.99, sometimes they are more.) I bought mine for $9.99 over 2 years ago, and I actually got two of them, because I figured that at $10, they probably won't last long...but I'm still on the first one, after almost daily use for 2 years! It comes with a bunch of attachments...I've only used one.

For drillbits I use Daniel Lopacki's bits, I like them becasue they are straight and not tapered, and they are long and narrow, so you can clean long beads with them too. Good quality, my first one hasn't worn out yet.
(When cleaning bead release out of beads, always do it while wet. You don't want the bead release to be airborne- not the greatest to inhale!) I just hold the bead in a bowl of water while holding the tip of the drill bit in the hole, and then turn it on, ream it in and out for a couple of seconds. Turn off- and done! Rinse & clean the beads!.

Favorite Color Combinations:
Ink Blue, Light Ivory and Light Transp Aqua- One of my favorites.

Dark Transp. Steel Gray over Dark Ivory makes it look a little greenish. Very pretty.

Or, dark steel gray over light sky blue (encased) accented with sage or avocado - yum.

Metal working tips

Jewelry design tricks

Favorite suppliers

www.glasscolor.com -great frits COE 96, and other glass (however - it is not entirely compatible with Effettre - use sparingly!) Wonderful place for frits - but you have to buy larger quantity.

www.jewelrysupply.com -Great for miscellaneous tools-not only for glass, but for jewlery too

www.harborfreight.com - Where I bought my bead cleaner. Search for "rotary tool" on their website. Mine was $9.99 on sale - regularly they're about $20.

www.seattlepotterysupply.com - where I get ingredients for bead release.

www.glasscraftinc.com - Good source for Soft Glass.

www.glassdaddy.com - The home in the US for Lauscha glass - beautiful colors!

www.checkglass.com - Check glass- beautiful colors, but not compatible with Effetre.

www.corinabeads.com- Great source for publications on beadmaking, stamping tools (CBS) and other fun stuff. Her website is great!

www.zooziis.com - Amy makes the Zoozii pillow stamp, and others! Great pricing.