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Delynn's Moultier's love of jewelry led her to create her own beads. Because of the fine nature of the work and inherent safety issues, Moultier advises beginners to invest in training.
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Delynn Moutier discovered her creativity in her forties: her interest in beadmaking was an extension of her lapidary and silversmithing experience. The art of creating glass beads has been around since ancient times, when artisans used lamps to manipulate the molten glass. - Moutier uses a torch to quickly liquify the glass.
- She then wraps the liquified glass around rods called mandarels. Moutier always wears safety glasses to protect her eyes from the "spitting" that occurs during the spinning process, and her home features tile and other safety measures.
- As she spins the glass into a bead, she moves it slowly away from the flame.
- She places the bead vermiculite to cool down gradually, a process that can take from 30 minutes to an hour.
- When the bead has cooled, Moutier twists the bead separator to remove it from the mandarel. She then places the beads in a kiln that slowly heats them to a temperature between 940 and 970 degrees. The slow-heat process, called annealing, removes the stress from the beads and helps prevent shattering.
RESOURCES :
The Complete Bead Resource Book, 5th Edition
Model: 0966159136
Author: Patricia Abahusayn
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