Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Shards, Pt. 1

I've finally made some shards! Here is my first attempt, a Dark Silver Plum bulb, slightly collapsed!Dark Silver Plum BulbThis is my most recent shard bulb, Triton Odd(r). This one turned out better:Triton Odd(r) BulbMy boyfriend Steve came up with a great way to break the bulb. First put it into the coffee can to cool. Then, hold the blowpipe straight up and down with the bulb resting on the bottom of the can and tap gently on the end of the blowpipe with a piece of wood. It breaks the bulb nicely and it's easier than trying to crack it with a hammer or some metal tool. Here are some of the shards Steve got from breaking it that way:Triton Odd(r) ShardsEmboldened by Joe of Avenue Beads' shard techniques, I broke the shards up the rest of the way with my bare hands. So much easier than trying to wield a tool to crack off small pieces! And no, it never cut my hands.

Stay tuned for "Shards, Part 2" where I'll post photos of beads made with these Triton Odd(r) shards.

4 comments:

rosebud101 said...

Beautiful shards! You did a nice job!

angelinabeadalina said...

Oooooooooh, the colors in that Triton bulb are exquisite!

Anonymous said...

Love your shards! Haven't got the guts to give it a try yet, but you've inspired me. I read on LE that another way to get good, irregular shapes on the edges of your broken shards is to dip your blown ball into a coffee can filled with cold water. The thermal shock apparently creates some unusual breaks.
Gretchen

Unknown said...

Stunning work!
Very talented and I enjoyed reading your blog
Lady Lynn