New Video : Pulling Stringer

Chris and I have spent a stupid amount of time today making this four minute movie.  It was supposed to be so quick and simple but it turned into a small-mammoth-sized project.

Anyway, the video is about pulling stringer and it's up on the old YouTube as I type.

I hope you find it useful.

EDIT : Chris has edited together some of the outtakes from my stringer video.  I warn you, the following video contains swearing so please don't watch it if you are easily offended by such things but if you do want to see me behaving like a complete idiot please click here.

Another question for you

Above is a shot of some Luminobeads taken before I packed them up and sent them off to their new homes.

Big thanks to all of you who have been so wonderfully encouraging about my book idea and thank you very much for all the suggestions you've made about what you'd like to see in the book.

A couple of you have mentioned videos in your comments and emails and you'd like some more bead movies.  That's great and I'm happy to oblige but I'm stuck for ideas so once more I turn to you, lovely readers, and ask you - what you would like to see me demonstrate in my next lampworking video?  Answers on a postcard, please ..... or in the comments section.

Have a good afternoon,

New Video : Encased Silver Wire Bead

I thought it was about time I did another video for you but this time it's a little different. For a start you see me - me and my face actually talking to you as opposed to just my hands making beads!

The video shows you how I add fine silver wire to a bead and then encase it. I've had various emails recently about how to fix silver wire to a bead, when and how to encase it and where to buy silver wire. I'm hoping that this little movie answers your questions. If you like the video (which I hope you do) I will make some more. Just let me know if there are any lampworking techniques that you'd like me to demonstrate for you and I'll see what I can do.

Please click here to visit my YouTube Channel. Big thanks to Chris for the filming and the editing. You're a star, Mister G!

Video Notes ~ Silver wire for lampworking must be fine silver. Sterling won't work. ~ Fine silver wire is available from CelCool Silver and Glass Diversions. ~ My demonstration beads are CiM Leaky Pen with Vetrofond clear.

New Video : How to strike CiM 'Sangre'

I've just uploaded a new video to my YouTube Channel.

After my CiM Sangre post I had lots of emails from people asking about how you actually strike this glass. It's one of those things that is easier to show you rather than to put into words so I've made a video.

Apologies for the aeroplane noise near the end of the movie. We live quite near an airfield so it's a pretty regular occurrence. You can still hear me, though.

I hope you find the video helpful.

Bead Movie : Stringer Demonstration

This afternoon Chris filmed me making a stringer bead. I should point out that this movie isn't a tutorial as such. It's more of a demonstration thing so you can see how I apply stringer. Of course, you get a load of my waffle which you may find useful. Maybe. Chris played around with various camera angles but we went with this one as you get an almost Laura's Eye View of the beadmaking action. It's important that you see not just the bead but the positioning of it in the flame and also where my hands are. At the start you also get some Laura-swinging-around-and-fidgeting-on-her-chair action too! Sorry about that. We hope you like the movie. There is no step-by-step version of this one as there really are no steps to stringer application. It'd go something like "Step 1 - Make bead. Step 2 - Apply stringer." See? Doesn't really work. So I may well write some hints and tips for stringer application instead.

I'm on the YouTube!

Following the great response to the Basic Thick Encasing tutorial I thought I'd do one on regular encasing. Chris was down here for the weekend and I asked him to do my step-by-step photos for the written tutorial and then we had the brainwave of making a little bead movie.

So, after Chris got all Spielberg he edited the footage for me and we're now pleased to present my first how-to video. It's of me showing you how I make a basic encased bead. Please excuse my burnt workbench, Hampshire accent and occasional slightly stern instructions ..... "DON'T touch the mandrel!" Anyway, I hope you like the video and that it is of some use to you. I'd like to say a big thank you to Chris for helping me with all the technical video stuff. If you like the movie do let me know and we may well make some more . Please click here for my YouTube channel.

I will do the written version of this later so do check back for that tonight.