From the Bead Guru



Want a bead on beading?
Photo Credit: Anne-Marie Bouchard

Bonnie asked some questions about beading.

Here are my answers:

1. Are these photos from the studio? I love the rods of glass against the orange paint on the wall. I am envying the organization of the last photo with the multi-height containers for the different rod shapes.

Yes, this is my studio. I love it. When Leo built it for me, I picked bright orange and blue paint. He also made the glass rod holders. Fun to be able to organize and see the colours. Going to the glass store and buying the glass is so fun. There are so many colours to choose from. It is hard not to buy some of every colour.

2. I want to know if flash photography is allowed when someone has the propane torch going?

Yes, flash photography is allowed. The safety goggles I am wearing are also sunglasses of sorts, so a flash would not bother me.

3. Is it scary everytime the torch turns on?

Yes. I run through the safety steps in my head each time I turn my torch on and then off. There is always a little fear in the back of my mind. A good thing to have when one is working with fire and explosive gases. Once the torch is properly lit, I can relax a little.

4. Does anyone wear protective gloves, and if so how could the gloves both protect and allow the fine motor skills required for the task?

No need for protective gloves. Your hands are far enough away from the flame that they do not get hot. Some books recommend wearing a leather apron though so that if a piece of glass breaks off and goes flying, it does not hit you and burn through your clothes. (if you put cold glass into the flame too quickly, the glass can explode).


5. David is here with me. He asks "How does she not get hurt?"

I do my best to stay safe and make sure anyone in my shop with me is safe. The kids have to stay a safe distance back when they are watching and sometimes they also wear protective goggles. I have burned my fingers before trying to pick up a piece of hot glass. That hurts. When that happens, I put my finger under cold water until it feels better.


6. I like where you are burning with fire. It's really cool. I am not meaning cold. I am meaning "cool".

Yes, the fire is cool. The thing I like most is what happens to the glass when you melt it. It is amazing to me. Working with the melted glass is like holding a knife with honey on it. You have to keep turning it or gravity will make it drip off the knife. As long as you are moving it back and forth, you can keep the honey from dripping. Try it some time.

7. David likes how the metal rod she is holding is black where she is holding it and white where it is close to the bead in the flame. I like studying Mary's face as she is studying the beading task at hand.

The black part of the rod where I hold it does not get hot. The part with the bead on it that looks white is actually a kind of mud. It is called slip. I dip the end of the black rod the some grey slip. That way the glass bead will not stick to the metal rod. When the gray slip gets hot in the flame it looks white. The next day when I take the bead off the metal rod, the slip just breaks off like mud breaks off your boots when it is dry. Then I can wash it off the bead too.

6. Do the rich buy saftey glasses that have their prescription lenses in them? Perhaps Mary doesn't need prescription glasses.

I only need glasses to see things far away (like for driving and watching movies with sub-titles). I guess you could get special prescription lenses, but I don’t think there are any glass bead makers that are rich. So they probably just wear their regular glasses under their safety glasses.

The cool thing about these glasses are that they are not just for safety. They also have a filter in the lens that allows me to see the bead inside the flame without all the red around it.

Thanks for reading.

Mary, the Bead Guru