Lamp Work Leaf Necklace

steel mandrels coated with bead release
soda-lime glass rods in various colors
bead release
leaf press
mandrels
needle nose pliers
etch bath in a bowl
Softflex wire
sterling silver bead crimps
wire cutters
crimping pliers
sterling silver clasp
minor bench burner torch
kiln
bead tray
electric reamer tool
rose didymium safety glasses
leather glove for handling glass

1. Dip approximately 40, 3/32-inch steel mandrels in bead release. Note: This ensures that the molten glass will adhere to the mandrel.

2. Turn on the kiln and the minor burner torch.

4. Melt and slowly wrap molten glass around the mandrel in a round shape.

5. Heat the entire bead and allow gravity to move the bottom portion of the bead downward.

6. At just the right moment, squeeze the molten glass in the leaf press (figure A).

7. Reheat the joint of the bead that is on the mandrel so as not to crack from cooling during the pressing process.

8. Heat the bottom third of the leaf to a molten state.

9. Pinch and twist some glass off the bottom to form a point with needle nose pliers (figure B).

10. Put the bead into the kiln for annealing until the following day. Make about 17 leaf beads.

11. Repeat a similar process for round spacer beads, without the leaf press. There is enough room to make two spacers on one mandrel (figure C).

12. Remove the beads from the kiln.

13. Take the beads off the mandrel with pliers.

14. Clean the bead release out of the holes at a sink using water and an electric reamer tool (figure D).

15. After the beads dry, place in an etch bath for five minutes (figure E). This gives the beads a matte frosted finish (figure F).

16. Rinse the etching solution off and let dry.

17. Arrange the beads into a well-balanced design (figure G), string it up and add a clasp (figure H).

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