Minihollows

Or, the pleasures of itty bitty beads

Minihollows, assorted soda-lime glasses. Late 2005 or 2006 (picture was shot in feb06, anyway...) Pliers are to provide scale.

I've had any number of people marvel that I make `such small hollows' because they think making bigger ones are easier. Now, I grant, making 'em this small can be tricky, if for no other reason that if the distance from hole to hole is less than half the diameter of the rod, then the rod will touch (and probably stick to) the first half the bead while you're trying to lay down the second half.

However, people say this about my 10-13 mm beads, which I find mystifying, because that's about the easiest size bead to make on the typical 1/2 (12mm) diameter face torch, 'cuz it's exactly the width of the flame and thus easy to keep the entire bead warm. Be that as it may, teeny tiny beads have to be fun, since no-one's gonna pay for a little lampwork bead when they can get something just as (or close as makes no mind) nice in the czech pressed or austrian crystal lines.

In transparents, anyway. Maybe that's why the striped ones currently fascinate me so...

Mini-stripeys Orginally posted 09aug06.

 

More mini-stripeys. Originally posted 27aug06

 

Purple and green in miniature Originally posted 08aug06.

 

file originally created 27aug06