Torch Time

I spent some time at the torch yesterday, enameling beads for a custom order:

These still need to be cleaned up; they have a little vermiculite inside (from annealing), and a few sharp edges where the glass threads were broken and seared in the flame.

I received an order for 15 of the larger beads you see in the pic, all in different colors. I had enough reds/pinks/oranges on hand already, but the other color families were underrepresented, and I wanted the customer to have a nice selection to choose from.

She ordered these at the end of last week, and I set the torch up to make them on Tuesday, but we are experiencing some unseasonable cold weather here (coupled with dankness - yuk!), and I like to leave the studio door open for ventilation when I torch, so it was just a little too cold and wet on Tuesday and Wednesday for me to fire beads. Yesterday, it finally reached 60 sometime after lunch, so I threw open the door, and hustled into the back room to make beads!

I'll get them cleaned up this morning, and they'll be off to their new home.

And now there's a fly buzzing around as I eat my Dunkin' Donuts bagel, and drink my latte. Wonder where HE came from ....?!