Ceramic Beads
Ceramic greenware beads can be piled onto the kiln shelf. But once the beads
have been bisque-fired and then glazed, they must be suspended by stilt
rods (also called bead rods). Since the beads are glazed, they cannot be
placed on tje kiln shelf.
Stilt rods are made from the same type of wire as kiln heating elements
though the rods are thicker than elements. The higher the temperature, the
thicker or shorter the rod must be.
The beads must not be glazed inside the hole and around the edge of the
hole. Otherwise they will stick to the rod. Space the beads so they do not
touch. Suspend the stilt rods between two posts. You can also center a stilt
rod over a horizontal post so that the rod extends past the post on each side.
Then load an equal number of beads on each end of the rod. This is an
efficient way to fire many beads since one short post can hold several rods.
Be careful not to jar the kiln, or the rods could fall.
Wendy Peck of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada shares a technique that she
learned from Grant, who works at The Sounding Stone in Winnipeg. “I was
making beads and pendants with Southern Ice (cone 10) a few years ago. My
pottery supplier set me up with soft firebricks and a handful of kiln element
pins. I stuck the pins all over the soft brick, porcupine-like. I could fire quite
a few beads and pendants on each brick, and the pins held up to the heat
without bending.
“I first put the pins in at a steep angle, but some of the pendants slid down
and fused to the brick. So I learned to stick them in at a slight angle. Grant is
my local supplier for all things clay, and a great advisor.”
Here is a bracelet from http://www.urstylejewelry.storenvy.com made of
ceramic beads.
Thank you Wendy Peck and Advisor Grant!!!
Oh my what will the coming of valentines day make me do tomorrow xoxo
Louise A Cronian, Sole Proprietor
UR Style Jewelry
