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Glass Beads |
Glass beads, as the name suggests, are made from glass. Glass is used to make beads through different techniques. Therefore, one way of classifying the glass beads is based on the method used for glass bead making (other classification of types of beads is based on the specific feature of a glass bead made at a specific place like Czech glass beads, Venetian glass beads etc.) Modern day wholesale glass beads are mass produced in all sizes, shapes and colors by the glass beads manufacturers in a workshop or factory setting. These types of glass beads include Wound, Drawn, Molded, Dichroic, Furnace, and Lampwork Glass Beads among others. However, there are many glass bead artists who still prefer to make handmade beads to be used as crafts beads or for glass beads jewelry.
Types of Glass Beads
Glass beads are classified on the basis of glass bead making, precisely on the basis of methods used for maneuvering glass for making beads. So, if the glass is wound, the resultant product is called wound glass beads. If it is drawn, it is called drawn glass beads and so on.
Wound Glass Beads
Glass at a very high temperature becomes ductile. Winding method is used for making wound glass beads from such glass. The very hot ductile glass is wound around a steel wire or mandrel coated in a clay slip called "bead release." The glass beads manufacturers may further shape the glass beads with graphite, wood, stainless steel or marble tools and paddles. Sometimes glass is pressed into a mold in its molten state. When still hot, the surface of the glass bead is sometimes decorated with fine rods called stringers of colored glass. Wound glass beads can be called a type of lampwork glass beads.
Drawn Glass Beads
While making a drawn glass bead, a strand is pulled out of a gather of glass in such a manner that a bubble is created in the center of the strand that serves as the hole in the glass bead. This remains the basic technique of making glass beads in all the methods for making drawn beads. Sometimes a hollow metal tube is inserted into the ball of hot glass and with its help, the glass strand is pulled out around it in order to form a continuous glass tube. The Venetian glass beads manufacturers used to gather the molten glass on the end of a tool called a puntile. They used to incorporate a bubble into the center of the gather of molten glass, and then attach a second puntile before stretching the gather with its internal bubble into a long cane. The canes were drawn as long as up to 200 feet (61 m). This long drawn glass tube was then cut to make individual drawn beads. The drawn Venetian glass beads were then cooked or rolled in hot sand to round the edges without melting the holes closed.
Molded Glass Beads
Molded glass beads are also famous by the names of pressed glass beads or Czech glass beads. The glass beads manufacturers of the Czeck Republic invented the method of 'Pressing' for making glass beads. The glass was placed in a pair of mold tongs to give a desirable shape. After the glass bead was nearly formed, it was pierced with an iron rod. The glass bead was then drawn off the rod and allowed to cool slowly. A wide seam around the circumference of the bead appeared while making molded glass beads which used to be ground away after the bead cooled down. Later on, the wholesale glass beads manufactures made this process automatic by hydraulic bead making presses which could turn out thousands of identical beads very fast. The presses now used a combination of high pressure. Heat caused by pressure converted powdered glass into glass beads. After the beads were nearly formed, they were pierced using high speed drills to create uniform holes.
Lampwork Glass Beads
Lampwork beads are the most popular beads for making glass beads jewelry. These are basically hand made
glass beads created by heating glass with a blowtorch and then working it into different bead shapes. A rod of glass is heated by using a gas torch. The resultant glass thread is then spun around a metal rod covered in bead release. When the glass bead has been formed, other colors of glass are added to its surface to create various designs. The lampwork glass bead, thus manufactured, can be further fired in a kiln to make it more durable. The lampwork glass bead making technique is based on ancient Italian and French glass making methods.
Dichroic glass beads
Dichroic glass beads are increasingly used as art glass beads. Dichroic literally means two colors but Dichroic glass beads display a rainbow of colors created through manipulation of light. Dichroic glass is made by the fusion of regular glass with semi reflective metals like aluminum and titanium. This specific glass is used for making dichroic glass beads, either by pressing technique or by lampwork glass bead making technique.
Crystal Glass Beads
Glass is made of many compounds like silica sand, soda ash, limestone etc. When lead or lead oxide is added to a basic glass mixture, it results into crystal having an increased refractive index which is why a crystal bead shines more than a glass bead. This crystal is only used to make the popular crystal glass beads or crystal beads. Although the composition of glass beads and crystal beads is almost similar, the finished beads are quite different. Glass beads are lightweight and inexpensive, while crystal glass beads are often heavier, delicate, and more expensive. Both the types of glass beads are used for making glass beads jewelry, but crystal often requires the use of stronger accessories like clasps and clamps.
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