Silvered Ivory Stringer Revealed – Part 3 – Getting It On

Now, the next step in this Silvered Ivory Stringer Revealed tutorial is to apply the silver to the ivory.  (In case you missed it, part 1 is here and part 2 is here.)

I gently heat the plug, concentrating the heat near the outside.   I try to keep the inside from getting warm or the plug will start to stretch out.  This is not a good thing, because if it gets too long, the foil will not reach the end of the stringer.  So, if it does get too hot, just tidy it up with the mashers again until it cools.

Ok, so now I finally have the outside of the plug hot, and the inside just right.  Tip – I keep the mashers in my “not rolling” hand in preparation for the next steop.  I place the plug onto my marver next to the foil.  Doing it this way helps to assure the the end of the foil is attached.

Position Plug on Marver Next to Glass

Then I start rolling the plug toward the foil, onto the foil, and continuing to roll until all of the foil is on the plug.  The photos are taken by my lovely assistant, Katie, so they are from the perspective of an observer.  My position is actually so that the direction of the rolling action is away from me.  I would guess that this whole rolling sequence takes about 3 or 4 seconds.  I would like to point out also that the foil does not go all of the way around the plug – I consider this to be a good thing, I believe that it introduces more variety into the final bead.

Roll the Plug onto the Fine Silver

Now I have the foil onto the plug and I use my mashers to secure the foil onto the plug.  I want to work fast, so remember at no point in this process have I put the mashers down.  They are also still warm from the plug making operation.  Mash firmly, but not so much that the plug gets squished out.

Use Mashers to Set the Fine Silver on the Plug

As the plug cools, I use more pressure and also begin to roll the plug a little in the mashers.  Then I use the edge of the mashers to finish burnishing the foil onto the plug.  I like that foil firmly attached.

Burnish the Silver with Masher Edge

Silvered Ivory Plug Puntied with 2 Clear Rods

Now, I punty the second clear rod to the end of the plug.  Just heat the end of the plug and the clear rod and push them together.

Next… the conclusion: Heat and Pull.

All material contained within this Tutorial is protected by Copyright, “Spawn of Flame” Rosemarie Hanus, 2009; all rights reserved.

Rosemarie Hanus makes beads in her home studio. Almost all of them use Silvered Ivory Stringer – Look at these beads at Etsy,  Art Fire, or her Spawn of Flame website.