The Venerable Hot Head

Just this past week I have been revisiting an old friend--my hot head. Cindy Jenkins is writing a new book about this torch that has introduced so many to the world of beadmaking. That's how I started making beads and continued for about a year. I also teach beginners on the hot head. I like it because it forces beginners to take their time. I find that newbies rush the process too much.

Anyway, it was a real trip to return to the days of yesteryear and slow down myself! Cindy asked if I would contribute something to the book so I needed to play around.

I made some pretty nice hollows with tiny stringer decoration. Some hollows I made the traditional way and others benefited from the "puffy mandrel."

This is the mandrel that is actually a length of stainless steel tubing with a tiny hole about 2 inches from one end. One dips that end in bead release and blows to unplug the little hole. (I always redip the very tip to re-plug the end of the tubing--otherwise the whole process of blowing up the bead is for naught.)

So with the puffy (created by Neil Fabricant, lovely and talented husband of Jeri Warhaftig) it allows me to make a bigger and, frankly, more shapely, hollow bead that one normally could with the hot head. Pretty cool.