Glass Beads 103.4-Wig Wag Cane

Name: Glass Beads 103.4-Wig Wag Cane
Rating: 5.0 (1 reviews)

Wavy Wig-Wags for Wacky Beads

Created byAnna Maria Schoenenberger

Last updated 8/2022

English

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What you'll learn

The Students will learn how to prepare a barrel base for their Wig-Wag Cane.
The Students will learn how to make a Striped Wig-Wag Cane.
The Students will learn how to make a Frit Wig-Wag Cane.
The Students will learn how to make a Barrel Wig-Wag Cane.
The Students will learn how to place Wig-Wag Canes on a glass bead.

Course content

1 section • 8 lectures • 1h 10m total length

Introduction and Syllabus0:44
Introduction to Guinean lampwork glass beads and the wig wag cane course, with an overview of the syllabus. Fire up the torch and start the studio hands-on bead work.
Prerequisites2:31
Welcome all learners to a safety-first prerequisites overview that applies to both surface flex torch and fireworks torch, covering lamport safety precautions, handling skills, ventilation, safety glasses, and kiln annealing.
Prepare the Barrel Base10:05
Develop heat control and barrel techniques for wig wag canes by using a transparent core, stiff glass for control, layered clear wraps, and black outlines on a 1/8 inch mandrel.
Twisting Methods on a Striped Wig-Wag Cane16:28
Explore twisting techniques for striped wig-wag canes, including the barrel twist method and spot heat twists, with encased canes and layered stripe construction.
Frit Wig-Wag Cane17:24
Learn to create frit wig-wag canes using a custom fret, color marbling, and wave patterns with and without outlines, including kiln pull, twist techniques, and cap finishing.
Cube Wig-Wag7:04
Master the cube wig wag by building a three-color base cube with red, white, and blue, then twist and cap a cane to form wave patterns.
Barrel Wig-Wag Cane13:03
Learn to craft a barrel wig-wag cane by layering rainbow colors over a clear and white base, encasing with black outlines, and twisting heat to form bold, glass-wrapped beads.
Wrap Up0:30
Celebrate finishing the zigzag wig wag bead class by encouraging continued practice, fun, and bead making as you look forward to the next session.

Requirements

The student should have a work area already prepared.
Fireproof workstation with their torch already set up and good ventilation.
All artists creating this bead should have basic knowledge of lampwork safety precautions. Torch safety, glass handling skills, proper ventilation and using proper eyewear are all requirements needed to safely make this bead. All the materials, supplies and tools are available through lampwork glass suppliers and distributors. I also highly recommend using a kiln to properly anneal your bead after it is complete to ensure durability and strength.

Description

Wig-way canes are characterized by waves of color which are placed on a base core of glass. The class is intended for the beginning student and does not require a lot of experience or expensive tools and materials. The class will start with an introduction and a presentation slide of the class Syllabus. We will then review the prerequisites including having knowledge of basic lampwork safety requirements, a well ventilated work area and a pair of didymium safety glasses. It is also recommended that the students has a kiln to properly anneal their canes and beads.

The class will start off with a review of how to make a barrel base on a 1/8" mandrel. Clear glass will be used as the core because it provides some stiffness to facilitate making the cane. The clear core will be covered by a white opaque glass. The instructor will then move directly into placing lines of black stringer on the base barrel and demonstrating the first twist method. The barrel will be heated up and the instructor will demonstrate how to use heat control and timing to create the twisted waves. The second method of creating waves will be also be demonstrated using a spot heating method.

The second wig-wag cane will be made using glass frit. The instructor will demonstrate how to apply the frit to the base barrel and how to apply the black outline stringer. A clear cap of glass will be placed on the base barrel and a second mandrel will be set in the glass. Finally, the instructor will demonstrate how to heat and twist the molten glass into the wig-wag cane.

The third cane will demonstrate how to make a wig-wag cane from 3 colors in a cube formation. The instructor will demonstrate how to make the cube barrel base platform and then apply 3 colors to facilitate the cane.

The final wig-wag cane will be the most complex. The instructor will make the base barrel and then apply 6 rainbow colors around the circumference of the barrel. A black encased cane will be applied in between each color to provide an outline. A clear cap will be placed on the barrel and a second mandrel will be inserted into the base. A large amount of heat will be applied to the base barrel to start the process of creating the wavy wig-wag. Heat control and timing will be paramount in this cane to complete the wig-wag formation.

A short congratulatory wrap up will conclude the class.

Who this course is for:

Beginning lampwork glass bead artists.