Glass Bead Making Classes in La Crosse

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Glass Bead Making Studio

Cheri getting ready to melt a stick of glass

glass-beads--gerri-rod-bead.jpg (56177 bytes)

Red hot and glowing green glass is applied to
the white dots on a turquoise bead

Classes are by appointment only.

I teach glass bead making in my studio in my home. Fresh air ventilation is necessary. If the weather is too cold to have windows open, then it's too cold to make glass beads. Even if it's warm enough inside, the cool air coming in through the windows will shock the molten glass causing it to shatter. The earliest that classes can take place is late April or early May.
Class fee is $45 for one person, $5 extra to bring a friend
and another $5 to bring a second friend. My studio can only accommodate a maximum of 3 people total.
Each participant will go home with his or her own one-of-a-kind gorgeous

*The fine print*

If you are unable to see the flame and the glass to safely participate in this class, I will accommodate you by letting you be the designer and I'll make your beads. Likewise if you have any issues with your hands or arms such as arthritis, joint problems, stiff or missing fingers, shaking or trouble with eye-hand coordination, it may be impossible to properly manipulate the mandrel. I will be happy to make your beads. You will go home with beads that are your unique designs that you can be proud of. Watch the videos listed below if there is any doubt.

There is always a remote possibility of hot glass shattering and causing a tiny burn. Eye protection is required at all times and will be provided. No one under the age of 18 can be present. It is recommended that you wear natural fiber clothing such as jeans and a cotton shirt. Everyone attending must be a paying participant, i.e., observers are not permitted.

Bring a lunch and a beverage as class continues through the lunch hour and working closely with the torch tends to dry the throat. Classes are two and a half to three hours long. Don't forget your camera or smart phone! We'll take lots of pictures!!

There is no charge for rescheduling a class. Please give me at least 48 hours notice by phone. Don't count on my having access to Face Book or e-mail please. If you use a credit card and decide to cancel rather than reschedule, your payment will be refunded minus $1 to cover credit card processing fees.

"Like" me on FaceBook at: https://www.facebook.com/CheriHaug

See the videos on YouTube at

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxA57qd8b7s

and

https://youtu.be/En4Buyim00w


To make a Christmas bead, we start by heating up a rod of white glass.		Once we have 1/2" of melted glass, we apply it to the mandrel turning the mandrel away from us as glass is laid down.
Now that glass is on the mandrel, we let it get nice and melty and it will try to form a sphere.		Gravity will cause some of the glass to sag downward, so we keep working it, turning it so that the fat glass is on top and let it sag downward. Before long, it will be nice and round.
Next we melt the end of a glass rod so that we can apply red dots to the white bead along its equator.		Note that red turns black when it's hot and the hottest part glows yellow in the flame. White, on the other hand simply turns clear.
Then we melt a bit of green glass to place dots along the sides of the bead making sure they are lined up between the red dots.		Now we let the bead cook as we slowly turn the bead in the flame. As with the white bead, the dots are drawn inward, toward the mandrel and flatten out a little bit. It's important to let the dots get nice and melty so that they adhere to the white bead. Otherwise, they'll pop off easily once the bead is cooled.
Nad making a bead		Christmas Beads
Amber's rocked at her first glass class!		Kathy learning to make beads
These are samples of what people have made in my glass classes. Like they say in the diet commercials, "your results may vary!"
Earth Tones	White with Purple Dots	Red White & Blue	Mix of Blues
Purples Mix	Pinks & Greens	Shades of Green
Friday night foolin' around. The bumpy red bead with clear bumps (far right) didn't pop the way I intended. So l made a new one with white dots topped with clear bumps (center).		Fooling with Frit. Frit is crunched up glass. I rolled the molten red bead in black and white frit. then I rolled the bead on a graphite paddle to flatten it out a bit. I didn't expect the dots of frit to turn into stripes! Way cool! Then I encased the bead in clear glass.
Smorgasbord!		Opalescent bead with transparent turquoise bumps	Cranberry bead with clear bumps
We will make your choice of a pair of earrings or bracelet or pendant necklace.		Green bead with silver dust	Black & white series featuring silver dust
A bead with a bubble of air captured inside The glass used is called "effetre" or "moretti." No kiln is needed for this type of glass. Home