More Enameled Beads

I finally got around to making some more beads and I was pleased how they came out so I wanted to share the technique I used. These beads are 14mm in diameter. I decided not to put the liquid enamel inside because they were smaller but the down side is that the ash that forms on the copper when you fire them comes out of the holes and it's messy. I bought some Scalex to paint on the mandrels which worked great. The beads didn't stick at all! The first layer of enamel was clear for copper. I put it on fairly thick. The beads come out of the kiln a beautiful copper color and I didn't worry if there were some bare copper spots. The idea was to make something a bit more rustic. I then put on a light layer of foundation white and fired again. I put the beads in the vinegar and salt pickle after each firing to get the firescale out of the inside. The next coat was the transparent color coat.  I only planned on one coat but the colors were just too light so I did a second coat. Much better! It was nice to embrace the little imperfections in the enamel and the speckled white layer gave the colors a variegation that was interesting.

The colors are all Thompsen Enamels and some are vintage leaded I bought on Ebay. The front row is Raspberry, Geranium Pink, Tea Rose Pink and the back row is Concord Purple, Harold Purple, Orchid

My husband's favorite Spring flowers are Hyacinths and we can't wait for them to bloom so I made Hyacinth colored beads instead!