Southern Flames 2007 July Meeting

2007 - JULY MEETING - Bead Discussion

Our two co-presidents - Diane Kovach on the left and Alice St Germain on the right started the meeting with announcements and then asked members if they have any questions or tips related to bead making. One of the tips that Alice suggested was using a bead release call Krag Mudd. This works especially well for small beads because it makes removing the beads from the mandrels and cleaning the beads very easy. Alice has not tried it on large or intricate beads which are in the flame for a much longer time. For more comments about this bead release, do a Google search on Krag or Kragg bead release. To go to the website of the company that makes it click here.

Our treasurer, Kim Runge, reported on SF finances. Because of the Silent Auction, the group has some money to spend and Kim asked members to make suggestions to any Board member. If you are thinking of something now, jot it down in an email and send it to the Web Mama - I'll make sure it gets to the Board.

Next, Larry Barefield, showed us how to use a simple set up to turn Niobium various colors. Niobium is often used for Bead caps and other jewelry components. His demo was fun and fabulous and the process is much easier than you would think. In the picture below, Larry is just about to dunk a small Niobium disk into solution. The disk is attached to the end of a wire and when it is put in solution a circuit is completed which is what causes the color changes.

Here you can see the setup more clearly. On the right hand side of the picture are the niobium disks. If Larry was making bead caps he would first make the disk into a cap before dipping it. In Larry's hands you see the electricity source - 9 volt batteries. Batteries are snapped together to create various voltages. Each voltage produces a different color. On the left here is a cup of solution with a tea strainer inside. Larry used a very weak acid solution with lots of ions floating around to conduct electricity. A wire is attached to the negative end of the battery and then the this lead goes in solution. The positive end of the battery set is hooked to a wire leading to a clip. The niobium disk is placed in the clip. The disk is placed inside the tea strainer and the circuit is completed. It takes less than a minute for the color reaction to take place.

Shown below is a niobium strip which shows how the color changes based on the voltage. Lower voltages produce a yellow tint. As the the voltage increases, orange, magenta, blue and aqua tones are produced. Under the strip are some disks that Larry made during the demo using varying voltages.

Alice St Germain tries out the process as Larry looks on. Larry Barefield is the husband of our SF secretary Karen Barefield. THANK YOU Larry and Karen!

Some close ups of SF members. Sherry Gomez is on the left. Sherry is new to lampworking but is an expert beader and runs the programs at the Atlanta Bead Society. The Atlanta Bead Society meets the first Thursday of every month (except July) and is great place to get help, learn new beading techniques, and make friends. This year Sherry has arranged demos in loomwork, kumihimo, polymer clay and lots more. For more information go to the Atlanta Bead Society Web Site.

A close of of Kim Runge who has been the SF Treasurer for 3 years. Kim sells her beads under the name Glory After Forty and is one of the few beadmakers who has had a bead in the ISGB Trajectories exhibit. She is wearing one of her beautiful beads.

Robert Simmons and Camille Simmons work are a couple who work together to produce the most extraordinary beaded jewelry. Robert makes the lampwork beads and Camille designs and makes the beaded jewelry pieces. . Next time you see them at the meeting take a close look at what she is wearing and drool. Shown below is one of their pieces. (The photo of Camille was not a good one of her so I just cut out the necklace.) Robert will be demo-ing Electroforming at our August meeting.

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