Learning how to make Glass Beads

The Following Dates are available for Tuition. Please email me as soon as possible to reserve your teaching date. Please note, I can NO LONGER teach on weekends, sorry:

SEPTEMBER 2008 - Tuesday 2nd, Wednesday 3rd (full), Tuesday 9th (full), Wednesday 17th, Tuesday 23rd, Wednesday 24th, Tuesday 30th.

OCTOBER 2008 - Wednesday 8th, Tuesday 14th, Tuesday 28th, Wednesday 29th

NOVEMBER 2008 - to be confirmed

I can now take "You and a Friend" Classes for two people. Why not have a fun and exciting day making glass beads together with a friend? You will each get to use a torch of your own, although you'll have to share me! Charge for both people will be £195. Email me for details!

Yes, it is possible to make your own glass beads! I can show you how.......

I've been making glass beads now for over seven years now - four of these have been as a professional beadmaker. I taught myself originally from a book called "Making Glass Beads" by Cindy Jenkins. It was to me a complete revelation that it was possible for a "normal person" to melt glass - I thought you needed furnaces, glory holes and a whole plethora of tools.

Armed with my little hothead and a handful of glass nothing could stop me. I then took a lesson with Diana East and my quest for bead knowledge contines. I was recently very priviliged to take some courses with Loren Stump last summer which improved my technical skills vastly.

I teach both basic beadmaking and intermediate skills in a day's course which I tailor specifically to your requirements. I only ever teach on a one to one basis so you won't be sharing your lesson with anyone else. I teach both on the "beginners" torch - the hothead and also on the more "professional" Minor burner.

I usually teach a one day course lasting from 9.30am - 5.00pm (timing is flexible depending on your travel arrangements). The charge is £130 for the day, all materials are included and you get to keep whatever we make on the day.

The course covers:

• safe setup of gas and equipment
  
• procurement of equipment and supplies
  
• information about glass, it's properties and what you can and cannot mix it with
  
• bead making preparation - what you'll need to get started
  
• bead making (of course!), in which we'll cover a large variety of beginners techniques, such as forming a bead, pulling and applying stringer, raking, plunging and shaping a bead and encasing with transparent colours. I also teach a substantial amount of intermediate techniques such as hollow beads, foiling, reduction frit, dichroic, florals, canes and encased stringer and twisties, depending on how much time is left.
  
• kilns and annealing
  
• bead cleaning/surface treatments - etching.
  

You'll need to bring a packed lunch with you and wear suitable old and warm clothing. I have to say that I work in a metal shed so I am often at the weather's mercy - although I do have a heater so it's generally not too uncomfortable.

I provide essential course notes, such as suppliers lists, annealing information and information about the types of glass available so you don't need to make notes unless you want to.

I am situated in the heart of the midlands in Hinckley, Leicestershire. I can provide suitable B+B information shoudl you wish to take a lesson and stay over. My studio is also a short walk from Hinckley train station and about 2 miles from Junction 1 of the M69.

Please email me for more information.....