Seabiscuit The Seahorse

Description

Materials Needed:
• Moretti Glass rods: yellow opaque and aqua transparent
• Orange, Black, White and Aqua Stringers
• Bead Press ( small and larger size)
• Stainless Steel Tweezers
• Knife or razor tool
• Tungsten Pick or Rake
• 1 Beginner Beadmaking Kitl
• Safety Glasses
• Mandrels coated in bead release

Directions:
Step 1: To form the base bead, heat the yellow rod and wrap softened glass around the heated mandrel. Make a thick barrel bead about an inch in length. Put an additional wrap or two of yellow around the area that will be the chest of the seahorse. Heat the mass until just slightly soft and press with the larger bead press. Careful not to press it to thin (FIG.1, You can find picture examples on the pdf file provided under the main title of this product). Remember to always keep the entire glass mass heated!

Step 2: Add another yellow gather forming a round mass at the top of the body for the head. Melt a ¼ inch or so on the end of the yellow rod and apply like a large dot to one side of the head. This will be the nose. Do the same melting of the ¼ inch of the rod and now apply it like a large dot to the area at the bottom of the body mass directly under the nose. Keep this large dot just soft enough to be able to stretch and curl it up to the lower tummy of the seahorse (FIG.2). Remember to always keep the entire glass mass heated!

Step 3: Heat the whole body now and use the bead press to re flatten as needed. Use the small bead press if needed for the head and tail area. Use tweezers to mold the nose and a pick or rake to maintain the hole in the curled tail (FIG.3). Remember to always keep the entire glass mass heated!

Step 4: Using the orange stringer, add dots to the body and tail (FIG.4). Remember to always keep the entire glass mass heated!

Step 5: Using the Aqua rod, make 3 large dots on the head, one directly in front of the mandrel and one on either side. Using the same aqua rod, make a large dot in the center on the back of the body. For the eyes, use a white stringer to make a dot at each side of the nose. The eyes should be more in front than on the side of the head. (See diagram). Now using the aqua stringer put a dot on top of each white dot and then a small black dot on top of the aqua. These three dots, one on top of another will form the eyes (FIG.5). Remember to always keep the entire glass mass heated!

Step 6: Now form the three head fins and the back fin. While keeping the entire bead warm, spot heat each aqua head and tail fin dot and flatten one at a time with the small bead press. Spot heat the dots that are the eyes just enough to flow all three dots together (FIG.6). Re warm the entire seahorse in the outer part of the flame to make sure nothing has gotten too cold . Repeat several times being careful not to get too hot to melt away any detail. Put immediately in fiber blanket or an annealing kiln.