Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Bubbly Glass Bead Bracelet

Once we have our mandrels dipped in bead release, our glass ready, and a tablespoon or so of baking soda on hand (and maybe a fire extinguisher) it's time to don our safety specs and fire up the torch. 

I would recommend starting out with small simple beads, like the little spacer beads between the bubble beads. Since they are just one color, now would be a great time to experiment using recycled glass. ( http://www.instructables.com/id/Make-Glass-Beads-From-Broken-Bottles-video/ ) My spacers are from a Fentimans dandelion & burdock bottle. 

To make a bead: hold the coated mandrel in one hand at 90° to the flame and slowly heat it while you also preheat the glass with the other hand. The mandrel has to be warm enough for the hot glass to stick to it, but doesn't need to be glowing. Preheat the glass very slowly and carefully at first, too quickly will cause a thermal shock, exploding shards of glass everywhere. 

Once you see the tip of the glass glowing, it is hot enough to immerse in the flame. Gently roll it in your fingers to heat the tip evenly, and once there is a sagging, glowing drop (gather) of glass on the end, apply it to the coated section of the mandrel while rolling the mandrel. The molten glass will adhere to the mandrel and itself, and when you have used up the gather, "cut" the glass rod away from your new bead by holding it in the flame until the thread separates. 
Repeat this process until the bead is as large as you would like it. 

For my bubble beads I apply a base color of opaque glass, heat the whole bead to glowing and as soon as the glow fades, roll it in the baking soda. It will cool down quickly, so keep it warm in the very end of the flame while heating up some transparent glass in the base of the flame. Once you have a good gather of molten transparent glass, apply it to the outside of the bead to encase the opaque color. As soon as you put it on, you will see the bubbles begin to form from the baking soda. Heat the transparent glass to make the bead nice and symmetrical (not like my beads), but don't heat it up too much or the bubbles will burst and leave you with craters. It takes some playing around with to get it right. 

Tips:  Always hold the glass rod or stringer perpendicular to the mandrel If your bead is asymmetrical, heat it to molten in the flame, constantly rolling the mandrel, and let it cool Wait until the bead has stopped glowing before putting it into cooling bubbles

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LEDBLinker Provides In-Depth Controls Over Your Phone's Notifications

Android: One of the neatest features of Android is the ability to customize notifications to a high degree. LEDBlinker gives you even more power.

The app allows you to customize the color and blink rate of your notification LED on a per-app basis and even get notified if your battery reaches less than 10% or when it gets fully charged. Unlike many other apps of its kind, this one does not require root. It does have a few bugs, however, so be sure to test thoroughly as you set it up.

How to Customize LED Alerts for Specific Notifications on Your Samsung Galaxy Note 2 (No Root Required) | WonderHowTo

Portable Speaker

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Marshmallow Revolver & Speedloader

CSC_0271.JPG.jpgRecently, I have become obsessed with the mechanics of old-school revolvers, and PVC marshmallow guns. eventually, I decided to marry the two, and the Marshmallow Revolver was born! It boasts a yoke/cylinder assembly that swings out for reloads just like an authentic revolver that can be disassembled. Also, it has a long range, and is very accurate.

I  have also included an instructional segment detailing how to build a speedloader for your finished revolver (quick 'mallow reloads). If you have any suggestions or questions, be sure to drop them in the comments section! 

P.S. I have included a Google Sketchup file I created for any additional visualization needed. (I know, not exactly Autocad, but it can be useful to make a quick visualization of something in a pinch.) 

DSC_0249.JPG                  TOOLS
Hand Drill Assorted Drill Bits Wood Saw Coping Saw Wood File
MATERIALS Scrap Wood 2 inch PVC coupling 1/2 Inch PVC pipe Various wooden dowels super glue wood glue         Not pictured: 1/2 inch pipe and mini marshmallows

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Avoid Giving Advice to Keep Relationships Strong

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A Minimalist Workspace for Two

A Minimalist Workspace for Two

You don't have to bog down your workspace with complexity to make it functional. Often a clean desktop with just the right tools does the trick, just as executive coach Dea McKenzie and creative director Jorge Naranjo chose to do in today's featured workspace.

Of course, a little clutter helps some people get things done. Dea explains how she and Jorge made their "odd couple" working styles function side by side:

Jorge and I work very differently. He’s an extreme minimalist, and I need some “work stuffs” (aka, clutter) to keep me focused on the task at hand. We strive to be mostly paperless, which is fairly easy if you have large or multiple monitors. Our built-in cabinetry allows us to store design and other resource books, as well as office supplies and our printer.

If you have a workspace of your own to show off, share them with us by posting it to your personal Kinja blog using the tag featured workspace or adding it to our Lifehacker Workspace Show and Tell Flickr pool. Photos must be at least at least 640x360 and please include information about what you used, how you came up with the design, and any other relevant details. If your awesome workspace catches our eye, you might get featured!

Home Office Tour: Dea McKenzie & Jorge Naranjo | Herman Miller Lifework


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Friendship Bracelet Headphones

DSC_0091.JPGMost of you know friendship bracelets as the bracelets you would make for yourself or someone else as a child. I combined a friendship bracelet with headphones to have friendship bracelet headphones. This is just a fun idea to try during the summer or when you're bored.
Side Note- In the image, I didn't completely finish this project because I'm leaving for a trip tomorrow so I wanted to upload this project before I left.DSC_0078.JPGYou will need:
*Headphones
*2 or more embroidery flosses (depending on colors you would like)
* 1safety pin

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