"Pixie Dust".

Q: I am new at lampwork bead making and I ordered some "Pixie Dust" to put a nice finish on my beads. Does anyone know what the best way to apply this stuff to your beads is?

A: I usually just roll my hot beads in the 'Pixie Dust', and then depending on what final effect I want to achieve, I may case the entire bead with clean glass. I use "pixie dust" quite often. I prefer to put it in a pint glass jar (my favorite is a 'King Kelly' marmalade due to the shape). Shape your bead and heat it, then with jar turned slightly toward on it's side, gently swirl your hot bead in the 'Pixie Dust'. Pop your bead back into the flame and either add more 'Pixie Dust', or flame cool before putting into your annealer, or whatever. Play around with the colors on different colors of glass. Be very careful with the dust, do not inhale, it is definitely not good for your lungs! The 'Arrow Springs' website has instructions on how to get the best effects from 'Pixie Dust'. You can do a web search (or try 'BeadNet') to find 'Arrow Springs'. From my memory (which is faulty!), the web address is something like http://www.innercite.com/~flameon. I think it's under "Tips and Tricks" on their page.

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