Large Hole Beads
But unlike the title, these are really very large hole beads. By Alaska Boro standards, these surpass the 4.3 to 5 mm Pandora Big Hole beads. These beads are being made on a 3/8 inch stainless steel mandrel with a finished hole size of 10 mm.
As a size comparison, both 3/8 inch and 3/32 inch mandrels are pictured. The large red/tan bead in the lower left corner is 24.91 mm in outside diameter, 8.69 mm in thickness with a 10.10 mm diameter hole.
So how to define a really large hole bead is a matter of opinion. For Alaska Boro it is now defined at 10 mm. For those on Esty, BHB (Big Hole Beads) are 4 to 5 mm hole size. Seems that there is no standard. And it also seem it is hard to find handmade boro beads in the very large hole classification.
What made the LHB torching task easier was the reformulation of our bead release. The new batch goes on thinner and does not crack or flake under boro temperatures. More testing will be in order to solidify the formula. But so far, it is running ahead of expectations.
Because of the heat required, the Cricket has been retired and replaced with a GTT Scorpion. The outer flame has made a huge difference. A lot bushier, more heat and faster work times. The addition of one more 9 PSI at 5 LPM oxygen concentrator was needed to adequately run the torch. With three concentrators running into a manifold the torch is performing well.
August 16, 2010