Making murrine......optic mould or freehand?

[Pegasus]

I really want to have a go at making my own simple murrine for myself, so far I've had proper rubbish results! I'm wondering whether to invest in an optic mould or just get practicing more at the freehand murrine making.

How do all you make your murrine? Are optic moulds a help or a hindrance?

[theflyingbedstead]

I bought an optic mould but I have never used it to make my murrini.  I didn't realise how big it was until it arrived!

[julieHB]

Mmmm, Martin sells this 4-in-1 mould that looks very tempting: http://www.tuffnellglass.com/contents/en-uk/d62.html

I have not made a lot of murrini, but the few I have made I've made free hand. I think there's a lot you can do before investing in a mould. There are many tutorials available how to make murrini canes, and as has been said before, you don't have to make the "lump" of glass so scarily big before you pull.

[Pegasus]

Thanks for the info, I'm still trying and still failing! The stripes always seem to bleed and spread into one another or the whole gather just drips off the holding rods or when I pull the gather, the blob stays intact and I end up with a lovely plain stringer of the base rod of glass........AAARRRGGGHHHH! It's driving me bonkers, how hard can it be to get a simple starburst flippin murrine!

[julieHB]

If the colours bleed it might be an idea to make an encased stringer. Also, as you pull some colours get too diluted and won't show up. F.ex. it's much better to us Nero intense black instead of normal effetre black.  White easily gets overheated and disappears, so you must work cooler. Alternatively use another very pale colour that is more resistant to heat.

Before pulling, make sure all the stringer/stripes come up to the top of the gather, otherwise you won't pull evenly. If necessary, rake each stringer to the top, and fix them to the rod at "the back". Also, instead of pulling with a mandrel, make a punty with a Maria at least as wide as you want the final murrini to be. I normally build the gather on a mandrel, and pull with a boro punty on which I have made a Maria (makes it easier for someone who doesn't have full heat control  )

And now I hope someone comes along who knows what they are talking about...

[Trudi]

hey Julie - your tips are fab!

To "fix" my stringers I usually rake them very slightly!

[glassworks]

for me the biggest breakthrough was switching to a boro punty... you can very finely control the position (critical!!!!!!) and the pull itself using a maria end on the boro rod.. and i use different size rods to make different effects.. making twisties (which are after all just rolled murrini) is easy with a thinner rod, straight murrini is far easier with a nice 6-7mm boro punty which sits in the hand much better than a thin mandrel...

[Redhotsal]

I've never used a mold - it's easy enough to make them without and I guess you may have similar problems if you used one anyway. As Charlotte says they're pretty big anyway so you'll end up with a dirty great big lump of unwieldy glass. And as Julie says (who knows quite a lot about what she's talking! ) - you can try encasing the stringers if they are bleeding.

Try non reactive colour combos first before you get onto the fancy stuff as it is easier to see what's happening.
Wait for longer before you pull and don't forget to keep the blob turning so that gravity won't cause it to drip. Sometimes I punty with old mandrels rather than rods - then your punty will always stay stiff.

[julieHB]

Phew - I can walk away without having made a total fool of myself, then  One thing is to know the theory, though, another is to be able to do it.....so don't ask for a demo 

[Trudi]

I use old mandrels too - just make sure my lines are raked! Seems to work for me!

[Margram]

...so don't ask for a demo 

Julie, could we have a video demo please 

[julieHB]

...so don't ask for a demo 

Julie, could we have a video demo please 

I don't think my career lies with YouTube, Marg 

[Hels4444]

I sometimes use little metal mini cutters too

Helen

[Kaz]

Bev - if I am making simple two colour ones, I use the optic mold as you can use big rods and the commercial stringers and get a big pull (so to speak )
If I want to make multi-layered ones I do it freehand - either directly onto the rod or using the end of a mandrel. I also pull using a punty with a maria on the end (just any old glass not boro).
I find I pull my murrini a bit thin though so I am try to master getting them very hot and pulling a bit more slowly and evenly.
Kazx

[Sarah]

Hi Bev


I'm no expert but you may be pulling your gather too hot or too fast or both. Let it cool just a little then pull it very slowly.

Otherwise I can't add to the great tips you've had so far 

Sarah
xxx