I'm winding the transparent teal around the base bead.This is how you build up layers of color. Melt the glass, wind the molten glob around your bead, then stick them both back in the flame to keep them warm. It's tricky learning how to keep the bead hot but not molten, while melting the rod.

Oh, did I mention ? The mandrel is constantly being rotated in your left hand, twirling around and around, to assure even heating and to keep gravity from making every bead you make a drip bead.....

These are one of my most useful tools, the murrini hemostats. The jaws have been ground out to perfectly hold a glass rod. This means that when my rods get down to four inches or less, and to hold them would put my hands uncomfortably near the flame, I can still use all the glass up by holding them with the hemostats !

In my left hand, I am using the graphite pad on top of the torch to "marver" or shape the hot bead. Notice that my white and teal bead looks quite orange right now. That's just because it's about 1500 degrees......

Quickly now, back in the flame...