I realized the other day that I had made two of the exact same bead, one on my torch (left), and the other in the experimental firebrick fireplace (right) This amused me greatly so I had to share. You can see that the bead made in the fireplace is less perfectly formed. However, this is not because of the fire source, but rather because of my inexperience using it. The bead made in the fireplace looks more like a bead that a beginner might make. It is not perfectly round, the dots are less evenly spaced, and one of the dots looks more like an oval and less like a round dot. Over time, as I practice, I imagine I'll get better. However, using coal fueled fire place is reminding me a little bit of what it is like to be a new bead maker again when I didn't "know" my fire.
