Round beads are made without using any tools, but other shapes can be done by using hand tools and carefully rolling or pushing the glass around while it's still very hot. Lastly I apply surface decorations like lines, spirals, dots and swirls.Once these are melted in and I'm happy with the bead, it goes into the kiln. I spend anywhere from one to 45 minutes on a single bead, depending on if it's a small spacer bead or a large focal bead.