Advice for a start on Dbl Helix? [Archive]

BeckyNoe

2013-03-10, 4:40pm

Ok..I have been staring at my double helix rods..terrified to use them because they are so expensive and the last thing i want is a ruined bead.

Anyone have any suggestions on how to get started with the DH and best ways to use it?

It's so pretty...

Becky

Karen P

2013-03-10, 4:45pm

Pull stringers and use as decoration until you get it to play the way you want. If you want a whole bead, make a clear bead and encase with the DH glass so you don't use as much.

I say all this, as I'm still trying to get DH to work, which is why I'm taking a class from Hayley in two weeks.

BeckyNoe

2013-03-10, 4:56pm

Thanks Karen. Lucky you have classes by you..we don't have many here.

Becky

silverlilly1

2013-03-10, 8:10pm

What kinds do you have?

Sheila D.

2013-03-10, 8:14pm

Ekho is a fairly easy to use glass and you get great color. Make a small barrel of white, wrap the Ekho around it, heat, reduce and encase. Sometimes I just do the same with all the reducing colors and keep track of which is which.

Carolyn M

2013-03-10, 8:18pm

Are you on a hothead?

Polgarra

2013-03-10, 8:48pm

Doesn't Denver have a studio and a lamp working group too?

^^^ that was a response to the comment about there not being classes.

MrsD

2013-03-11, 5:14am

Depends which DH glass you have! Some strike, some reduce & some do both.

KarenP, you lucky, lucky girl taking a class with Hayley! :pout: :pout: :pout: :pout:

preciousglass

2013-03-11, 12:29pm

You are going to have garbage beads until you learn how to use it. It is just the nature of the beast. Use it over a core of inexpensive glass to extend the life of your rods, and you won't waste too much.

BeckyNoe

2013-03-11, 2:50pm

Sorry for the delay..had to do work and then get my rods..oh and the reading glasses to see that itty bitty type on them LOL. This is what I have and I run a Cricket on Natural Gas with 1 Oxycon:

Aurae
Kalypso
Clio
Gaia
Luna-2
Khaos
Kronos2
Psyche
Ekho
Triton
Helios
Elektra 2.1

I have one rod of each from a sample pack I bought when I finished my class.

Appreciate any suggestions.

Becky

allicat

2013-03-11, 3:12pm

Great selection! Youve got a little bit of everything in the bunch. I'm going to suggest you peruse the DH Site; they have a tutorial there which gives the basics on how to strike and reduce their glass: http://www.doublehelixglassworks.com/tutorials.aspx

In my experience, I love the way Psyche reduces, followed closely by Elektra. For striking, I like Luna 2.1 (keep in mind you'll like have even better results with all of them on your Cricket than I do on my HH). Clio and Ekho are my favs of the glasses that do both (strike and reduce). Layer clear over some trans orange, then some Clio over the clear and you should get some pretty pinks!

HTH
Alli

Karen P

2013-03-11, 3:21pm

Thanks Karen. Lucky you have classes by you..we don't have many here.

Becky

I'm actually putting my butt on an airplane for this class. Some things are just worth it.

Karen P

2013-03-11, 3:30pm

Personally, I've had the best luck with Triton.

Use it over Dk. Ivory as a stringer. Reduce (turn up your progane or turn down your O2 until you get a yellow candle about 1" or so). Twirl the bead in the flame for about 10 to 15 seconds. Take it out of the flame. If you want to keep the silver reduction, put it straight in the kiln, but garage somewhere between 900 and 925. If you want to see the beautiful color of Triton, keep the bead itself out of the flame and encase with clear. If you're the praying type, now would be a good time to offer one up. [-o< You need pretty good heat control here, because you want to melt the clear encasement without overheating the DH glass below it and losing the color. I can talk through the steps, but still have problems doing this on my minor without burning out the color. Hence the class with Hayley!:rolleyes:

BeckyNoe

2013-03-11, 6:41pm

Hi Nikki..yes we have the Rocky Mountain Flame workers but i've not seen a class on silver glass. I'll be going to my first RM Flameworkers meeting at the end of the month.

Becky

BeckyNoe

2013-03-11, 6:44pm

THank you for the suggestions everyone. I have started putting them in a word document to try this weekend :)

Sheila D.

2013-03-11, 6:48pm

Do a Search here on LE too...there is lots of info on DH glass.

BeckyNoe

2013-03-14, 8:18pm

So after reading all the wonderfull helpful comments both here and privately, i have decided to try my hand at murinni making with some of my DH. But i was a little confused about one thing...for the use over the striking color (red or orange i think)..do you put down your striking color, strike it and then encase in the DH? then after that do you encase the DH in clear?

Thank you in advance for the help. i'll post my pics when i get it done..probably sunday sometime.

Becky

silverlilly1

2013-03-15, 10:20am

Here's what I do with the glass over striking colour. (I assumed you meant to get that hot pink Clio look)

1) I make an extremely thin layer of clear on my mandrel, about the footprint of the finished bead I want. I do this because I hear oranges and reds can be finicky about being encased, and I don't want to lose a bead that I've layered that much.

2) I lay a thin layer of striking (non-silver) glass on top.

3) I then encase the striking glass (non-silver) in clear. This is necessary because the striking orange, at the very least, has a yucky-coloured reaction if it comes into contact with silver glass.

4) I then strike the striking glass through the encasement.

5) Lay on as much silver glass as you want, being sure to not heat the center of the bead too much.

6) Finish any surface treatment of the silver glass before annealing.

kbinkster

2013-03-15, 10:28am

Doesn't Denver have a studio and a lamp working group too?

^^^ that was a response to the comment about there not being classes.

Yes, in fact there are several studios and several teachers in the area. There is also Glasscraft in Golden (worth the ride for classes and supplies), where lampworking classes are regularly taught (at least they were when I was in the area).

Lyssa

2013-03-15, 11:06am

This is so timely for me! I just got an order with a sampler set of DH from Howaco.

Becky, care to share any of those PM'ed suggestions with the rest of the class? :^)

Lyssa

2013-03-15, 11:52am

Ooh, I have a question. If you make stringer with any striking/reducing glass, do you have to worry about ruining the strikability/reducability of the glass while you're melting the gather to pull the stringer? Do you have to be careful with it to prevent ruining the glass?

silverlilly1

2013-03-15, 3:22pm

I'm not sure about striking glass, but with reducing glass, I always try to make sure I'm definitely NOT in a reducing flame until the very last few minutes when it's on a bead.

Striking silver glass I try to only heat once, and not heat to white hot, so I don't over strike when I actually use it. Not sure if this is necessary or not.

divina126

2013-03-15, 5:29pm

I love Aurae over transparent red. I mostly use Sangre for this. Just make stringers and go crazy. Also for me Psyche has always been the easiest to use.

Lampwork49

2013-03-16, 9:16pm

BeckyNoe

2013-03-17, 6:30pm

well i had good intentions to play with my DH this weekend, but we had a dog show taht I had to put on and had huge entries..didn't get home till 8:30 last night, and it was so beautiful in Colorado today, we pulled the motorcycle out and went on a 6 hour ride.

It's amazing how you look at the world differently when you are doing glass. There is inspiration everywhere.

Good side is I have a plan for my DH this weekend when i get to work on it.

Becky

AKDesigns

2013-03-17, 7:20pm

I have a serious question for all you DH users? I've seen some of the colors that can be achieved with DH but how can you justify the price!!!. I mean really!! Are you kidding me!! It's more than Boro!! I'm just sayin. Please enlighten me.
Thx

I use pretty much 98% DH on my beads. Why would I need to justify it though? It's really a personal decision and maybe DH glass isn't for you. I have deep feelings for the glass and the makers. :biggrin:

jamie lynne

2013-03-17, 7:38pm

If you can take <$1 (usually closer to $.25) worth of glass and turn it into $18? It needs no justification. People love working with their colors and customers eat them up. Totally worth it.

eregel

2013-03-17, 8:03pm

I have a serious question for all you DH users? I've seen some of the colors that can be achieved with DH but how can you justify the price!!!. I mean really!! Are you kidding me!! It's more than Boro!! I'm just sayin. Please enlighten me.
Thx

It's like anything else - rare and exotic is costly, but if you WANT it you pay the price. I love what Double Helix glass does, so it's worth it. I mean, LOOK at the beads Amy (AKDesigns) makes, there's simply no other way to storm. (I have deep feelings for Amy's beads... hers were the first tutorials I ever bought.)

And if you ever try Zephyr, you'll never want to use another clear.

AKDesigns

2013-03-18, 9:17am

It's like anything else - rare and exotic is costly, but if you WANT it you pay the price. I love what Double Helix glass does, so it's worth it. I mean, LOOK at the beads Amy (AKDesigns) makes, there's simply no other way to storm. (I have deep feelings for Amy's beads... hers were the first tutorials I ever bought.)

And if you ever try Zephyr, you'll never want to use another clear.

:love::flirt::-D

jeepinwelch

2013-03-18, 9:29pm

Yes, in fact there are several studios and several teachers in the area. There is also Glasscraft in Golden (worth the ride for classes and supplies), where lampworking classes are regularly taught (at least they were when I was in the area).

They don't have a very good variety of soft glass classes anymore. Mostly the basics.

Becky,
I'm off for spring break next week so if you want to come over I would be happy to give you some pointers. Not that I am great but I understand how most of it likes to be worked.

Lyssa

2013-03-19, 3:29pm

They don't have a very good variety of soft glass classes anymore. Mostly the basics.

Becky,
I'm off for spring break next week so if you want to come over I would be happy to give you some pointers. Not that I am great but I understand how most of it likes to be worked.

Anyone wanna come HERE for spring break and to show me how to use my new DH glass? :^)

jeepinwelch

2013-03-19, 4:00pm

^^^I Wish!

allicat

2013-03-19, 7:10pm

Anyone wanna come HERE for spring break and to show me how to use my new DH glass? :^)

Ooo! Twist my arm (she says after getting 6 more inches of snow last nite)!

Alli

wendbill

2013-03-20, 12:47am

Start with the reducing colours first. Easier to get results. Use stringer until confident.

wendbill

2013-03-20, 12:54am

I have a serious question for all you DH users? I've seen some of the colors that can be achieved with DH but how can you justify the price!!!. I mean really!! Are you kidding me!! It's more than Boro!! I'm just sayin. Please enlighten me.
Thx

Probably because more often than not, you only use small amounts at a time.

Part of the cost relates to the silver content.

wendbill

2013-03-20, 12:56am