I hate luna....
 

I am really starting to hate this color......I have read threads...I have tried to use different techniques. all i am getting is MUD!

I have tried to reduce it i have tried to strike it i have worked it a very long time.....i have worked it a short time. I have encased it i have put it over clear, on silver enhancing colors like ivory etc.

I am ready to sell it. unless someone can help me out.....

here are a few pictures of what i have come up with....this last batch i put over clear and worked in the heat forever a this is all i got.

That's about all I got by reducing the daylights out of it, with Nyx spots. My HotHead may not be helping matters, though...

Storm,
I got just one rod in a sample pack and have had mixed results. What I did find was that you need to work it really hot - white hot, clear hot - then remove from heat and let it cool down. then put back in the flame to strike. I got blues and purples out of it and if you keep striking it you get more. I've also had them look like mud too.
Hope this helps.
_________________________
Roberta

Is it Terra luna or TL2? The first terraluna requires heating the absolute SNOT out of it and then cooling it and striking it like the other striking glasses. I can get color out of it, but you do have to heat it incredibly hot!

NLC Beads- I am using a nortel minor. I am not that familiar with a hothead and how it works. but either way mud sucks :)

BeadsGoneWild - this helps alot.....I will try this next time i am at the torch. Have you encased it? what happens then?

squid - I got it from LBsupplies. I have no clue which one it is.......but i guess i just need to work it hotter than i think...... I just don't like not getting results time after time after time.....kinda sucks :(

If you have some good beads made with Luna let us see......

Good luck! I hate this glass too, I can get colour out of almost anything, but frankly, this glass is not worth all the trouble.

I've gotten good results with Luna over white, yellow ice and opal yellow.

Here's what I do (I have a mini CC)

No reducing at all! Use a neutral flame.

Make your base color bead. Wind Luna over it. Then heat until the Luna starts to turn clear...You know how white goes clear when it's hot? That's what I mean by clear! (Make sure your bead is formed how you want it, because you won't be reheating it to the molten stage again or you will lose the color.)

Then, allow the bead to cool are you are rotating it. Make sure all the glow is gone from the bead (I know this is counter-intuitive to what we learned about letting glass get too cold, but trust me!) You can put the bead under the table to see if the glow is really gone.

Now, your Luna should be mostly clear over the base bead, with maybe a hint of brown.

Put the bead at the END of your flame and slowly rotate. Pretty quickly (1 or 2 seconds) you will see the bead start to turn brown..this is good! Keep the bead in the same spot for about 15-20 seconds allowing it to heat up slowly, but not getting molten.

After this, let it cool a bit to see what colors showed up to the party. You can repeat the slow heating at the end of the flame, and more colors should show up.

This is a bead with a base of opal yellow, and Luna on top, made using the exact steps I mentioned. I think I only did the heating cycle twice on it.



Good luck! Once you get the hang of it you will be hopelessly addicted!:wink:

Carolyn M - I agree with you.....it seem like too much work.....

infernoglassbeads - holy cow.....see you can get color.....It looks quite nice.....and seems easy enough to get the color.....interesting....

Nice bead and good tips Rachel - thanks

Anna

I LOVE Luna2 (do you have regular Luna or Luna2?). It seems that the "old" Luna is harder to strike than the newer batch which is Luna2.

This is all Luna2:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3154/...g?v=1214155428
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3114/...g?v=1211906610

And I use Luna2 a lot for my chaos hearts:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3172/...g?v=1215275953
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3296/...g?v=1217261604

The trick is to work it soooo hot, it goes transparant. Then let it cool very well (check under the table if all the glow is gone) and then bring it back in the flame (in the outer tip of it) and reheat slowly till a soft glow. Cool, see the colors develop and see if you like it. If not, repeat the process. If your colors stay amber, you haven't heated it enough!

Storm - by the look of the label on your glass and the color of your rod, you have Luna, not the newest Luna 2.

The first version of both Luna and Terranova were more difficult glass to work with. Luna needs a LOT of heat and the color tend to be dull. Terranova does yield good range of colors but IMHO a bit too dark.

That's why Double Helix re-formulated both of those glass and release Luna 2 and Terranova 2 . . . both are awesome glass that are very easy to strike. Rachel and Anouk's beads are Luna 2.

I know this doesn't help you but I just want to clarify that!

Looks like you've got Luna. I hated it but Luna 2 is fun. Its a stricking color not a reducing color.


Scott

Actually I only have the original Luna in my stash right now, so I probably have the same glass as you Storm. Don't give up!

I'm worried that when I use up what I have and move on to Luna2 it will be a new learning curve all over again! :smile:

Appreciate the tips on working this glass :) Beautiful examples!

I'm with you Storm, I only got one rod of it in a sampler pack and never could get it to do anything so I never got any more.

ASK SOUPY! I traded her mine (bought luna 2) she sent me a few beads that she made with it WOW o WOW!

I'm glad I read this thread - I too had Luna2 and couldn't get it to do anything. Tried it tonight after reading this thread and got some beautiful colors out of it!!

I am pretty sure i have just Luna.

I must say i am pretty impressed Jed and Julie at Double Helix contacted me via PM and offered to exchange my luna for Luna2. Wow how nice of them. I think i am going to take them up on my offer. What great customer service!!!!

Thanks Jed and Julie at Double Helix!!!!!

I keep wanting to say 'WHY, WHAT DID I EVER DO TO YOU?' when I see the title of this post :lol:

Pipyr made first-batch luna do some pretty things by over-working it & scultping it...she worked it a really really long time though & heated/cooled/heated/cooled it a lot!
~luna

NEVER, Lunamoonshadow

why would i hate you.....?

lol i guess i should have put "glass" at the end of that sentence.

:lol:

Blech!! Luna and Luna 2. The only way that I can do anything with it is if I use it as base glass. I miss the REAL Terra! Sorry, had to get that in there. Can't help it.

hahaha.....I think i got RAOGK 1 rod of original terra.....i quite like that glass.....
But i am very thankful about Double helix sending me the Luna 2 instead of me hating the old batch. They are a great company for helping out with unhappy glass users :) I thought it was just me but it seem most others (other than Pipyr) that hates the glass...lol

THANKS AGAIN JED!!!!!!

So...this would be a bad time to admit I'm hoarding some *real* terra? :hide:
(hey, I swapped my precious amber rose & dark cinnamon coral for it!)

hahahaha i guess that would depend on if your hoarding it for yourself.....or hoarding to sell or give away ;) cause i am sure Ashtonjewels would love that ...hahahaha

This thread made me say hummmmm.....I've got Luna and never tried it.....so I gave it a try.....the first was over white and it stayed the light color in the center of the bead with magenta outer rims.....not exactly what I was hoping for but I wasn't about to give up.....so I changed the color of the base bead - I used Lt Grey....and encased in Luna or Luna2 - not really sure which one I have - followed the heat the snot out of it directions - cool almost to the point of cracking...turned down the propane....brought the bead back into the furthest tip of the flame and heated slowly.....it was like watching the color wash over easter eggs as they are dyed! I'll try for a photo tomorrow....but my suggestion is try it over different base colors.....

I'm disappointed by things you have to heat to the "lava" stage but you can't reshape it afterwards. How on earth is this possible??? It always starts to slump, or you lose your dimple, etc. Impossible!

The super heat the snot out of it stage is the FIRST and I shape after/with that stage - then cool - then gentle reheat to strike the colors - and that reheat is with propane turned down and the bead introduced at the WAY TIP end of the flame.

can someone please post a picture of the luna2 rods? I bought a lot of it but I am affraid I might have received Luna 1 instead because it just stays beige and nothing more. It's no lack of heat since I heated the snot out of it on my baracuda. It just stays a nasty tan color and doesn't change color at all. All other dh colors work perfectly for me but this one has me tearing my hair out!

Suzanne - I seem to recall that they look the same as the regular Luna. I will check my rods.

Thanks Squid, I appreciate it!

I never bought the original, just the luna2 but it just looks like dead meat when encased, and if I make it any hotter my 5 mm mandrel will melt through:D