Lampwork Etc.

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-   -   Black (http://www.lampworketc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=218429)

BrownGirl 2012-02-23 8:40am

Black
 
Until now, I have not needed to buy any black. The few lots of rods I bought from different people had enough for me. I am at the point where I need to get some now but want to know if Effetre Intense Black is worth it. It's so darn expensive. I really don't need it for much more than base beads and the occasional dot. Are there any other good blacks in 104? I don't use CiM glass. Well, I use it but I won't buy it anymore so that's not an option.

jamie lynne 2012-02-23 8:46am

I would not use IB for a base bead. It tends to eat things. Hades is much the same as IB, though I know a lot of people that love it as a base... mine just gobbles up anything I put on it.

There was some talk about a Reich Black? I think within the last few months. Lori did a nice little test to see if it was a crawler or a swallower and it held up very well. Stayed where she put it and didn't crawl out the sides or eat anything.

BrownGirl 2012-02-23 9:19am

Quote:

Originally Posted by jamie lynne (Post 3906009)
I would not use IB for a base bead. It tends to eat things. Hades is much the same as IB, though I know a lot of people that love it as a base... mine just gobbles up anything I put on it.

There was some talk about a Reich Black? I think within the last few months. Lori did a nice little test to see if it was a crawler or a swallower and it held up very well. Stayed where she put it and didn't crawl out the sides or eat anything.

Oooh! Thanks. I always forget about Reichenbach.

Thanks

Elizabeth Beads 2012-02-23 9:38am

Reichenbach black is very variable, I have good and bad batches, the bad ones boil and it's pricey.

Effetre 064 Black is fine for most things. Intense Black is nice for twisties and for webbing. A good suggestion is to buy IB in stringer because a little goes a long way and you don't generally use large amounts of it.

Older batches of Vetrofond 064 Black are very nice if you can find them. Vetro is a blue-based black and Effetre is a purple-based black.

I like CiM Tuxedo for a basic black, but if you don't use CiM that is out.

Mitosis Glass 2012-02-23 9:38am

Depends which Reichenbach black. The standard one pits and fizzles and swallows everything in sight, even non-glass items. I am pretty sure I lost one of my tungsten picks inside a Reich black bead.

For a base black I find you can't go wrong with plain old Effetre black. The intense stuff is decent for stringers and dots but too expensive for base beads.

If you want superfine stringer, try either Black Diamond by Donna Milliron, available at Arrow Springs, or Reichenbach Deep Black.

Mitosis Glass 2012-02-23 9:39am

Cross-post!

jamie lynne 2012-02-23 9:42am

Ohh. I just found that post it't Reich DEEP BLACK not the regular. http://lampworketc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=207678

Actually, this is the one I was thinking of.

http://lampworketc.com/forums/showth...ich+deep+black

Eileen 2012-02-23 9:49am

Monica, I can send you a sample of the 064 and a chunk of intense to make into stringer if you want to try them. Let me know.

Elizabeth Beads 2012-02-23 9:51am

Quote:

Originally Posted by FishBulb (Post 3906055)
Depends which Reichenbach black. The standard one pits and fizzles and swallows everything in sight, even non-glass items. I am pretty sure I lost one of my tungsten picks inside a Reich black bead.

:badgrin:

Hayley 2012-02-23 10:21am

For base beads, Effetre 064 works fine, just work it cooler so it doesn't boil. I love Vetrofond Black but since it's no longer available, we only use it as stringer. Our CiM Tuxedo, Reichenbach Deep Black and Black Diamond tend to pit so no go as a base. CiM Hades is reactive to silver glass so I don't use it if I want a black black since I use so much silver glass.

BrownGirl 2012-02-23 10:38am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eileen (Post 3906064)
Monica, I can send you a sample of the 064 and a chunk of intense to make into stringer if you want to try them. Let me know.

Thanks so much for the offer. I do have a rod or two of 064 left and I like it well enough but not for dots and stringers. And I think I am going to just order a rod or two of intense black since I still have some Hades and Tuxedo stringer left.

I would like to try the Reichenbach blacks. I have a stringer or two of belladonna, I may have to play with that today. I don't generally use a whole lot of black 104 glass but just lately I have been playing with it and my Raku and Chalcedony frit. If 064 will do right by my Raku and Chalcedony, I'll go with that because JameyLynne carries it. I just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing out on the intense black.


Thank you all so much for the advice and suggestions!

BrownGirl 2012-02-23 10:39am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Elizabeth Beads (Post 3906067)
:badgrin:

The tungsten pick comment made me laugh, too!

Eileen 2012-02-23 11:04am

The intense is great if you like organic/webbing type looks.

These are not great beads, but they were made with intense black, and you can see how it spreads & webs. If I remember correctly I put dots of intense black, and maybe a dot of the base color over that, then melted & allowed to "move" to different degrees as an experiment to see what the black would do.


carolinainmymind 2012-02-23 11:26am

Hades does the webbing thing like IB. I actually use it most of the time I need black, for pupils on eyes and such. Tuxedo is nice and non-reactive, and doesn't go purple like Effetre blacks.

BrownGirl 2012-02-23 11:40am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eileen (Post 3906163)
The intense is great if you like organic/webbing type looks.

These are not great beads, but they were made with intense black, and you can see how it spreads & webs. If I remember correctly I put dots of intense black, and maybe a dot of the base color over that, then melted & allowed to "move" to different degrees as an experiment to see what the black would do.


Oh! I like that!

Eileen 2012-02-23 11:48am

But you can also see how it would not be a good choice for any fine detail work! ;)

BrownGirl 2012-02-23 1:00pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eileen (Post 3906220)
But you can also see how it would not be a good choice for any fine detail work! ;)

Oh yeah, right. I got sidetracked by the cool. *laughs* Yeah, that won't work.

alb6094 2012-02-23 3:39pm

I like the reich black I have but for the life of me I don't know if it's regular or deep, I bought it too long ago.

PerfectDeb 2012-02-23 3:42pm

i've switched to cim tuxedo for base black, i still like intense black for fine work but i pull thin stringer from thick rods, i think i may have used 3 rods in 2 years so even though its expensive it goes a looooong way

Lyssa 2012-02-23 6:52pm

Monica, can I ask why you don't use CIM?

If you think it'll start a war, go ahead and PM me. :)

Lisi 2012-02-23 9:16pm

I love the Vetrofond black, because I get the most gorgeous shades of cool bluish-grey when I mix it with Effetre white. I hope it comes back, because I'll really miss it. :(

Here's some beads I made with using that blend:




glassactcc 2012-02-23 9:24pm

I was curious about this too:-k

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lyssa (Post 3906697)
Monica, can I ask why you don't use CIM?

If you think it'll start a war, go ahead and PM me. :)


Metamorphi 2012-02-23 9:59pm

For a stable black to use as a base for dot/stringer work. Effetre black is fine. You need to be mindful that it can look dark purple in the light. One way of removing that effect is to encase the bead in dark trans grey, blue or purple. If that is too much effort for you, use CiM hades for dot and stringer work. The issue with CiM hades webbing out has to do with overheating. Although the batches that I have are very stable. I'm in Australia but if you would like a few rods, I'm happy to send you some CiM.

Intense black has always been my goto for the webbing/organic effects. I don't think of it as a base element glass. A few intense black stringers last years. I pull stringers to hair thread thickness to get a really lacy effect. I've used only 2 stringers out of the 10 I bought six years ago.

I hope you find the answer, a nice stable black that you are happy with is a bit of a trial, but if you don't mind your base bead being slightly transparent purple in bright light then Effetre Black will do the job. If that bothers you, CiM Hades is not transparent at all.

BrownGirl 2012-02-23 10:03pm

I do my personal best not to buy anything made in China. Lots of times it's an epic FAIL because, let's face it, I am not rich. But, there are things I can do that make me feel more comfortable as a consumer.

I pass no judgment on anyone for using whatever glass, crystals, tools.... whatever. It's a personal thing that makes me feel more comfortable. I honestly didn't want to start a fight or any trouble. I only mentioned the CiM/black issue because I wanted to be sure I got more suggestions than CiM tuxedo & hades.

That's my story & I'm sticking to it! LOL!

Metamorphi 2012-02-23 10:20pm

Sure :) That's cool.

If it helps, the people that own CiM are American. They make the glass in China for whatever their reasons are, cost probably is one of the factors. If you want some to try Monica, send me your addy and I'll mail you some and if you don't like it, you can always pass it onto someone else for some good karma.

:D

BrownGirl 2012-02-23 11:18pm

Yeah... The fact that they are American doesn't help me feel better about it at all. I do have to say that they make some beautiful colors and when my kryptonite and peacock run out, I will be overwhelmingly sad.



Quote:

Originally Posted by Metamorphi (Post 3906860)
Sure :) That's cool.

If it helps, the people that own CiM are American. They make the glass in China for whatever their reasons are, cost probably is one of the factors. If you want some to try Monica, send me your addy and I'll mail you some and if you don't like it, you can always pass it onto someone else for some good karma.

:D


PerfectDeb 2012-02-24 5:01am

Just curious, why is it any different t buy glass from Italy rather than china? It's not like the Chinese are evil, just normal people like you or I, feeding families, paying bills

I understand not buying something if it's readily available (I won't buy US oranges here for instance), but by your logic you should really only be buying bullseye, and if you take that logic even further you shouldn't buy glass at all because the raw ingredients come from all over the world including china

Trade makes the world go round, we but from china, china buys from us, everybody gets to feed their families

Wowglass 2012-02-24 6:18am

And if I recall correctly, since the owners are American, don't they pay fair wages and maintain safety standards? Its not a cheap knock-off sweat shop. China holds the raw materials for many colors of glassmaking so I'm guessing that's why they decided to manufacture there.

purpledragonfly 2012-02-24 8:24am

I happen to love the CIM colors. I also understand not wanting to purchase anything made in China........I would totally agree with Monica here if it were an instance where the glass was made in a sweat shop type setting like clothes and other things are at times where the locals aren't getting paid what they should. I don't know for sure that would be the case with glass. From what I have read and seen this seems more like a fair deal for CIM and the chinese.

BrownGirl 2012-02-24 8:50am

I have made no accusations or blanket statements about this particular company and/or their corporate practices. I have said that I love their glass a lot and think it's amazing. For me, I have other options. I mentioned that i don't use the glass so i could get other suggestions on black glass that is produced by other companies.

I am not asking anyone to agree with my opinion, back me up or give me ninformation on the company's practices. I expect no one to stop buying from them nor am I asking anyone to join me in a boycott. I don't need anyone to justify why they continue to buy CiM glass. I am making a personal decision and asked for advice on a good black glass not from the CiM line.

I don't eat McDonalds. I don't like the small chop suey restaurant down the street and the comic book store on the other side of town smells weird so I don't frequent those places. I don't think they are bad places, I just don't like going there. Much like religion or politics, buying products from a certain country is a personal choice. I asked for suggestions on good options that didn't include CiM. Me not buying their glass isn't going to shut down their business. I have not bad mouthed them at all. I simply made the personal decision not to buy an item produced in China and wanted suggestions on black glass.


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