Frit Question
 

You would think I would know this after several years lol but I can't find the answer.

I know that you can use 96 frit on 104 coe in small quantities at your own risk and that its probably not a good idea to encase that particular combination.

Do the same rules apply if I am using 90 coe glass and 96 frit? I would think so but I am not sure.

I am mostly a 104 girl but I dabble a bit in the coe's and plan to eventually expand my glass hoard, I mean stash, to include more of the coe's. I have a little bit of 96, a bit more of the 90 and the rest is 104 or boro (which is waiting for me to save up a bit more for a stronger oxycon).

Any thoughts on this would be greatly appreciated.

From all I have read, no 104 frit used on 96 or 90 at all is the rule. They say that because the 96 is furnace glass & has more lead is why you can chance it the other way.

96 is OK on Bullseye on the surface in small amounts. A lot of 96 frit actually is in the 92-96 range.

Okay that is helpful. I have 96 frit mostly, the 104 frit I only use on 104 so I should be okay. So I think if I am careful, I should be okay using it on the 90 coe. I have some beautiful soft pinks that some of the new frit I just bought will look fabulous on. I will most likely at some point, just order the colors I need in 96 but for now, this will do.

Thank you for the responses, I appreciate it!

I've encased all my 96 frit with 104 without any problems so far.

However, Champagne (96) with even a teeny bit DH stringer on top will crack every time.
It didn't seem to affect the clear (96) at all but the Champagne hates it. Too bad, b/c it was beautiful!

None of this is a given. You may even have compatibility problems mixing colors within single families of glass. Mixing families as well as brands just increases the chance of incompatibility. In the last 10-15 years glass color companies have been under pressure to remove lead from their formulas so you cant assume that they will stay the same. Bottom line is you must test everything if you want to be sure.

Larry

Larry you are correct, there aren't any guarantees at all in this medium lol. I just wanted to make sure that it was possible, and realize that as with every design, testing is a must. The ones that don't work out well go in the garden lol.

Yup. Also remember that unless you use a polariscope to check for residual stress you do not know the health of the finished pieces. Even though they hold together today, tomorrow is another day. Why not use good practices and minimize the risk?

It's one of the reasons I keep making the same beads over and over, year after year. Because I have confidence that they are going to remain intact. By the test beads I have kept and by the fact that I have never received any notice that any of my beads have ever broken.

My rules on frit: 96 COE in grains of sizes #0 or smaller on 104 glass, otherwise 96 COE frits go on a Uroboros or Spectrum 96 base. If I could find (and afford) decent whites and clears in furnace cane, along with some light colors for bases, then I would not even bother with using Uroboros. I would like to try out the Gaffer line for both canes and frits.

For my furnace work I use Gaffer color almost exclusively. Excellent quality and consistency.

I have wondered about this topic. I have a polariscope and have debated doing some experiments myself. Do you think anyone else would be interested?

Silly question. of course we would be interested.

I have enough of the 96 to play with my new frits for a bit, and will look further into purchasing some base colors for the frits I like the best when I can afford to do so.

This is a pretty good time to try out Gaffer glass if you are interested in starting a stash of their frit. They are having a 30% off sale till further notice. The silver lustre color in a size #0 makes fascinating sugar beads.

Andrea

Thanks for letting us know! I'm just about out of my Latte and need to order soon :)

Thanks for the heads up Andrea!