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-   -   My first Bullseye compatibility problem (http://www.lampworketc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=144903)

squid 2009-11-08 11:57am

My first Bullseye compatibility problem
 
I am having what I suspect is my first compatibility issue with Bullseye. I made a small barrel of Serena's Blend and encased it with Schott clear and added a few BE murrine. The next day both of the beads I made were cracked down the mandrel in 2 or 3 places on each bead. Thinking it was possible, but not likely, that I hadn't kept the beads hot enough, I made them again - same thing - I could see the cracks when I looked in the kiln.

Thinking it might be the Schott, I remade the bead using BE clear and added only one murrini to see if it might be part of the problem. This one was cracked in 3 places, so it wasn't the clear and it wasn't the murrine - it has to be the Serena's Blend.

I have used this color many times before with no problem, but I don't generally encase, so I am thinking it just doesn't like being surrounded.

Lea Zinke 2009-11-08 12:00pm

Hey Squid: How 'bout a base of clear, thinly encase with Serena, complete bead and encase. Some glasses like to be over something else...

Worth a try!
Lea

squid 2009-11-08 12:19pm

ooh, great idea! I will try it tonight!

Beckah 2009-11-08 12:22pm

I have a bunch of Serena's blend so please post results. I hope the over clear solves the problem.

Kalera 2009-11-08 12:24pm

Hmmm... weird! I've encased Serena's Blend many times with no issues.

gubnavnania 2009-11-08 1:53pm

I never try Serena's Blend but my beads always cracked everytime I encased antique rose (I tried encased it with schott, BE clear and light pink striker) even on spacer size.

LyndaJ 2009-11-08 5:09pm

My antique rose never cracked, but I didn't like the color. I think they weren't even annealed. They're still floating around in a bead bowl somewhere. I've never encases Serena's blend.

squid 2009-11-08 5:12pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by gubnavnania (Post 2741149)
I never try Serena's Blend but my beads always cracked everytime I encased antique rose (I tried encased it with schott, BE clear and light pink striker) even on spacer size.

I will have to try that one - I am curious if I have the same problem.

gubnavnania 2009-11-17 1:47pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by squid (Post 2741370)
I will have to try that one - I am curious if I have the same problem.

Did you end up trying it, Squid?

squid 2009-11-17 1:50pm

oh yes, and I keep forgetting to come back and report - it worked fine with the base of clear under it. Strange, huh?

Kalera 2009-11-17 2:22pm

How hot are you annealing them? When Lunesse had cracking problems with her encased BE beads it turned out that her kiln temperature was off by a couple hundred degrees. I've made hundreds if not thousands of encased Serena's Blend beads (I've gone through ten pounds of it and encased most of it) and never had them crack.

squid 2009-11-17 2:29pm

I anneal at 925 - I have tested my kiln numerous times - I have a stand alone pyrometer. I had 25 beads in the kiln that night and the next and the only two that cracked with the ones with the SB encased. I could look into the kiln and see the cracks even while it was still full temp. I am probably going to try it again just because though.

Kalera 2009-11-17 2:38pm

I would definitely kick the temp up to around 970 for BE. I know a lot of people anneal lower but I've never had any cracking problems with any BE color at 970, except for that odd-lot opaque mint color which apparently had to be annealed hotter.

squid 2009-11-17 3:05pm

this is the only time I have ever had that problem at 925 - I wonder why putting it over clear kept it from cracking at the lower temp if that is indeed the case?

Lea Zinke 2009-11-17 3:12pm

There's been a handful of glass(es) over the years that have had the same issue, but once layered thinly over a base of clear are fine. Pity though the memory who can't begin to recall which ones they were~~~~~~~:razz:

Glad it worked for you!
Lea

gubnavnania 2009-11-17 3:16pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by squid (Post 2753848)
oh yes, and I keep forgetting to come back and report - it worked fine with the base of clear under it. Strange, huh?

Cool, I'll give a try with clear under it, but kinda hard when I just want to make spacers.

Btw, I anneal all my soft glass at 980 for 1 hour than ramp down at 50 to 680 then 250 to 400 and off.

pam 2009-11-17 3:25pm

Squid, if I were you I would contact BE as they are always very interested in any problems that occur and very often give great advice.

Kalera 2009-11-17 3:37pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by squid (Post 2753989)
this is the only time I have ever had that problem at 925 - I wonder why putting it over clear kept it from cracking at the lower temp if that is indeed the case?


Possibly because some glasses are more forgiving than others, and Serena's Blend is not very forgiving, is my only guess. Making clear the base reduced the proportion of Serena's blend in the whole bead and acted as a stabilizer. IME pinks and purples tend to be more persnickety than some other colors about being annealed in their preferred temp range, especially when it comes to being encased.

squid 2009-11-17 4:02pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by pam (Post 2754021)
Squid, if I were you I would contact BE as they are always very interested in any problems that occur and very often give great advice.

good point!

Breezy 2009-11-17 9:20pm

I've never had any trouble encasing the Serena's Blends...I, II or III. I always use 1101 Clear to encase. 970. But for what it's worth, it's SB II that I always find the most shocky to work with. It was the least transparent of the batches...I'd check the ends & try one of the rods that is more transparent :)

gubnavnania 2009-11-17 9:21pm

HI Breezy,

how are you?

Shrimp 2009-11-17 10:07pm

Hey Squidly ~ Just wanted to add my latest BE crack-up. It's Bullseye Steel Blue, encased in Bullseye clear. Perhaps your problem lies in the clear encasing, and not the frit.


squid 2009-11-18 9:00am

Is that the regular steel blue or Opaque Steel blue?

Shrimp 2009-11-18 5:34pm

Hi Squid ~ It is 0146-76F1 Steel Blue that I picked up through one of the Bullseye bulk buys thay Rebecca Sanchez hosted back in 2005. It is considered an opaque rod.

squid 2009-11-18 5:55pm

That is their regular color then and technically, it is an opal - they have a new version that is a true opaque called Opaque Steel Blue.

LyndaJ 2009-11-18 6:03pm

I've encased both without issues.

Shrimp 2009-11-18 6:09pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by squid (Post 2755972)
That is their regular color then and technically, it is an opal - they have a new version that is a true opaque called Opaque Steel Blue.

I checked out the BE website and the only opaque Steel Blue that I could find was 000146-0576. I'm pretty sure it is what I have got, but I could be wrong. There are some interesting notes about this glass:

Quote:

Torch: Keep the glass blue by working it in a neutral flame throughout the process and keep it uniformly heated. Develop a matte metallic surface on this glass by forming the glass in a neutral flame; next change the flame to a reducing atmosphere by turning down the oxygen. At this point the surface should begin developing a metallic quality. Then turn off the oxygen completely, and build up a layer of carbon on the glass. Put the piece away in the annealing kiln with this carbon layer on it. Once removed from the kiln, the carbon is easily removed to expose a matte metallic surface. If you return the carbonized piece to a neutral flame, the metallic surface will disappear.

I'm just wondering if the metals in this glass had anything to do with the cracking. Could be incompatability issues.

Kalera 2009-11-18 6:34pm

The straight-along-the-mandrel crack is typically thermal. I hate to sound like a broken record, but if you're putting them in the kiln glowing and annealing at 960-980, and you have this problem more than once in a while, you might want to borrow a pyrometer and check your kiln's temperature calibration. The 0146 steel blue has been part of their normal line for a long time, and it's a color I and many other have encased many many times with no issues. It's also a very popular kilnforming color, and is often topped with clear, and kilnforming is in some ways more demanding of compatibility than lampworking, especially with large pieces.

Shrimp 2009-11-18 7:20pm

Yup Kalera, it definitely looks like thermal. I had to walk about 20 steps to take my bead from torch to the kiln at Cape Coral Arts. The exit door was continually being opened with gusts of wind blowing at our backs. It's highly possible that my bead cracked enroute to the kiln, and went un-noticed until it was finished being annealed. I can't seem to remember what Kari has the kiln temp set at. It may not have been the optimum temp for annealing BE.

Isn't that a gorgeous blue though. The Bullseye clear is the most crystal clear of all of my clears that I have. I'm almost inclined to say that it is clearer than Lauscha, or pretty darned close.

squid 2009-11-18 7:59pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aleta (Post 2756005)
I checked out the BE website and the only opaque Steel Blue that I could find was 000146-0576. I'm pretty sure it is what I have got, but I could be wrong. There are some interesting notes about this glass:



I'm just wondering if the metals in this glass had anything to do with the cracking. Could be incompatability issues.

Oops - my bad - the opaque I was thinking about is Sterling Blue Opaque, not Steel.


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