We Need Butterflies!
 

I sadly need to ask for help with our butterfly supply - we're essentially out right now. I'll be sending a batch from here this week from me and my Southern Flames friends. If you have some that you've been planning to send, now is the time. If you've got them in the mail already - Thank You!

Thank you all for your help!

Robert

I'll try to torch some tonight. It may only be a few (since my studio is in the garage and we're barely hitting 20 degrees today), but I'll do what I can and mail them out within the next couple of days.

I'm trying to make some - love your tut on the copper leaf and enamel ones ... so I have been on a mission to find a nice butterfly punch.

Sorry, it's not immediate help but ... will be making some ASAP

I have some scheduled for this week. I'm going to do the gold decals. I did find a whole sheet of them!

I have a bunch. Most are horizontal, and a few vertical. I'll get them in.

18 are on the way from me, should be arriving today or tomorrow. Another 2 here to start this month's batch... I'll try to make more.

I have been making them this week, will be cleaning and wire wrapping them, they will go out along with the guilds beads next week.

Candice

I've got 10 butterflies and a bunch of other beads on the way to Tucson from here this morning. Thank you all for pitching in!

Robert

I've made a few of the copper leaf butterfly beads. I've been hanging on to them until I have more made but I'll send out what I've made so far.

I made my first two copper punch out butterfly beads last night. Let's just say they are not ready for prime time, but I have some good ideas to make them look much better.

I used foil, not leaf, and the butterflies did not get the green patina - does it have to be leaf? I actually like the gunmetal gray shade I got. Hmm, I may have to try CiM Gunmetal as a base for the white enamel with the butterfly to match. I may give up on flowers and do scrollwork instead.

I did like one of my color combos, CiM Kryptonite with white enamel. I was wondering if it would be appropriate to use baby blue and pastel pink for the base beads?

Should have some in the mail by next week at the latest.

:)

Liz

To get the green patina you really need to use the leaf instead of foil. The patina develops as a chemical reaction between the copper and the components of the enamel. The foil is too heavy, though you might try getting the foil really hot and pressing it down onto some enamel, the reheat it.

The pastel colors will be fine. I generally use white or ivory so that the enamel doesn't show as much, but other colors work fine.

Thanks much,
Robert

Thanks. I got another tip that using the copper foil on ivory would give me a green patina so I will try that. I actually thought the white enamel looked great on the Kryptonite base. So lots of things to try.

There are endless possibilities. Really cool things come for trying them out.

R

I found butterfly paper punches in the $1 section at Michael's... :) Haven't tried with silver yet, but I'm contemplating...

Robert, I'm extremely sad to hear more butterflies are needed, even the need for one is too many. I have several butterflies and purple hearts made and will get them sent.

Butterflies on the way today! Another torching session this afternoon and I'll put them on my agenda

Duane

I sat down and tried all of my metal leaf types one day and copper was by far the easiest to manage. Silver was OK, but moon gold and gold were awful - they stuck to the paper around the edges. Perhaps a different type of paper would work better, but the basic printer paper worked great for copper. Palladium just didn't look nice.

Robert

I've done printer paper with silver as well - it works nicely for leaves - but haven't tried with the butterflies yet. I'm thinking over frit with clear may work... I've done silver like that before and it was a neat effect. I have copper but haven't done much with it yet, except discover encased copper mesh on a rubino background blends in nicely. ;)

THANKS Nikki - I've been looking everywhere here for one - all I have been able to find is the ugly M. Stewart one. We don't have ANY craft stores here anymore. BUT, I am on my way to Toronto tomorrow so I am going to grab the steering wheel when my husband tries to drive by the Michael's there.

:lol:

:lol: I picked up a spare, let me know if you can't gain control of the vehicle and I'm sure it can find the way to you... I'll load up next time I'm there. :)

I found some great butterfly punches on ebay, also stars and hearts. :)

AWW - Thanks!\\:D/

I'm hopin' he'll be tired and sleepin' and I can just "quietly" pull off LOL

Thanks Elizabeth

I tried to make a copper leaf butterfly a couple of days ago and it disintegrated immediately. I've made probably 8-10 beads with butterflies drawn on them in glass over the last two days and will get them in the mail before the week is over.

Troubleshooting question: When you made your copper leaf butterfly did you remember to have a good layer of white enamel on the bead first? Putting it on bare glass will make it break up and burn off. The enamel helps it stick and if you melt it in gently it will react with the copper and give you a nice green butterfly.

I posted 11 copper/enamel butterflies yesterday.

Robert

I put 2-3 coats of enamel on first. Maybe not enough? I'll give it another try next time I'm in the studio. It disintegrated on contact - I hadn't even hit it with the flame yet.

sounds like you had enough enamel. Next question: Was the enamel layer really hot? If the enamel is hot enough the copper generally sticks very tightly. I run the flame across the enamel so that it gets really hot but you don't pump enough heat directly into the bead to make it start to slump. If the enamel cools off too much before you put the copper on the you might get uneven adherence and it'll break up.

Robert

Ah. That was probably the problem. Thanks.

Robert I'm trying to get some boro color to use as backing on some pendants. I have 2 different styles of butterfly dichroic images and am going to donate them all to BOC. So I'm working on it :D
Nita

Sounds pretty cool. Post some pics when you get it sorted out.

Robert