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-   -   striking Czech Tourmaline Pink (or any striking color) (http://www.lampworketc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=261783)

Charmaine 2014-03-09 1:16pm

striking Czech Tourmaline Pink (or any striking color)
 
I put this in the self-promo section, but thought it might be useful here too, and hopefully it will help you if you find that the Tourmaline Pink doesn't strike. It definitely will do it, but it doesn't strike immediately and it doesn't go to full magenta color immediately, either, but it WILL do it. I promise.

I had a customer contact me saying they were having trouble striking the tourmaline, so I went down, pulled a random rod out of the tourmaline box just to make sure it wasn't a mistake: Alexandrite or something (though the rods are different) and it strikes for me just fine (see bead below).

Now, it doesn't strike EASILY, but it will do it. And it will always do it, no "full moon, breeze out of the north, lucky underwear" voodoo you need for some glass...](*,)

Keep the flame cool, turn down the oxy or whatever makes you happy to cool down your flame. Make your bead way out in the nether flame, and just keep waving it back and forth in and out of the flame 'til the color develops.

Caution: (this is why you need to keep the flame cool) You can over cook it and/or get ugly reduction if you aren't careful, or it will go completely clear on you, and then it won't strike at all (we have all done this with Rubino I'm sure..), or will barely strike around the mandrel and nothing in the middle. (kind of like working with any red/orange/yellow striking transparent hollow if you don't know how to do it-it will get the color at the mandrel but then look like washed out color for the rest of the bead..?)

Aren't striking colors fun?

I find that with all of my striking color glass, a cool flame works consistently and best. Just be patient, grasshopper. I know, I know, I should make a video...


Elizabeth Beads 2014-03-09 8:15pm

I have a trick for striking Tourmaline Pink. You have to let it get really cool before striking it. Because I'm not very patient, I just garage my bead and make another bead. Then I take the garaged bead out and strike it. Just be careful not to burn yourself on the hot mandrel. You can use a wet cloth to cool the mandrel if you need to.

Charmaine 2014-03-10 8:52am

good idea, but I always manage to burn myself :-?


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