Striking Help !!!!

[Lizabeads]

I am having problems striking AP and the new tequilla.... Start at the beginning and tell me how. Also can I make boro beads first let them strike in the kiln, then lower the temp and do soft glass? Will the boro be ok in the lower temp for a longer period of time? Any help would be greatly appreciated...

[suzanne]

First of all you need to understand what striking is. I'll try to explain but do keep in mind english is not my first language Striking is growing your crystals in your bead. THe only way they can grow is if the temperature is just right.

You need to make a base bead as hot as you can. ( when using ap or dap you need to burn the haze off before encasing) Then before striking it you need to apply your encasing as hot and fast as you can. After applying the encasement, round your bead out, and get it as clear as you can.

Then the most important step : let it cool. Not just moretti cool, but cool a lot, I usually wait for about 45 seconds. This gives your bead the time to cool off to aprox 1000 fahrenheit. Then you need to bring your bead up in the very tips of your flame and start rotating. You will see after a couple of seconds that amber-yellow vails will appear. The color-crystals in your glass will only grow between 1050 and aprox 1300 fahrenheit. When your bead starts glowing, take it out of the flame and let it cool again, repeat this cycle untill you are satisfied.

The reason why most people get in to trouble striking is they won't let the bead cool enough. You need to enter the strikingtemp-range or else nothing will happen. If you are done with your bead, just put it in your kiln and move on to your next bead.

The bigger the bead, the harder it is to get the bead to strike properly ( this is my experience )

Boro does fine at lower temps for a long time, a lot of people start with boro, and then switch to moretti
Suzanne

[misfit]

Suzanne, Do you have to encase striking colors?

A.

[suzanne]

not nescesairily ( sp) but I think boro looks better encased, just personal taste I prefer the look of AP under clear, gives it just that little more depth


editted to add: come to think of it, some colors do need to be encased. without encasing they look totally different such . It's all a matter of taste in the end, but I know in some cases the clear works as an isolator .

[whispering beads]

I do 4 hours of Boro at 1070 then ramp down to 960 and do 4 hours of Soft glass...works out great for me....

[Cosmo]

One of the easiest colors to strike is GA Purple Luster. Get some of that and try it with that. Make just a basic bead on a mandrel. Get it round, then heat it up so that the color completely disappears. Take it out of the flame and let it cool. It should start developing a slightly yellow color on its own. Once that happens (usually 30-45 seconds) introduce it to the back of the flame, and in another 30 seconds or so it should go purple.

Also, try heating it clear, letting it cool, and striking it to just barely yellow the pop it into a kiln at 1075 and it will kiln strike. That will let you see the differences between flame striking and kiln striking.

To encase boro, I think it works best to get it really hot and clear, then encase it quickly before the color starts to develop. If you strike it and then encase it, it's hard to get the color you want.

[Ro]

purple luster is right, i just did 175 icicles and some color testing while i was at it, easiest to strike, try holding the piece under your table in the dark to see if glow is gone, once it is then its ready to strike, (most difficulty striking is getting the temp right, but some colors are easier than others) i usually begin strike in the flame then let it continue in the kiln, although kiln striking gets much more consistent results once you get it down. i both encase and dont encase striking colors depends on what im making. but if deep encasement kiln strike is easier.
ro

[Lizabeads]

Thank ya'll I'm having better luck now !!!