Lampwork Etc.
 
AKDesign

LE Live Chat

Enter Live Chat

No users in chat


Frantz Art Glass & Supply

Beads of Courage


 

Go Back   Lampwork Etc. > Library > Boro Room

Boro Room -- For Boro-related tips, techniques, and questions.

Reply
 
Thread Tools
  #1  
Old 2013-05-06, 2:36pm
Beadz Gone Wild's Avatar
Beadz Gone Wild Beadz Gone Wild is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 23, 2006
Location: Roscoe, Illinois
Posts: 578
Default Mixing Colors

OK I admit it I'm still a newbie. I read in several areas about mixing or watering down colors by mixing with clear. How is this done without the color looking just encased in clear. I tried taking two rods and mushing them together but it still looks like the color is encased in clear. What am I missing or doing wrong?
__________________
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take - but by the moments that take our breath away


To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 2013-05-06, 7:53pm
Mary K's Avatar
Mary K Mary K is offline
Flamewoman
 
Join Date: Jan 12, 2007
Location: California
Posts: 985
Default

What I do is take the color I want to mix with clear and punty up to a 9mm (fatter) punty of clear. then I nip off about an inch with nippers. Then I stripe that inch of color glass with as much clear as I want to mix in. then punty to another 9mm and then proceed to mix by getting it very hot, stretching and twisting untill I have it mixed to my satisfaction. sometimes I only use one punty and use my small mashers to manipulate the glass till it is mixed. I try to avoid working air bubbles into it.
__________________
Mary K
GTT Sidewinder & 3 Regalias

To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never
know how soon it will be too late.


To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
PLEASE like my page!
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 2013-05-07, 4:37am
Beadz Gone Wild's Avatar
Beadz Gone Wild Beadz Gone Wild is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 23, 2006
Location: Roscoe, Illinois
Posts: 578
Default

Thanks Mary, will try this and see how it goes.
__________________
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take - but by the moments that take our breath away


To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 2013-05-07, 10:08pm
Alaska Alaska is offline
Alaska Boro
 
Join Date: Dec 10, 2009
Location: Anchorage, Alaska
Posts: 1,065
Default

Mixing colors is a good way to create some interesting color reactions with clear.

On this end use a 9 mm rod of Simax clear and strip it with an inch or so of a color or colors of choice. Heat and then using BBQ mashers twist, fold back, twist and fold back. Then pull into a stringer and make your bead, etc. The idea is to have an uneven mix that results in gorgeous looking glass. If more clear is needed use a 12 mm rod or place thinner stripes of color on the clear. Add dots of white to mix in or black for other interesting effects.

To obtain a really homogeneous mix attach the striped end to a 3/16 or 1/4 SS mandrel. Then place in a battery powered drill on the slow speed setting used for driving screws. Hold the glass rod and let the drill twist and as it is melting push in and out. It is a lot of work and does mix well. The issue is that it is most difficult to make the same color twice, but works well for a one of a kind art.
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 2013-05-08, 10:53am
mightymike's Avatar
mightymike mightymike is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 27, 2011
Location: Janesville Wi.
Posts: 136
Default

so agree
the key so that it doesn't look like color is encased in clear is a lot more mixing my input is it hard not to add more clear when holding with clear rods so i use SS chop sticks just a little thicker than the mandrel. i heard of the drill thing but i don't do it that much so i just mix it real good by hand, maybe a little afraid that i might accidental speed it up and hot glass goes flying but know lots of people do it that way every day.
__________________

To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
Living the dream rocking a GTT Mirage and or 40mm Herbert Arnold J Howard Style with a home fill system in south central Wisconsin
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 2013-05-08, 2:13pm
pattycake pattycake is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 11, 2012
Location: Orlando, fl
Posts: 104
Default

this is great thanks ( coming from a newbie)
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 2013-05-08, 4:23pm
Lisi's Avatar
Lisi Lisi is offline
one day at a time
 
Join Date: Jun 27, 2005
Location: We are MOVING!!!
Posts: 8,319
Default

I am a total boro newbie and these are three of the fifteen boro beads I have made. I mixed these colors swirls by mixing with clear. I pulled a twisted cane and then applied a few layers of it over a clear core. Then I added the clear dots. The cane was made with clear, butterscotch, rust, and pomegranate. I think. The red was ruby, white, and clear cane over a core of clear. The beads were huge (to me they were!), like 25mm, 22mm, and 30mm. The twisted canes were thicker than what they would be if they were soft glass, twisted more, and quite gnarly looking things. But the colors were finely swirled together without being blended too much.

I made these a long time ago, way back in 2005. I played around with boro very briefly. I'm still very much a noob.





__________________
You live in a world of money. Money means choices. No money, no choices. Welcome to reality.
Melody (Marlee Matlin) from Switched at Birth

Last edited by Lisi; 2013-05-08 at 4:25pm.
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 2013-05-08, 5:10pm
Beadz Gone Wild's Avatar
Beadz Gone Wild Beadz Gone Wild is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 23, 2006
Location: Roscoe, Illinois
Posts: 578
Default

Thanks for all the input.
__________________
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take - but by the moments that take our breath away


To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
Reply With Quote
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump




All times are GMT -7. The time now is 12:13pm.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.7.5
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Your IP: 34.234.83.135