Striking colors

[glasser]

I know this is a basic question, and I prolly should know the answer and the technique.....Could someone please explain the term "striking colors" and how do you do it. Sorry for sounding so lame but I just am not sure how to do it. Thanks Pam

[Lynn Larson]

Not lame at all if you don't know!

There are some colors that will "strike" in the flame. The best examples are rubino and red transparent. When you initially melt the glass for your bead, all of the color dissapears, and will stay that way unless it is struck. The best way to learn it is to take a color like trans red and make a simple bead. The bead will be almost completely clear. Let it cool a bit, at least until most of the glow is gone. Now take the bead and flash it thru the flame. You will see the color develop. Transparent red will look black when you put it in the kiln. Try it with a white core too

[NightCat]

Striking is done after the bead is completely done and not while you are in the process of building the bead.

At the most basic level, all you do is hold the bead out of the flame until the "heat" color goes dark. At that moment you introduce the glass back into the flame. You don't need to adjust your torch, just use the very back part of the flame. Heat the glass slowly and evenly until the rosy glow just creeps into the glass. That is as hot as you need to get the glass. That temperature region between dark and slight glow is the "striking" temperature. How dark you strike the glass depends on how long you hold it in that temperature region or how many times you cycle through that "striking" region.

The thing to keep in mind is that the "Strike" is the additives (typically copper) in the glass collecting together and forming crystals within the glass matrix. If you heat the glass too hot the crystals dissolve and you have unstuck the glass.

Also striking is not about changing the flame chemistry. You don't need to adjust the torch, just work farther out in the flame.

Hope that helps... I tried to keep it short.

~Ross

[mtarara]

Those were both excellent explanations, thanks!!!
Mary T.

[glasser]

I think I can do that! Thanks for your input. I am sure this will help more than just moi! Thanks to both, Pam