Problem when encasing black

Renee · #1 2006-11-21, 10:25pm

I've not had this happen before, and have no clue what's going on! I've been working on a particular design that has a black base, encased goldstone stringer, and some gaia. After I'm done, I encase the bead. What's happening is that where/when the black & clear touch, it looks like there's a haze. I know for sure it's not scum (air bubbles).

I've been using the same batch (shipment) of Kugler for a while now, and haven't experienced this before. On the off chance that there might be a problem with the Kugler, I got out one of the few Lauscha clear rods, and darned if it didn't happen again, but not quite as badly as with the Kugler. The black I'm using is Effetre, and I've had it for a while, too.

Can anyone fill me in??!! I made a really super bead (at least I thought so) and this haze ruined it. I was not a happy camper! The only way I can seem to avoid this haze is to let the clear cool till the glow is almost gone, then apply it like I would add dots. What a pain in the butt!! Can someone please help me with this before I really get pissed off???

Kalera · #2 2006-11-21, 10:36pm

If you flash the black in the flame RIGHT before you encase... really just flash it, not long enough for it to soften and distort when you encase it... you should be able to prevent the haze.

Renee · #3 2006-11-21, 10:43pm

I thought that perhaps the bead may have been too cool also, and made sure it was hot when I started to encase. The other interesting thing is that where the encasing would pass over goldstone stringer, this haze would not appear. It stops just short of the edge of the stringer.

Kalera · #4 2006-11-21, 10:51pm

It's not so much making sure the bead is hot, it's just flashing the surface the instant before you apply the clear... at least, that's worked in the past. I've heard the newer black is kind of funky, so maybe that doesn't work with it.

Renee · #5 2006-11-21, 10:53pm

I'll certainly give it a try. Thanks, Kalera!!

lindag · #6 2006-11-21, 11:05pm

Maybe the gaia is fuming the clear? Isn't it one of Double Helix's glass with lots of silver? Just a thought...
Linda

Palestrina · #7 2006-11-22, 7:42am

It's the Gaia. It is fuming the bead, probabaly the black. If you used a different base color, you wouldn't see it as much. It's the way you're reducing it too.

Try this: If you heavily reduce it and then hit the bead with an oxy flame before you want to encase it, you should be able to get rid of the haze and still have the reduction on the gaia. (that's why you have to heavily reduce it - the oxygen will only take off a bit of the gaia if you hit the bead for a short amt. of time). You could also try to aim an oxy flame right at the black to burn off the haze.
Hope this helps. If it's not that clear, please let me know and I'll try to explain it again.

Judi_B · #8 2006-11-22, 7:48am

If the problem is due to fuming from the Gaia, maybe you could use pale aqua to encase. Pale Aqua doesn't react with silver.

Emily · #9 2006-11-22, 3:38pm

I'm with Kalera. It's the black. Unless you flash the surface in the heat before you encase it, it fogs. It didn't fog over the goldstone because the encasing wasn't over black there.

Renee · #10 2006-11-22, 5:32pm

Linda, Kimberly, and Judi - interesting theory! Frankly, I never even thought about the Gaia possibly fuming the black. I did consider using an alternate encasing color, and I'm glad, Judi, that you reminded me about the light aqua not reacting with the silver. Thanks! It's one of those things that I knew, but didn't think of.

Emily, you and Kalera may be right. Or, quite possibly it may be a combination of the two. I'm game to trying anything and everything so this doesn't happen anymore. I hope to maybe get to the torch a bit tonight. It depends on whether the weather cooperates. If I can't let my doggie outside while I torch in the evening, she's a major PITA for my attention!!! I'll let y'all know what happens.

Thanks to everyone for their input. I'm very grateful!

Jude Rose · #11 2006-11-22, 6:36pm

ITA with the black comments. I KNOW this is the problem because it was my biggest problem for ages until I finally stopped putting my casing onto too cool a black.
I've been told it's the iron in the black that is causing the ghost effect. You can even see it sometimes.
The trick is to get your clear really molten, orange hot, all the while flashing the base bead in the flame from time to time. Then when the clear is really almost soupy, hold it out off the flame and reintroduce the black base bead, flashing the part that's about to be covered.
Then cover it.
There's a delicate timing to it all. If you flash the black too long, you'll get smearing. To short, the iron creates all the tiny bubbles.

Hopefully you've already conquered it before even reading this post!

Edited to add: The clear can't be applied soupy. You get it soupy to buy you time for the final flash on the base bead. It's really tricky, but works every time when you get it.

Renee · #12 2006-11-22, 9:12pm

Hey Jude! (Gee, could be a song ...) I won't be able to torch till tomorrow night, so I've not tried anything yet. On all but one of the beads, I did get the clear really hot, almost dripping. Perhaps I didn't flash the bead enough. I'll certainly try it. I know that on one of the beads, I did get the base bead hot, almost too hot, let it cool just slightly and then applied the clear. The haze was there but much less than before. What perplexes me is that I've encased countless numbers of black-based beads, and this has never happened. I'll try what y'all have suggested tomorrow night. I think I just make some small tester beads this time using bits of what I used in the other beads. I'm tellin' ya, if I ruin another "good" bead, I'm gonna do something drastic!! (I haven't figured out what that is yet ... )