Terranova 2.1 colors - help?

Ravenesque · #1 2016-06-17, 12:18pm

I read through the old tnt 2.1 thread
http://lampworketc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=156517

Not sure if i should have boosted it to ask? Anyway, can anyone tell me if there is a way to get more of the creams and lighter colors throughout? My first set were awesome, creams, multi blues, some magenta... now they are just verrry dark blue and burgundy. (same batch)
Did I strike more the first time? Should I try to strike it less?

I know this glass can get so many ranges but if anyone has an idea to change it to anything but dk let me know

Double Helix Glassworks · #2 2016-06-17, 6:25pm

The amount of time you let the bead cool between the reset and the strike can alter the outcome.

Repeated striking cycles can develop thin layers of pastels colors on the surface.

SStephen · #3 2016-06-17, 8:46pm

I have no brilliant notes or insight, but I'll tell you what I know. I busted up some TN 2.1 into frit, melted it in completely, then coil encased (proper term?) with Zephyr and brought the bead to shape using only the flame. From there I let it cool, and reheated and cooled two or three times then went to kiln. I got mostly pastels (blue, pink, purple) and a little of that burgundy/maroon/dark blue on about 15 beads, but on 4 others I just got muddy looking translucent ambers. This was about three weeks ago. I haven't even tried doing a solid core of TN 2.1 yet.

I read the same thread as you and other info throughout the internet, but I'm still confused by this glass lol...love the random pastels but that amber has scared me away for a bit I guess...

If that was any help, eh...

Ravenesque · #4 2016-06-17, 11:02pm

Thanks you two, i'll give more cycles a try. I'm about to hit the torch now

Ravenesque · #5 2016-06-18, 10:54am

i tried both a few strikes and one not striking at all and they look the same.

I wonder if I should try the light version? I think since I got this batch I turned my garaging temp down, not sure if that matters? From 920 to 890.

SStephen · #6 2016-06-18, 3:31pm

I garage at 940, and to be honest when I was striking the beads I was having a hard time identifying a lot of change (plus my pastels where VERY pale, like flower petals). Tomorrow morning I'm going to do some solid TN beads and see what I can get.

Ravenesque · #7 2016-06-19, 11:55am

Yes my set was pastel and dark at the same time, very pretty. I will try a couple after upping my kiln back to where it was. Maybe the extra heat struck them again? Of course this is for a custom order and now I can't redo it haha.

SStephen · #8 2016-06-19, 6:38pm

I'm typing this for my sanity. I apologize for my compressed photos, they don't do the beads justice. I also apologize for my grubby hand, as after working with TN 2.1 I did some therapeutic weed pulling. I also learned tonight I need a new computer (so I DID learn something today!).

Okay, the first set has the first solid bead I made (I was wrong that I hadn't made a solid bead upon rummaging through) which, for the life of me, I could not get a strike from other than red and ruddy. It was encased in 3mm Zephyr. THAT is why I crushed some up and made frit. Therapy. The second two are just like the ones in the 3rd pic, but they weren't encased. I just left them to see what would happen. I believe I tried striking them and got nada. The last four have two fails, and two successes. I don't know why the ones that went ruddy amber went ruddy amber.

Second set, the first bead is my ADD at work, I silver leafed and striped with ivory and dotted with TN 2.1 and got good ranges of color in the dots. The large red one and the large orange/yellow one were done with as testers, and the o/y one is one of my favorite beads ever (these pics aren't doing these justice) and was made with a mystery lot rod that I bought in a set online, so at a later date I made the smaller 5 o/y ones with the rest of that rod. The two larger beads were encased with a larger rod of zephyr, the smaller ones were stripe encased with 3mm Zephyr. Essentially I just put them in the kiln after heating them to shape.

The 3rd pic all have a slightly pink base, and you can see in the first two how they wanted to start going amber, the next two were encased with a larger Zephyr rod and the last four were the 3mm Zephyr. None of those have any amber. Again, just heated to shape and kiln time.

The last pic is a close up of one of a set of six I made using silver foil clumsily placed over TN 2.1 and used in shard form. The foil wasn't marvered well (remember, clumsily??) so a lot of the TN 2.1 is showing, and it ALL went wispy blues and purples. I reheated and pressed to remove chill marks, but didn't make any effort to strike. The darker stuff to the right is a burnt out coral, not the TN.

I did make some today, but only solid encased with 3mm, and all I got were beads similar to the first bead in the first photo. I could strike back and forth between the translucent yellow/green initial and the reds/ambers, but nothing in between.

I don't know how much of it has to do with more current batches (I do know people pine for the original from reading here) or my lack of expertise. I do know that when I worked with it thin (shards) and small doses (frit) I got better results (though the frit is more "flat" colored and not all sexy like some of the photos from that thread). I also will add that upon first encasing the solid beads I made today with 3mm they DID have an initial strike more similar to the ones from the thread (like literally as I was putting the 3mm on the wispy purples were practically jumping off the bead) but once melting it down to shape it was gone and I could not get it back, and I really tried, really letting the beads get cool to the point where I was wondering if it was going to pop and other times not letting it get as cool and spot heating. Perhaps if I had a bead roller I'd have different results, or more oxygen, or propane (even now, I read the label and see that more propane DOES effect the color, as well as shaping). Perhaps shards, a blast of propane and encasement will result in amazing blues or frowning brown. So many variables, so little time.

It remains a mystery, for now.

Sorry I bring no answers, only questions!

Ravenesque · #9 2016-06-19, 11:54pm

ha! Well it was an interesting read no matter! So maybe in the meantime I should try some silver foil! It seems to lighten it up on your yellow focal, which is pretty btw.

I have a wonderful sinus migraine so I'm holding off torching tonight, will try again asap and report if anything happens.

KJohn · #10 2016-06-20, 4:00pm

you also bring good pics, Sstephen! That was an interesting experiment. I find TNT2.1 very time consuming to work with, requiring multiple strikes with or without encasing. But I did find some interesting effects on reducing and encasing that makes me want to keep trying.

SStephen · #11 2016-06-20, 7:15pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by KJohn

you also bring good pics, Sstephen! That was an interesting experiment. I find TNT2.1 very time consuming to work with, requiring multiple strikes with or without encasing. But I did find some interesting effects on reducing and encasing that makes me want to keep trying.

I plan on making shards again minus the foil. I'll have to try reducing too.

dichromary · #12 2016-06-27, 9:18am

I have been in love with Terranova2.1 since its introduction. But in the recent attempts most turned very dark. If one came out I like its by pure accident. Well, after reading Jed's suggestion, I started to put the too dark ones back into the kiln, put them back into the torch and restrike them. The 4 bigger round beads in the middle were made this way

KJohn · #13 2016-06-27, 5:26pm

Mary, those are lovely, glad you could redo them!

echeveria · #14 2016-06-28, 12:25pm

I guess I am kiln striking them? They go in with a lot of lovely color, but come out mostly amber.

Ravenesque · #15 2016-07-12, 2:33am

Sounds like it. When my kiln is too hot my striking colors turn amber/brown.
Haley has an article here
http://www.envisionsf.com/silverglass101.html
and DH here
http://www.doublehelixglassworks.com/faq.aspx

I ended up buying tnt 2.1 light, Jed sent an old batch and a newer batch, the newer batch is closest to what I got with the tnt batch I bought in April that I couldn't reproduce. Nice colors fwiw.