The secrets of Raku Revealed - Page 25

alb6094 · #**721** 2012-03-28, 4:52pm

I love painted desert. I need more. I put everything on stoneground when I play with the little bit of 104 I kept.

piedradesigns · #**722** 2012-03-28, 5:43pm

Angie, what a gorgeous bead! Must rush downstairs to see if I have any Painted Desert...

Mitosis Glass · #**723** 2012-03-28, 9:45pm

Gee, thank you and thank you!

If you don't have Painted Desert, then Red Roof Tile works really well too. It seems to love all reactive glass.

marjolein@12bead.eu · #**724** 2012-03-29, 5:09am

oh wow it's gorgeous! Angie I love the colors you've got out of it.

Dreamsincolor · #**725** 2012-05-09, 10:01am

Marjolien looking at your car and then reading how you decided to go in another design direction instead of giving up lampwork because you couldn't make them they way you were used to doing made me think of the saying "When one door is closed a window opens". You have the secret for making art when you know that changing direction instead of feeling that you've lost something is a path to growth. All good fortune for you on your new path.

Andrea

marjolein@12bead.eu · #**726** 2012-05-09, 10:20am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dreamsincolor

Marjolien looking at your car and then reading how you decided to go in another design direction instead of giving up lampwork because you couldn't make them they way you were used to doing made me think of the saying "When one door is closed a window opens". You have the secret for making art when you know that changing direction instead of feeling that you've lost something is a path to growth. All good fortune for you on your new path.

Andrea

Thanxxx Andrea! You are so right and I'm so happy that this happend to me!

Dianne Gleaton · #**727** 2012-08-14, 11:04am

For this step2 what type of flame is being used? O2 rich or normal flame????

Step Two for Non-Encased Beads - To develope the colors without encasing, you need to put your bead back in the flame just until it starts to glow red just like you' do when you flame polish. (Not a white hot glow) Then take it out of the flame and watch the colors develope as the glow starts to go away. This first attempt usually gives me reds and purples. For blues and greens, do the same thing again and bring the bead to a red glow and take it out of the flame and watch it. Once you have the colors you like, give the bead some nice even heat out in the middle of your flame, but don't let it glow again. This is just to make sure it's warm and happy before you pop it into the kiln.

Dawn >^..^< · #**728** 2012-08-14, 1:03pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dianne Gleaton

For this step2 what type of flame is being used? O2 rich or normal flame????

Step Two for Non-Encased Beads - To develope the colors without encasing, you need to put your bead back in the flame just until it starts to glow red just like you' do when you flame polish. (Not a white hot glow) Then take it out of the flame and watch the colors develope as the glow starts to go away. This first attempt usually gives me reds and purples. For blues and greens, do the same thing again and bring the bead to a red glow and take it out of the flame and watch it. Once you have the colors you like, give the bead some nice even heat out in the middle of your flame, but don't let it glow again. This is just to make sure it's warm and happy before you pop it into the kiln.

When I work with Raku, I just adjust my flame to a low, neutral flame and that's it. I don't do any adjusting of the flame throughout the making of the bead. I work up close the the candles of the flame, so if I by chance see any metallic film appear on the bead I know to back off on the propane. Depending on the type of torch you have, you may consider the flame I use to be oxygen rich to neutral....but you never want to use a reduction flame on Raku.

istandalone24/7 · #**729** 2012-08-14, 2:43pm

yea i reduced raku once, never again.

angelique_redhead · #**730** 2012-08-14, 3:22pm

It makes an interesting black sheen but lovely is not what I thought when I saw mine reduce. Fortunately it was someone's favorite bead.

Angelique

Quote:

Originally Posted by istandalone24/7

yea i reduced raku once, never again.

istandalone24/7 · #**731** 2012-08-23, 3:32am

well that worked out good!!

Dawn >^..^< · #**732** 2012-11-05, 10:26pm

Wow, I can't believe it's been over 6 years since I started this thread! There are so many new color shifting glass choices now but I still have a crazy love affair with Raku.

Here's my most recent set. It's one of my favorites so I've re-made these beads a few times over the years. It's a Raku base, with Raku frit, and Raku flower petals with just the petals encased in clear.

glasser · #**733** 2012-11-06, 6:44am

WOWZA!!!

Locococo · #**734** 2012-11-06, 12:52pm

Dawn, beautiful set love it!!!!!

Elke

marjolein@12bead.eu · #**735** 2012-11-07, 3:42am

oh sooo beautiful! still can't get what you get out of raku

Kalera · #**736** 2012-11-14, 8:55pm

Dawn is Our Lady of Raku!

ElementalsDesign · #**737** 2012-11-14, 9:00pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kalera

Dawn is Our Lady of Raku!

Yup... she is amazing and I have never seen anyone manage to get quite the astonishing results she gets repeatedly!

~Rache

angelique_redhead · #**738** 2012-11-15, 11:15am

It's magic!

Angelique

Quote:

Originally Posted by RCB23

Yup... she is amazing and I have never seen anyone manage to get quite the astonishing results she gets repeatedly!

~Rache

28676bhe · #**739** 2012-11-15, 12:52pm

Dawn, do you find small differences in your batches of raku? Enough so that you have to work it differently?

Thanks, Barbara

GlassTorturer · #**740** 2012-11-16, 7:47am

Well, I tried my hand at this (again)...and I'm still getting a gray haze over the beads, with some very brief glimpses of color underneath. The beads are gray and I have to scrutinize to see the color. Maybe I reduced the flame....I'll try again today.

I haven't gotten the hang of taking good photos yet either, so no pics of my crummy beads.

BTW, this thread is awesome, whether I can get good results or not!!! Thank you so much for sharing!!!

Judy

selma_belma · #**741** 2012-11-21, 10:57pm

You definitely inspire me to keep trying to get the fabulous color you do!

istandalone24/7 · #**742** 2013-01-19, 8:31am

this is a bit off topic, but i've got a question and i can't seem to find any info on it.

this raku, r108 is technically furnace glass, right? does anybody know where i can find pics of items that were blown with r108 in the furnace...and does it still get this gorgeous range of color like we do on the torch?

Eileen · #**743** 2013-01-19, 8:45am

I was thinking I'd like to try a little in the fusing kiln, but without the 2nd heat, wonder if it will do anything.
Maybe full fuse, cool, then fire polish? But then it wouldn't be a quick cool, so maybe just mud I'm thinking?

caliente · #**744** 2013-01-21, 7:44pm

I played with Raku frit for a while the other night. These are the less-than-stunning results. Anyone have any suggestions besides renting Dawn for a few sessions??

The lentil on the right was reduced. I then came back and re-read the instructions - oxidizing flame for everything else!

Dawn >^..^< · #**745** 2013-01-21, 8:29pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by 28676bhe

Dawn, do you find small differences in your batches of raku? Enough so that you have to work it differently?

Thanks, Barbara

Hi Barbara,

Sorry it's taken me this long to answer your question!

Although the color of the rods and the frit can vary, I can always get consistent results. I can get the vivid colors out of a pale colored rod just as well as a darker one and in all the years I've been working with it, it seems to stay the same.

Dawn >^..^< · #**746** 2013-01-21, 8:37pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by GlassTorturer

Well, I tried my hand at this (again)...and I'm still getting a gray haze over the beads, with some very brief glimpses of color underneath. The beads are gray and I have to scrutinize to see the color. Maybe I reduced the flame....I'll try again today.

I haven't gotten the hang of taking good photos yet either, so no pics of my crummy beads.

BTW, this thread is awesome, whether I can get good results or not!!! Thank you so much for sharing!!!

Judy

Hi Judy,

First off, make sure you're not using a base color that sucks the color out of Raku. Until you get to know the glass, I would suggest you using Effetre Black as your base. Some of the other blacks can react with the Raku in a weird way. Hades does weird things to Raku, and Raku will actually sink into Tuxedo. I've always used Effetre, Vetrofond or Lauscha black with no problems.

Also, if you think your flame might be reducing, either crank up your oxygen or lower your propane. Most often, the grey haze is caused by a flame too rich in propane.

Dawn >^..^< · #**747** 2013-01-21, 8:44pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by istandalone24/7

this is a bit off topic, but i've got a question and i can't seem to find any info on it.

this raku, r108 is technically furnace glass, right? does anybody know where i can find pics of items that were blown with r108 in the furnace...and does it still get this gorgeous range of color like we do on the torch?

I buy my Raku from Olympic Color Rods, and way back when, they used to have a photo of a blown vase to represent the color. It looked pretty much brown, the way the rods looked. Probably why they ended up changing the picture to a photo of a bead.

I don't know anything about blowing glass, but I would imagine you would need to be able to get that deep heat required to shift the glass, followed by a quick cool down. Don't know if that's an option for what you're making. Also, there's the annealing temps to consider. My beads are garaged at 950 and shouldn't go any higher than that for fear of overstriking the glass and having it go back to brown.

Dawn >^..^< · #**748** 2013-01-21, 8:49pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eileen

I was thinking I'd like to try a little in the fusing kiln, but without the 2nd heat, wonder if it will do anything.
Maybe full fuse, cool, then fire polish? But then it wouldn't be a quick cool, so maybe just mud I'm thinking?

Hi Eileen,

Not knowing much about the fusing process, I would assume that you can't cool the piece quickly enough. The glass needs to be really hot (molten) followed by an extreme cooling, like touching it to a marver or brass to get it to shift. I'm guessing that if you fuse it, it will probably just return to it's natural brown color.

Dawn >^..^< · #**749** 2013-01-21, 9:12pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by caliente

I played with Raku frit for a while the other night. These are the less-than-stunning results. Anyone have any suggestions besides renting Dawn for a few sessions??

The lentil on the right was reduced. I then came back and re-read the instructions - oxidizing flame for everything else!

Hi Caliente,

I see some color going on so you're headed in the right direction!

What are you using for your base color?

As I mentioned to Judy, make sure you're not using a base color that sucks the color out of Raku. Until you get to know the glass, I would suggest you using Effetre Black as your base. Some of the other blacks can react with the Raku in a weird way. Hades does weird things to Raku, and Raku will actually sink down into Tuxedo. I've always used Effetre, Vetrofond or Lauscha black with no problems.

The bead on the far left, and bead #7 look like the Raku has sunk down into the base color. A few of the others look like you either didn't get them hot enough to begin with, or maybe you struck them a little too hot while giving them their fire polishing.

Pressing your bead into a lentil is a good way to get that color to shift if you get the bead hot enough to begin with. Also, you might want to try making some barrel shaped beads that you have to marver into shape. That will give you the quick cooling you need to do while you're getting to know the glass.

Encased raku dots are always an easy way to get really cool results too and it really helps you see how the color shifts. Place your dot of Raku with a stringer. Heat your dot just enough so you can mash it flat with a metal tool, then place a drop of clear over it.

Eileen · #**750** 2013-01-21, 9:38pm

Dawn, I just got to wondering if you ever teach or give demos?