The woes of Olympia Rain

[Flamekist]

Hello all,
I have managed to get some of the Olympia Rain. But I can’t get it to do anything except turn really dark amber. After 20 minutes it was almost black, then on one of the cooling stages I over cooled it and it exploded. I have gone through an entire rod with no success as of yet. I have read everyone’s posts concerning striking this glass, but none of it seems to work for me. I am working with a minor burner with an Oxygen Concentrator. Could maybe someone take pictures of the process? I don’t know if I am in the wrong part of the flame, using to much propane and not enough Oxygen, or what exactly what I am doing wrong. I have tried everything, including holding my mouth just right..... Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you,

[bjcohan]

CJ, even before I got it to behave properly and make gorgeous colors, I found that encasing it helped immeasurably. My first few OR beads weren't very pretty, but then I encased them and the colors popped. So don't despair.

As for working the glass, I found I was doing it ass-backwards at first.

Give it a few passes in a soft neutral or slightly reducing flame, up close fairly near the torch head. Then turn up the oxygen a bit and move the bead back in the flame. The colors should bloom for you.

Barb

[Flamekist]

Thanks Barb,
We had a little more success but not much.....

Maybe if I chronicle what we are doing someone will spot our flaw.

First we heat the glass and wind it onto the mandrel in a neutral flame. (about ¼ inch blue candles) we then reduce the oxygen until we have yellow candles about 1 inch long. Now we have tried many different things at this point. We have tried passing the bead through the now yellow candles several times until we see a change…. (We aren’t entirely sure what the change is we are looking for) after each pass or rotation in the flame we let the bead cool so that we can view the changes. Typically we se a soft amber color appear after the first pass or two. If we continue to make passes into the flame we will continue to get darker amber. We have done this until the amber tone is opaque. Most times we have waited until it was a deep amber and then we bring the oxygen back up and work the bead very high in the neutral to near neutral flame. The color will continue to deepen. If we do this long enough we can get some cream and dark earth tones. However, if the bead gets to hot it goes back to dark amber. To get the earth tones it takes a good 20 minutes of heating and cooling stages. If we encase the bead we can get some milky tones, but never blue. We have invested probably 12 hours or more at this point and have yet get close to the colors we see others achieving. We have tried using it in stringer form on shades of transparent blue, cobalt, black, dark teal. Most of the time we get a black bead, a little hazy, but never a color worth while.
What is it we are doing wrong?
Thanks for your help,

[Sherri*S]

CJ
I went through almost the entire 1/4 lb before I've got somewhat consistent results.
And I've only gotten it to work the way I wanted on a black base, so far. (I'm on a minor, NG and oxycon.)

Also the best results I've gotten were from using a thicker layer of OR rather than stringers. My best results were from encasing black completely in OR, and decorating that with OR stringer.

Anyway, here's my process:
--melt it in a neutral flame,
--once melted in, roll in reduction flame, about an inch from candles for about 3-5 seconds
--let cool
--turn oxy back up (slightly oxy rich flame), and roll bead so that it is just glowing, and watch "stuff happen"
--cool a bit and repeat bathing in flame to a low red glow.

You should start getting the cool blues. Then decorate with stringer and repeat the above (I don't reduce very much if at all at this point)

Then encase the whole thing in clear. That's when it really pops. That seems to be the real key. Anyway, that's what works for me - it doesnt seem too different from your process I dont think.


So, maybe you are letting the bead cool too much? Maybe if you stop too often to check the color development, that might be when you get the creams. (Once the cream/earth tones appear, I've never been successful in getting any blues....)

Also, maybe heating the bead IN the candles is too close - try it about an inch away.

Hope this helps. I still haven't totally figured it out myself, and now I have to stalk the site on Tuesday to order some more

[sislonski]

Originally Posted by Flamekist

What is it we are doing wrong?
Thanks for your help,

My guess is that you are getting it too hot for too long right off the bat while melting it.

[Ashtonjewels]

Yeah, I had the exact same problem. I used up most of my glass before I actually got it. What color are you using as a base?

[Ashtonjewels]

This is how I do it. . . .

Strike the glass to a golden amber color in a propane rich flame. Do not let it go smoky brown. Once you have that color, it is ready to apply to your bead. Use bases of yellow, coral, or red. Each will give you a different color of blue. Those are the only colors that will give you a truly dynamic effect, (if that is what you are after). You know, the awesome borolike swirls.

With this set, my first step was to add small donuts of black glass on each end of what would be my footprint. Doing this allowed me to give the illusion of having a black base. I filled in the middle with coral, then pulled an opaque red stringer and swirled it randomly over the coral glass. Then I struck the OR in rich propane until it turned golden amber and encased the coral glass only. Turn you oxy up until you have a neutral flame. Melt the OR completely in on the surface until it is glowing red. DO NOT OVERWORK IT, you will lose the crystalization. Be aware of your oxy setting. If it is up to high, the OR will go back to clear and you'll have to start all over again.

I hope this helps.

[artwhim]

Great color going on in those Lydia! Will have to try your suggestions. Thanks,
Kathy

[AKDesigns]

Love those Lydia! Most people are trying their hardest to get blue out of it but I wanted the cream/yellow/greens instead. Love what you did!
Amy

[ocdlampwork]

Originally Posted by AKDesigns

Love those Lydia! Most people are trying their hardest to get blue out of it but I wanted the cream/yellow/greens instead. Love what you did!
Amy

If you're looking for the cream, yellow and greens then try it with ivory and even some silver. I've got a set and focal that are delicious! As soon as I get pics. taken (could be a few days ) I'll post them for you to see. They are almost an opalescent yellow/cream. Yum!

Tracey

[Kevan]

Lydia, those are really lovely! Good job.

[Ashtonjewels]

Thank you all! I think I tried OR on every color that I had in my little ghetto rod holder contraption until I finally got what I was looking for.

This glass has so much potential. Here are some test beads that I did after I figured out how to strike the glass. I saved each one with an explanation as to how I got each look. I'm posting them here so that maybe than can save you all a little upfront trial and error. (Seriously, I lost days working with this stuff, but it was worth it to me.)

Please keep in mind that these are all fugly test beads. lol









This pic is a set that incorporated OR over rubino.

[BrakerBeads]

Lydia! Those are very lovely! You are sharing glass joy with others and it is appreciated! Bravo!!

NancyB in IL

[yeepers]

Lydia,

You've obviously mastered OR! I'm not quite at giving up yet but this stuff seriously eludes me. I'm teetering on the edge of frustration but every now and then I get the colors to pop and it keeps me going. Wish I could be sure that I'll do the same thing each time to get it to work.

Apparently I still haven't found the sweet spot when reducing - haven't figured out what exactly I'm looking for so each time it's by "feel". Instead of reducing (which often screws things up for me) I just spend ALOT of time striking and that seems to work better for me than reducing first.

-Yee

[torchie]

So far all I have got is some REALLY expensive clear. After all the trouble I went through to order it it is driving me crazy.
Raku I can do. This is not working for me.
Ruth

[AKDesigns]

Originally Posted by ocdlampwork

If you're looking for the cream, yellow and greens then try it with ivory and even some silver. I've got a set and focal that are delicious! As soon as I get pics. taken (could be a few days ) I'll post them for you to see. They are almost an opalescent yellow/cream. Yum!

Tracey

Guess I didn't word that right. I did a set a few days ago strictly getting cream/yellow/greens and trying on purpose not to get much blue. The set won't go up on ebay until next Saturday so I probably won't even have pics until late in the week. I put OR stringer on Vetrofond transparent light brown. Over heated it in a reducing flame and then put another layer of OR stringer over that. That's how I got cream/yellow. To get green I did the OR stringer over the same base, rolled it in a neutral flame and then quickly wrapped it again in another layer of OR stringer.
Amy

[Angela Schoonen]

Just a quick question somewhat off track.
I haven't got my glass yet, and don't know it's compatibility. Are you encasing with Moretti clear or 96?
Thanks in advance.

[jana]

This worked beautifully!!!! Thank you so much.

Now....you haven't been working with any Kronos by chance?!?!?

Originally Posted by Ashtonjewels

This is how I do it. . . .

Strike the glass to a golden amber color in a propane rich flame. Do not let it go smoky brown. Once you have that color, it is ready to apply to your bead. Use bases of yellow, coral, or red. Each will give you a different color of blue. Those are the only colors that will give you a truly dynamic effect, (if that is what you are after). You know, the awesome borolike swirls.

With this set, my first step was to add small donuts of black glass on each end of what would be my footprint. Doing this allowed me to give the illusion of having a black base. I filled in the middle with coral, then pulled an opaque red stringer and swirled it randomly over the coral glass. Then I struck the OR in rich propane until it turned golden amber and encased the coral glass only. Turn you oxy up until you have a neutral flame. Melt the OR completely in on the surface until it is glowing red. DO NOT OVERWORK IT, you will lose the crystalization. Be aware of your oxy setting. If it is up to high, the OR will go back to clear and you'll have to start all over again.

I hope this helps.

[Ashtonjewels]

Thanks everyone. I am so glad that you found the pictures and info to be useful.

Originally Posted by janakisses

This worked beautifully!!!! Thank you so much.

Now....you haven't been working with any Kronos by chance?!?!?

I'm glad to hear that it worked for you! I haven't had the oppurtunity to work with Kronos yet. I have some on the way and I can't wait until it gets here. I have only been lucky enough to get my hands on one 1/4 lb of OR and dying to get more. I think the stuff is an absolute blast. It's so unpredictable.

Yee - Keep playing. You will get it, but beware, once you do it's addictive. I nearly drove myself nuts trying. I named the black set "Delirium" because I had been at the torch for so many hours that week, that I had about lost my mind. LOL!

Amy - I love all of your beads! I can't wait to see yours!

Angela - I didn't encase them. I actually used the OR as my encasing glass. If you want to encase the OR, be sure that you use moretti or Lauscha. Preferebly the latter, because Moretti tends to scum very easily. Both are compatible with OR, but 96 is not. However, you can use small amounts of 96 frit. I tried iris gold over red, encased with OR and it was popping under the surface with all kinds of wierd celestial looking designs.

[Angela Schoonen]

I just got my glass today and will try using it tonight.
So, do you find it easier to use in stringer form, or do you just lay it onto a base color?
I want to play with it, but I don't want to waste it, either!

[yeepers]

Stringer definitely works better for me but then I'm no OR expert

[nagibeads]

Hi Lydia!
Your beads are GORGEOUS! I was so inspired by them!!!
I tried your method last night and it really worked well for me! Thank you so much!

[Leanne]

oooh thanks for the tips I just got 1/2 pound of each today I am going to the toilet and then off to the torch for a good 4 hours (you gotta pee before you go otherwise theres nothing wose than being bursting to pee right in the middle of a big bead!)

[sleekbeads]

OR on cobolt


OR on cobolt


OR on Dark Ivory



just thought I'd share.... Lydia, your beads are beautiful!

[Emily]

Originally Posted by Fireflyartglass

I just got 1/2 pound of each today

What happened to the 1/4 pound limitation? The web site still says 1/4 lb limit on each color. I didn't try to order more -- guess that whole brought up to follow the rules thing is screwing me over again, huh?

I waited until the official opening time, too -- was that another rule the smart kids don't follow?

[Leanne]

I am in Australia. THe overseas limit is 1/2 a pound of each because our postage is so high. We have a waiting list.