The Great Color Changing Act

Wonker · #1 2005-12-21, 3:50am

I know that you guys have had this happen all of the time, and maybe it's just one of those facts of life. I've been making some beads with some opalino colors and they look pretty good when I finish making them, I pop them into the ole kiln and they come out.... ummmm.... pink. Now I don't have anything against pink, but it wasn't how they started off. I'm assuming that they are more or less restriking in the kiln.....can I re-kiln them and get them back to where they started? (I bet folks are chuckling as they read this...probably a stupid question...but...)

Wonker

alexm · #2 2005-12-21, 9:54am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wonker

I know that you guys have had this happen all of the time, and maybe it's just one of those facts of life. I've been making some beads with some opalino colors and they look pretty good when I finish making them, I pop them into the ole kiln and they come out.... ummmm.... pink. Now I don't have anything against pink, but it wasn't how they started off. I'm assuming that they are more or less restriking in the kiln.....can I re-kiln them and get them back to where they started? (I bet folks are chuckling as they read this...probably a stupid question...but...)

Wonker

What color opalino are you using?

Wonker · #3 2005-12-21, 2:03pm

it's opal yellow, and it looks fine until I anneal it...then it turns a kind of ....bubble gum pink

alexm · #4 2005-12-21, 8:04pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wonker

it's opal yellow, and it looks fine until I anneal it...then it turns a kind of ....bubble gum pink

Opal Yellow will do that. A lot of people complain that they can't achieve that look. By the way, it's a regular pastel, it's not an opalino. I often get a pink blush on my opal yellow beads and have to actually strike it if I want them to be all pink.

glasser · #5 2005-12-22, 1:20am

I am glad you posted this. My problem is with the Moretti light topaz transparent. Trying to make some cat skin beads. The topaz encased beads turned the prettiest shade of clear red! Being new, I am not sure if it wasn't something I did. ie. took too long making the bead, put in vermic instead of in the kiln right away. Held my mouth in the wrong position????? (batch annealled) it was red before I annealed it. Any ideas? BTW, someone told me red is a difficult color to achieve, I know how!!!

Pam

Kevan · #6 2005-12-22, 1:53am

Quote:

Originally Posted by glasser

I am glad you posted this. My problem is with the Moretti light topaz transparent. Trying to make some cat skin beads. The topaz encased beads turned the prettiest shade of clear red! Being new, I am not sure if it wasn't something I did. ie. took too long making the bead, put in vermic instead of in the kiln right away. Held my mouth in the wrong position????? (batch annealled) it was red before I annealed it. Any ideas? BTW, someone told me red is a difficult color to achieve, I know how!!!

Pam

Could be that the light topaz you got really is red and not topaz at all. They look the same in the rod, but after you use the red it is RED. I know this because I ruined some nice looking beads this same way.

glasser · #7 2005-12-22, 6:55pm

Hmmm. well I ordered the light topaz, and the rod looks topaz. I do believe it was Effetre' Transparent Lt Topaz. Can anyone suggest a true lt topaz?

Really want to try to make some animal skin beads. I didn't have any lt topaz rod, so tried using Spectrum sheet glass for the base, the black and the lt amber. They crackled. Some broke right in two. Thought the new rods would take care of the problem, instead I get red beads. Not really bad looking, but not realistic either. Pam

chrissij · #8 2005-12-22, 7:14pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by glasser

Hmmm. well I ordered the light topaz, and the rod looks topaz. I do believe it was Effetre' Transparent Lt Topaz. Can anyone suggest a true lt topaz?

Really want to try to make some animal skin beads. I didn't have any lt topaz rod, so tried using Spectrum sheet glass for the base, the black and the lt amber. They crackled. Some broke right in two. Thought the new rods would take care of the problem, instead I get red beads. Not really bad looking, but not realistic either. Pam

I'm thinking you need to order it again...I think someone made a boo boo and you were sent the transparent striking red. Which looks AWESOME with copper green swirlies on top, and then slightly reduced.

Chris

RyanTheNumberImp · #9 2005-12-22, 7:46pm

I just took a look at my stash of glass and transparent red is identical to 012 light amber. I suggest you try striking the ends of the rods (just heat them up a bit) and see if it changes. If just striking will turn it red it is trans red for sure.

xtweeksx · #10 2005-12-22, 7:48pm

Im having problems with Amber Green frit.......... it goes in the kiln a beautiful blue (over colbalt blue and silver foil) amd comes out sort of amber ish/brown......not as nice as going in the kiln!

Jenny

RyanTheNumberImp · #11 2005-12-22, 7:55pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by xtweeksx

Im having problems with Amber Green frit.......... it goes in the kiln a beautiful blue (over colbalt blue and silver foil) amd comes out sort of amber ish/brown......not as nice as going in the kiln!

Jenny

I would suggest encasing the frit before putting it in the kiln but I haven't used much frit so I don't really know.

Doolollies · #12 2005-12-22, 8:10pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by glasser

Hmmm. well I ordered the light topaz, and the rod looks topaz. I do believe it was Effetre' Transparent Lt Topaz. Can anyone suggest a true lt topaz?

Really want to try to make some animal skin beads. I didn't have any lt topaz rod, so tried using Spectrum sheet glass for the base, the black and the lt amber. They crackled. Some broke right in two. Thought the new rods would take care of the problem, instead I get red beads. Not really bad looking, but not realistic either. Pam

Are you layering and mixing Spectrum and Effetre'? If you "mix and layer or encase " Spectrum and Effetre then your beads will crack and break. They have different COE's and therefore can't be mixed and or encased with each other. I too got my striking red mixed up with amber and the results were not pretty. So I heat the ends so I can see which are red.
Linda

Kevan · #13 2005-12-22, 8:56pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doolollies

I too got my striking red mixed up with amber and the results were not pretty. So I heat the ends so I can see which are red.
Linda

I just had to do this with about 10 rods. I couldn't tell if they were the light amber or red or orange. It all looks the same.

MaureenKennedy · #14 2005-12-23, 7:04pm

Gee Glasser - you are getting reactions most of us would die to get! LOL

Usually the amber looking striking red - has a line running through the entire rod - so sometimes you can tell it's red that way - but the easiest which I have done is just to heat all the ends to strike to red. Sure saves a lot of grief that way.

Wasser - opalino colors do not strike, however they can lose color if you heat them too hot, and my carnelian opalino gets real dark if worked too hot when they come out of the kiln. The Opal yellow mention above is NOT an opalino color but a special mix of regulare effetre glass. Have you done any silver PMC in your kiln? Perhaps yellow opalino is picking up silver fumes to turn it pink?

alexm · #15 2005-12-23, 8:49pm

Copper green tends to reduce in the kiln. There are other colors that do this, namely the opaque turquoises and the sky blues. An easy solution to this is to soak them in Coke over night. Regular, not diet. Toss the coke afterward.

The Coke soak removes the film of reduction on the beads without harming them.

glasser · #16 2005-12-24, 8:42am

Linda, I did make that mistake with the mixing of Spectrum and Moretti. But soon realized the error of my ways. So I tried using all Spectrum, evidently even then there are differences in the COE. It is too cold for me to torch right now, but as soon as I can I will see if the ends of these rods strike. Maureen, I have not put anything in my kiln except glass. Had heard of the fuming thing and didn't want to go there. Maybe someday I will have a little kiln dedicated to PMC.

Ok, went to the shop and looked at the rods, no discernable red line. The tag says LT topaz 591012. The end of the rod I had used is definately red. Kevan, what is the brand of lt amber. I just don't know what to look for. Is it Moretti?

Alex, thank for telling me what the scum/discoloration on turq is. I will work higher in the flame. This is something I have to keep reminding me to do anyway. Pam

DawnT · #17 2005-12-24, 11:32am

T-012 is Light Topaz (or amber). I think what they are saying is that your supplier might have tagged them wrong and you were mistakenly given T-076 Trans Striking Red by accident.

On a side note - I'm not sure what technique you are using for your animal print beads but I usually use dark topaz 016 for my tiger beads because the medium 014 and light 012 don't show up as well on them.