Newbie question about coe 104 colors

Maqea · #1 2011-03-26, 8:38am

Hi!

I have just got my own Hothead. Yay!!! I started out making beads from the mixed packs of rods I bought to play with at the beginning and now I'm closing up to a purchase of first batch of rods. My question is:

What are your favorite colors?
I mean those colors that is a "must have" in every lampworkers glass supply. Name 5-10 of your those colors you absolutely cant live without. Please don't say green and amber. Say Pastel Pea Green and Transparent Pale Amber by Moretti and, if you like, I'd love to hear why you love those colors too. Clear, white and black/intense black not counted. They are kind of default.

Please help me find the colors to order in the COE 104 jungle.

Thank you. =)

lorisue · #2 2011-03-26, 9:09am

as another "newbie" - I'm trying to find my own way for colors. I love learning new techniques and looking at all those on LE that share their latest creations is just awesome. I suggest you go to the glass websites and look at all the the glass colors and choose what you like. My all time favorite though is Green Petroleum. It's an awesome reactive glass.

Eileen · #3 2011-03-26, 9:42am

I'm a newbie too, & I checked out sales forum to find a good sale, and my first order was almost inexpensive and then on sale too stuff. I figure I'll mess up a good bit of it, so at least the PPP will be as cheap as possible. Of course, there were also a few colors that I just drooled over as I ordered to use "someday", but I think they were on sale too.

Once I use them & learn, I hope my next order will be more informed.

scoutycat · #4 2011-03-26, 9:50am

Ivory (light & dark) is a staple color for most people as well, but really the best thing to do is start with Moretti/effetre and get a sample pack. This is a great introduction, and you'll get a feel for what you use more of and be able to reorder as you use things up. If you don't want to start that way, then another option is to pick colors you like from the pastel, transparent and specials lines of Effetre. Generally, the cheaper the glass is the less trouble it is going to be, so try and stick mostly with the stuff that's around 10-15$/lb. The specials (hot colors) might be a little more than that. I suggest you stick with effetre to start, because it is pretty good with compatibility and it's relatively inexpensive.

Robin Passovoy · #5 2011-03-26, 10:41am

Ink Blue Violet by Effetre--one of the best transparent purples
Fossil Dark by Effetre--a wonderfully ripply ivory/brown
Sapphire by CiM--a unique medium-dark blue
Gelly's Sty by CiM--a sturdy and beautiful pink
Petroleum Green by Effetre--a fine dark green, very reactive
Intense Black by Effetre--produces wonderful veining effects with reactive colors
Cobalt Blue by Effetre--magnificent dark blue, both the opaque and transparent
Black Nebula by GT--one of the easiest silver glasses to work with
Sangre by CiM--an intense opaque red
Clockwork by CiM--a ferociously bright translucent orange

Also of note are the shards produced by Avenue Beads; there are a lot of amazing colors that are Hot Head-friendly, and Devardi Glass has a couple of metallics that are Hot Head-specific.
Anything at all by CiM is great fun.

Enjoy!

alb6094 · #6 2011-03-26, 11:50am

I love Moretti Intense Blue Transparent, Moretti Grass Green, CIM Stoneground, CIM Evil Queen, CIM Sangre. Those are my absolute must-haves.

KarenBeth · #7 2011-03-26, 11:58am

Moretti Ink Blue
Moretti transparent aquas and teals
Moretti Rubino (work high up in the flame on the hot head and keep cool until striking)
Moretti pastel turquiose
Moretti pastel sky or lt blue
CiM gelly's sty (warm on a hot plate or in the kiln before using, very shocky but a beautiful pink)
Ivory, black, intense black and clear are staples
Cim Maple transparent, yum
lauscha cocoa (if its still around, havent bought it in awhile)
Moretti periwinkle
Moretti pea green
Cim French Blue

Hell, i love em all... hard to pick favorites

misspiggy · #8 2011-03-26, 12:34pm

I am kinda newbie too but I started a little stash of rods...
What I would like to recommend is for you to just try them all.. If you have a local store where you can get each rod, buy each of everything. If you are buying on line, there is a great place.

Howaco.com
She sells each rod! you can get one of each everything, effetre,CIM,DH!!!!! Price is great,service is great and shipping is good. And if you like certain ones more than others, start buying 1/4 pound or more..

Anyhow,these are some of my favorites;

Coral
Yellow(light,medium and acid)-I love yellow so I am kinda biased...
Pea Green pastel
CIM Cranberry
ivory
CIM cryptonite
light pink pastel
grass green transparent
Aqua transparent
turquoise pastel

Have fun...
-Christy

Maqea · #9 2011-03-26, 12:58pm

Thank you! =)

This is exactly what I needed to know. I learned a lot and it will be easier to make my list of colors to buy.

Unfortunately there are no one around where I live who have glassrods or any equipment at all for this awesome hobby (closest is 300 kilometers away and as far as I know less than a handful of descent sellers in my country). I have to buy everything from the web and that makes colors a bit hard to figure out.

I bough two kilos of mixed rods where I bought the Hothead but it is still good to know what other lampworkers think is absolute must-haves.

@misspiggy I will take a look at Howaco.com and see what she got. Thanx for the advice.

Thanx again

scoutycat · #10 2011-03-26, 1:22pm

my 10 absolute must haves (not counting white/peace, black/hades, clear, and ivory) would be -
CIM Glacier, CIM StoneGround, Eff. Trans Uranium, Eff. Purple Red, Vetro Wasabi/Yellow Ocher, Eff. EDP, CIM dirty martini, Lauscha Cocoa, CIM Leaky Pen, Eff. Coral.

truegem · #11 2011-03-26, 11:19pm

I use a lot of dark turquois (opaque) and tons of transparent light teal.
Also, Ivory, of course.
Copper green, is a must have, (string it over frit!)
I love light topaz too!

Tell us, please, why you like pea green and pale amber... =)

Maqea · #12 2011-03-27, 12:29am

Quote:

Originally Posted by truegem

Tell us, please, why you like pea green and pale amber... =)

Hehe. Good question. I like those colors cause I like true amber and I am a "gardengirl" and love flowers. Peagreen makes me happy and I use as a base for leafs with some grass green in it. =)

But I just realized when you asked this there is no pale amber. I got that wrong. Its just amber. The pale one was the topaz. *blush*

MrsD · #13 2011-03-27, 4:36am

Apart from both ivories, colours that I love, in no particular order are

CIM Gelly Sty
CIM Maple
Effetre Opal Yellow
Effetre Ink Blue
CIM Butter Pecan
CIM Cranberry Pink
Effetre Red Purple
CIM Stoneground
Effetre Periwinkle

And just about any of the Vetrofond odd lots.

misspiggy · #14 2011-03-27, 7:44am

I love Pea Green too. I love all the greens but Pea Green is so obnoxiously bright and happy!
I must say pea green does have issues but the CIM Elphaba just doesn't have the brightness that pea green has..

Maqea · #15 2011-04-05, 11:56am

I have got the time to search through all these colors you told about now. I can say I would not have considered CIM StoneGround until it was told about it here. I have to say thank you again for the help. It helped me a lot and broadened my horizons a bit too. =)

JEK3 · #16 2011-04-05, 4:27pm

Pea green pastel is the one on the right here:

(The other is petroleum green pastel)

Apparently, you can get some reaction as you can see by the line down the center.

jaci · #17 2011-04-05, 4:49pm

this question depends on your likes. I LOVE purples... I MUST have them! You may like blues... get colors you like, and buy a few assorted other staples, a red, blue, green, yellow, brown, black..etc You only need a lot of the colors you LOVE

Its a personal thing

I am quite fond of dk sky blue, pea green, and rubino other than back white clear, and purples personally.

Jaterwunky · #18 2011-04-05, 5:10pm

All of em!!!!! He he he

Lisi · #19 2011-04-05, 10:52pm

Being that you are brand new to this, I would start off with one brand of 104 before you play with any of the others. I recommend getting a good sized sampler of Moretti (Effetre) and go from there. Colors have different behaviors in the flame - some melt faster than others, and some are stiffer. It's best to learn the working properties of each group of glass, which you will get in a good sampler. The pastels, the transparents, the special colors, the opalinos, and the alabastros. They all work a little different. Once you learn the Moretti palette, you will be able to introduce yourself to other brands to compare and learn their working properties.

I'm from the old school, and if you were my student, this is what I would teach you. Start slow and don't rush with buying all COEs and all brands of glass out there. Start with just one brand. You will become a very knowledgable beadmaker in a shorter amount of time than you may think.

essiemessy · #20 2011-04-06, 10:44pm

This is a hard one. I started with Moretti, and still use it almost exclusively. Mostly cos I'm still a newbie, too. I have some Reichenbach, but I find that, while the colours are gorgeous, they're to stiff for my levels of patience

Having said that, kiln-striking the Multicolour seems to work for me. At least while I have to send beads away for batch-annealing.

My Moretti must-haves are:
(I know you said no clear, but I specify 006 Clear, rather than 005)
Dark Ivory
Copper Green
Grass Green (Fave!!!!)
Dark/Light Emerald Green
Striking Yellow, Orange, and Red
Dark Red
Purple Red
Coral
All the Turquoises
Both Sky Blues
Cobalt
Periwinkle
Tongue Pink
Powder Pink
Pink
Rose Quartz
Rubino Oro
Light Violet
Bright Violet
Violet
Oh, crap. I can't stop..

Kevan · #21 2011-04-06, 10:50pm

I think the colors that are my favorites now aren't all the same ones back when I started 7 years ago. I did buy lots of colors that I didn't use much of. I do remember that. I think I still have some of them.

Don't waste money on expensive glass until you can work the cheaper glass well. It will frustrate you and eat up money you could have used for other stuff. Buy some samplers so you can find out what you like yourself. Some people say they have to have certain colors that I never use and I would probably name colors they have no interest it. It's all very individual preference and samplers will give you a bunch of colors to try.

Maqea · #22 2011-04-07, 12:05am

When I got my Hothead I also bought a samlepack from Effertre. It is kind of the next step I'm aiming for now.

I'm a girl who likes to do a bit of research before I buy anything since money is something I do not have much of. Maybe thats good cause it gives me a bit of time and consideration before I run off to set any of my million ideas into reality =). Anyway, Your opinions about colors do help me get things sorted out. I cant buy rods and have them collect dust, even though they dont go bad over time, as said in another thread. I have to at least have a small knowledge about combinations and reactions and melting and ... well everything. lol

And that different people prefer different colors is naturally and that they change over time too. I am not fond of purples but they can be good accents to give depth to other colors so its good to know your favorites even though they are or maybe will not (since im a newbie) be mine.

Thank you for your answers. =)

essiemessy · #23 2011-04-07, 12:47pm

It could help to check out the newbie threads, to see how we go with some of the different colours.
I often say what colours I've used - if nothing else, it could remind me of what colours did what, should I look back on them down the track - even how far I might have come over time, and what might be achieved with more experience with certain reactions etc.
Better still, post your own beads

emoon · #24 2011-04-07, 6:38pm

I didn't see anyone mention Straw Yellow Trans, but I love it!