Another copper question...

Julabula · #1 2005-07-08, 7:59am

...OK, I must be completely stupid. I TRIED using my copper foil. I researched the forums and pulled all the info I could from here and the other board. On using the copper foil, what I did was: made a base bead of dark ivory, then placed the copper foil onto the bead (using an oxidizing flame, then tried a neutral, then tried a reduction, all same results!), making certain there was only one layer. Then I cooked it into my bead like the instructions said, touched it to my brass stump shaper.... I didn't encase it, I didn't use enamels, I want to learn just how to use the plain foil. It's all black, can't get a good color.....

Please educate me on what the *&$^$^ I am doing wrong? I thought when you baked the foil it was supposed to give you the color reaction. I'm probably just really stupid, but I don't understand what I'm supposed to be doing...any help would be great.

-- Julie, the lampworking impaired!

Dragonfire · #2 2005-07-08, 8:14am

I'm with ya sister. My copper foil is deep in the drawer....I tried and tried and then dropped it. I'd love a great revelation also.

Michele

Julabula · #3 2005-07-08, 8:27am

LOL Michelle! I'm impaired completely! These nice blues, greens and purples I keep hearing about just do NOT happen for me! I'll play with it a bit more this weekend, this is the first I've pulled out my copper foil in a LOOONG time (like 6 mos.). AAIIGGHH!!! Gonna try the enamel route, too...

DawnT · #4 2005-07-08, 1:12pm

I'm no expert on copper but maybe it's the ivory base? Try a white base and I think you'll get better results. I tried this and thought it didn't work until it came out of the kiln cool and I had the pretty blue except for the place where the copper overlapped but I think you mentioned you were careful with that part.

rightbrainbeads · #5 2005-07-09, 10:57am

Julie, you've got to cook it more-- hotter, hotter, hotter!!!

Actually, copper on ivory is not my fav... it'll turn green, but I like it much better on opal yellow.... or, OR try it on Moretti opaque lavender (the hand pulled color).

Here it is on opal yellow... and there are some spots that are still black, and this is after freakin' heating it 'til it's ready to drop off the mandrel.

You can also make your flame pin pointy and spot heat the crap out of it if you are trying to maintain the shape of your bead... this is what I do on hollows...

lynne

CorriDawn · #6 2005-07-09, 11:13am

I agree. Heat it then heat it more and a bit more. you have to heat way more than you think you have to. And it does look great on opal yellow

SassyCassie · #7 2005-07-09, 12:51pm

Is it white enamel you put on it to get the aquas and blues? I did it in my class long ago...but could never remember what the enamel was.

CorriDawn · #8 2005-07-09, 1:03pm

yes, using white enamel does make it easier

rightbrainbeads · #9 2005-07-09, 3:59pm

and pale beige enamel is nice too...

Julabula · #10 2005-07-11, 11:25am

Hey, all! Thanks for all the great advice. I will try this next I'm on the torch, hopefully tonight or tomorrow...I thought I WAS cooking the poopy out of it already, but I'll cook it even more, lol!! I'll also switch my base color. ANd, sorry, it is copper leaf and not foil I am using, I double-checked, sorry I misspoke!! OK, if I can EVER get this stuff to work, I am going to swallow my fear and post it in the gallery, I'll be so proud!!!!!!

Julabula · #11 2005-07-15, 1:13pm

Just wanted to re-post and tell everyone I finally got to mess with my copper leaf again, ditched the ivory, used a white base, and got GORGEOUS hues of blue almost immediately!!!

Which, it appears, would have taken me a really long time to figure out on my own, so thanks everyone for their advice. Like my wonderful Daddy says, "Ain't no cure for dumbass!"

and that's me on the copper!! Hee hee! Thanks again, everyone!!!

ltsexpressions · #12 2005-07-16, 10:55pm

OMG! After reading this thread I actually got copper LEAF to WORK!!!!!

Sue, yes there really is a Santa Claus.... The copper leaf *previously known as CRAP* does work.....

you just gotta cook the CRAP out of it!!! like this thread says!!!

I did one with purple opaque base, copper leaf, then white opaque frit... WAY kewl dots of white (with bled through purple on the edges) and GREEN lines from the copper in between!!! Encased this baby and went to making more!

One with clear, copper leaf, then encased with clear and it's the color of my fav frit of almost all time, copper blue from Val! w/o the copper blue frit.... or fritlines... ya know, those fritlines are sometimes like tanlines, they are kewl, but sometimes you don't want them!

Cremate the CRAP out of the copper leaf and it's 'da bomb!!!

Stacy

Shawn T · #13 2005-07-18, 12:18pm

here are some tips I had in my tutorial file on copper leaf. I have not used it in a while, But thought it may help some of you so I have copied and pasted them in this thread for you.

Copper and Coppered Stringer from Copper foil:
the coppered stringer reacts with any of the Ivory glass, the coral glasses and any other that contains sulfer. The green color will change depending on how you use the stringer. It goes through the green to blues, reds, oranges, purples ect. totally dependant on how the glass is heated. in all of the colors however there will always be a black line around them when put on sulfer glass. the coppered stringer sometimes changes colors in one area more than another so one can get bands of the color change as well. the green is the coolest worked color- more heat and it goes to blues, more heat and it goes to purple tones, after that is red, if it starts going too orange you are risking losing the color effect completely. There is also ALOT of copper in the copper stringer. much more than there ussually is in the average glass. consider all the results one can get from the different copper glasses ( the copper green, copper blue and copper red) the color difference on most of those is due to the different heat they have been subjected to. I also assume that the more one heats the copper stringer the more of the copper comes to the surface. Definately the best reds are from HUGE amounts of copper at intense heats.

The leaf copper one can burnish on to a bead or vessel- flash it a bit and immediately encase- this will cause a whole galaxy of ultra tiny bubbles in a fine layer that actually stays put just in the spots where the copper was- I often see other use the copper foil between paper to punch out a design to do that with and the bubbles make the picture- fast and intense looking. works well with the sun, moon,flower and star punches in the scrap booking area as well as the wild patterned sissors that are available ( scallops ect) if the copper is mixed in rather than flashed it has color reactions. very versitile stuff. Aluminum leaf also has intense results but it tends to go to the surface sometimes as a metalic and the copper never does.