Hey Boro, now where's the color?

Steffi · #1 2011-06-13, 11:46am

I tried my hands on a boro heart made from sno white and a rod i think it's double amber purple. It has also some clear dots. I worked it hot, let it cool and then struck it several times (5 or 6) with some cooling in between. And all i got was amber with some light purple hues. What am i doing wrong?

Here's my angry heart

gmkcpa · #2 2011-06-13, 11:50am

Maybe you are not doing anything wrong! Try making another one exactly the same way you made the first one. I would be amazed if it comes out exactly the same.

BellaBean · #3 2011-06-13, 12:02pm

Maybe your kiln is too cool. I usually have mine around 1150 to strike most boro glass. Usually 30 minutes or so in there will do it.

I usually garage around 1050. Then when I'm done, I ramp up to 1150... hold for 30 minutes... then start the annealing program.

Cosmo · #4 2011-06-13, 12:38pm

Try just plain color by itself. Don't throw too many variables into it. Make sure you can strike the color alone first.

Onekura · #5 2011-06-13, 1:03pm

I actually love your heart. Try changing you flame-chemistry for striking - works for me . .

Steffi · #6 2011-06-13, 4:03pm

Thanks a lot for your advices and tricks

I bought a boro sample pack some years ago and then i traded some coe 96 glass for some rods and a lot of different frits. Now i have to use it

I'm fairly new to this glass and don't have any clue what to do to get the great purples and pinks...and the sparkle colors turned dark and ugly (encased).

I didn't anneal the heart yet. My kiln is set to a soft glass ramp and i don't know if i can program a second one. It goes up to 480 degrees, that's ca 896 fahrenheit. Is this too cold for boro colors? It holds the temp for one hour, then goes to 842 in one hour, holds again one hour and then cools down on its own.

Well, i'll ask many questions in the next time, i promise!

kramdas · #7 2011-06-13, 7:30pm

Steffi, I've also dusted off my sample pack and am gathering information on boro. I've read you can garage boro around 1065 degrees, kiln strike it at 1150 degrees, anneal/soak at 950 degrees, then ramp back down...

Hope that helps!

Juln · #8 2011-06-13, 10:38pm

Ah, there you go - 900 isn't hot enough to do anything to boro. Boro glass like this strikes at 1050 up. I'd suggest about what BellaBean suggested - garage it around 1050, then bring it up to somewhere between 1075 and 1200 (565 to 650 c) to kiln strike. I used to do 1100 for like half an hour, I think, for striking. The higher the temperature you go to, soak for less time.

Matze · #9 2011-06-14, 12:10am

Hi Steffi, hi everyone,

as this is my very first post here after some years of reading, I first want to introduce myself

I'm Martina from southern Germany, lampworking since 2006, addicted to boro (but still doing soft glass things too) since 2009 or so. I'm also in the german forum Perlentreff with the same nick, and (hopefully) well know there, although I didn't post so much in the last 1 or 2 years.

Now to your question. Boro silverglass (which is DAP) is to be treated pretty much like soft glass silver glass. It needs either a thick cover or a little reduction to get the beautiful colours. As I have a setup with a cricket torch and one 5 LPM oxycon, I automatically have low oxy and work a little on the reducing side. This works well with colours like DAP. You can even only flamestrike it (I don't have a kiln).
What is your setup? Do you have more oxy than me?

You can PM me here or at Perlentreff, so that I can answer you in German, that makes things easier

Martina

AcidFly · #10 2011-06-14, 9:38am

hi, I would say your not putting a thick enough coat of color over the white. Like Cosmo said try it just colors or thicken up the color over the white. your looking for plus or minus 3 to 4 mm color at least in my opinion. Same thing happens when working with tube and it gets blown out to much. You can see were the color was thicker and it tried to strike. DAP should strike right at the torch pretty much without even trying and will strike at 1050 just fine. If you want it darker then just let it sit in the kiln during your next work session and it should come out beautiful

AcidFly

ginkgoglass · #11 2011-06-14, 10:13am

I think you've got good color development.
Put it in the kiln at 1100 to 1150 and it will strike.

TheNovice · #12 2011-06-14, 6:58pm

My one key on this keyboard doesnt work..... So...........

2.) use a little more amber purple, OR use double amber purple

3.) use more oxygen, you want the torch to hiss loudly because of the flame just bouncing across the surface of it

4.) let it cool till the "red glow" is gone, then more oxygen. rinse, repeat. that's basically re-striking it to purple more and more each time

enjoy

deb tarry · #13 2011-06-14, 9:38pm

Rinse and repeat like that terminology.

Onekura · #14 2011-06-14, 10:44pm

I would like to see your heart after kiln-striking - that should make a difference . . .
Striking with the flame alone might not give you all the colors you are after, but I agree with "TheNovice" - - rinse and repeat is what I do until it looks right. For me the color changes from a yellow to amber to purple. Personally I don't like the purple too much, but the amber/pinkish-red is what I am after. Do it a lot and you will get the hang of it.

Bunyip · #15 2011-06-15, 10:44am

I rarely flame strike, I just cook my pieces and put them in the kiln to soak up all that goodness...although I really like the idea of selectively flame DE-STRIKING. Gonna have to try that =)

Steffi · #16 2011-06-15, 3:16pm

Thanks for all your tips

I'll try them the next days! And i try to reprogram my kiln.

Steffi · #17 2011-07-27, 1:34pm

*Diggin' up my old thread*

I put the boro away for a while. Now i have a 12l/min oxycon and made one bead. Surprise: the sparkle color shows some sparkle

I think i had way too less oxygen. I'll show pix the next days

Steffi · #18 2011-08-03, 8:51am

Lookie lookie

Me got color

left one is one of the sparklers and a silver glass over mint, right is one of the amber purples. Both with clear.

deb tarry · #19 2011-08-03, 9:37am

Nice!

gmkcpa · #20 2011-08-03, 4:47pm

I seem to recall that in Brent's video tut on making boro hearts he says that you've got to heat the sh-- out of the amber purple (like, get it white hot and keep it white hot for a while) if you want the amazing colors. And, the few that I've made that way, heating the sh-- out of them longer and hotter than I ever did before, came out with amazing colors. Try amber purple and silver beach over star white, mix it up and keep it white hot for a few minutes.