Pandora - cracked it!

[Magpie]

Ooh, look, I've started a new topic in Show 'n' tell. I'll be headed back to the newbie area after this, it's much safer.

I got fed up with pandora, it promises so much but I couldn't get it to achieve. So, the appliance of science.....

Can I write this up like a science prac from school?

Aim: to get pandora to 'work'
Method: using a single rod, make beads and sit them for varying lengths of time in the kiln. Kiln preheated to 500°C, first bead made at 11.15, then make another bead at approx 30 min intervals. (getting bored yet? wait for the results). Skip to the next ramp hold etc at 5.45, heat to 520°C and hold for 30 mins then cool slowly.
Results: here they are!


From left to right they had 6.30 6.00 5.30 5.00 4.25 4.00 3.25 2.55 2.00 1.30 0.55 (hours.mins) at 500°C (followed by 15 mins heating to 520, and 30 mins at 520 before cooling)
Conclusion: Don't over cook them or they go to bird poo, but they only need about an hour. But these are only tiny beads and not combined with any other colour and not encased.

And a big BUT. I peeked. Just before the school run (which is why one didn't go in at 3.15), so about 3 hours 45 mins after the first one went in. It was that nasty brown colour. So thinking scientifically again that means the first 6 should all be nasty brown colour.....Or amybe the alignment of the planets does have some effect, or the wind coming from the north?    But I had fun!

[sparrow]

Fab work!!! Do you mind if I add a picture, in the spirit of science and to add to the confusion?



This rose is Pandora.....I can't remember exactly how long she was in the kiln, but I think somewhere between 3.5 and 4.5 hours. Two petals (and two petals only!) struck fully, on the others, only the tips struck. I have no idea what I did different, only guess is that the tool I use was colder at the beginning of the rose, so they shock-cooled like raku. But according to the site, that shouldn't have made a difference? Incidentally, earlier roses I made with pandora all look like the majority of petals, not the struck ones! 

[Magpie]

Results for Expt 2

Heating before kilning doesn't seem to have any effect on the colour production. But it does seem to break up the stripes into spots (I like those). So if you want the swirly stripe effect don't overheat at the lamp stage. Sorry forgot to say, left bead heated for 1min, next 1min30, next 2min, right 2min30.

Expt 3
Left bead marvered on metal marver, right on graphite.

Metal marver (possibly cooler) is darker blue and less defined swirls of colour, but not too much difference.

Expt 4
Left bead was the 'cold' one, middle=warm and right = hot.

The coldest one went the darkest blue and the one which went in hot has started to get overtones of yukky beige. But with the dark blue you start to lose the nice swirly effect that you're aiming for. So you need to get rid of some heat before putting it in the kiln but not too much.
By the by, I peeked again before everything finished and I swear that dark blue one that went in 'cold' was red at one point, same as the tips of Sabine's roses. Maybe the tips of the rose petals are getting cold faster......