I just bought some aventurine glass - the dark blue one and the coppery colored one. Both are EXTREMELY shocky. Like, with each, I shocked through about half a rod before putting it down and didn't get a bit on the mandril in the mean time.
Then I remembered, I had this problem before which is why I haven't bought this glass in quite some time. I guess when I bought a few more rods of it today, I was hoping that I had just had a bad batch experience or something. But, apparently not.
This stuff looks so pretty, so how can I use it?? When I had this problem before, I even tried annealing it, and that didn't help.
I am introducing it into the back part of the flame first, as slowly as I possibly can, and it is still just shocking away into little bits all over my workspace. I'm so frustrated. Should I just cut my losses and never buy this stuff again or is there a way to make it work?
Have you tried putting it into a cold kiln, heating to hold temperature and using it from there.
I've never bought it in the rod. I buy the chunks, encase with clear and then pull into stringers. You can also buy aventurine frit.
I tried heating it up in the kiln today. The copper coloured one worked well after that. The blue became a big shocky HOT nightmare that just about burned me pretty bad. I am trying annealing it and I guess I will try preheating it again after that and see how that goes. Still I'm not too impressed.
I was going to suggest pre-heating, that always works for me with anything dodgy like EDP, but shocky AND pre-heated sounds pretty scary!! :o
Have you asked/complained to the supplier?
Well I actually bought it from a place I don't normally go to that doesn't really specialize in lampwork - they have a little section in the corner - I don't really plan on going back there. Plus when I had problems with the same colour from a few years ago, which you'd think would be a different batch, so I was wondering if it was just a problem with aventurine in general.
That sounds really bad, even for adventurine! i have managed to use the blue succesfully a few times without it shocking, i guess it really must be a batch thing!
Quote from: lampworkbyamy on July 27, 2010, 09:03:48 AM
Well I actually bought it from a place I don't normally go to that doesn't really specialize in lampwork - they have a little section in the corner - I don't really plan on going back there. Plus when I had problems with the same colour from a few years ago, which you'd think would be a different batch, so I was wondering if it was just a problem with aventurine in general.
I have glass sitting around for years. Shocking, I know, but I hoard oddlots for example, until the craze has passed and no-one else has any left :D :D :D Perhaps, if they don't specialize in lampwork, it is still the original batch... I must admit, I've only ever used it in frit form.
If it is that shocky, it might be worth trying to anneal it. Just treat it like a batch anneal, it might reduce the stress in the glass. It won't work if it's bubbles making it shocky, but with aventurine I think it's more likely to be because of the clear layer.
Quote from: Mary on July 27, 2010, 11:45:41 AM
If it is that shocky, it might be worth trying to anneal it. Just treat it like a batch anneal, it might reduce the stress in the glass. It won't work if it's bubbles making it shocky, but with aventurine I think it's more likely to be because of the clear layer.
Yes that is what I am trying, thanks. I don't think it's bubbles. Very frustrating though because it's not cheap glass and it really is pretty.
Also I love your icon!!
Let us know how it goes. I have some rods from when I was new that I never used because I heard they were shocky. I always just pull stringers from my chunks. I wonder where I put those rods now? Lol!
Still having a terrible time with the blue, even after annealing it. Literally I have shocked through about 1/3 of the long rod I bought. Really fed up.
But, the copper coloured one, just with gentle heating and working it very slowly at first, I have had some lovely results with. This vessel is even more sparkly in person.
(http://www.twoglassyladies.ca/tgl/wp-content/gallery/vessels/p7270033.jpg)