why does my white and pink go all rough? I have to get it hot enough to shape.. but I don't think I'm burning it. Also, is there a better white than effetre, as it is coming out very translucent?
the vetro white is slightly more dense, the lauscha white is also very solid...
rough glass is the sign of some kind of reaction at the surface - if you can see bubbles when working then there may be dirt or scratches onyour rods that would cause bubbles and spots at even quite low tempratures... i also work white much further "out" in the flame - further away from the burner - that means it is cooler and "gentler" somehow.. wipe the ords with something alcohol based - not G&T thats for you!!!
;) ;D
I got some isopropyl alcohol wipes from eBay - the medical ones they use when you have an injection etc.
They are very cheap and work fantastically for wiping rods before you use them.
Quote from: *rowanberry* on July 13, 2007, 02:57:28 PM
I got some isopropyl alcohol wipes from eBay - the medical ones they use when you have an injection etc.
They are very cheap and work fantastically for wiping rods before you use them.
Thats a great tip Claire - I'm always worried that I'm going to knock my bottle over when working at the flame these sound like a Fab Idea!!! Must get some!!
Wipe them well away from the flame - perhaps before you light it or in a different room - and allow to dry properly.
White spirit is aso goo and what you 've probably got in your shed!
I've always used Methylated spirit to wipe my rods afore I start work and steal my wifes old T towels to do this.
And of course do this well away from the flame and keep the dampened meths cloth out of spark and flame distance. Meths burns invisible and the first thing you notice is the heat ....not fire.... and cant see why... 8)
On the white glass burning and scummy effect, I find white melts faster than anything I use and this tells me the absorbtion rate being so fast can make the surface boil and erupt if heated in the intense flame zone. The white glass is coloured with tin Oxide which has a high conductor value....
Take time 8)
Ray! How come the tea towels belong to your wife?!
:D
Quote from: BumpyBeadAddict on July 13, 2007, 08:54:23 PM
Ray! How come the tea towels belong to your wife?!
:D
I'm too artistic to own a Tea Towel. And all that chauvanistic bull about a womans place is true as well.... and apparently it was fake week in the BB House..... that I don't watch..
BTW - you can use whiskey on your T towel to clean the rods.... Can you clean mine at the same time.. hicup
I feel like a right twit now!!
What you guys have said is so obvious but it never even crossed my mind. I've been merrily cleaning my rods sitting behind my torch cleaning and drying off as I go.
Thinking about it its a mirale I havn't done myself some damage!!!!
Ekk!
Sounds like it may be devitrfying?
Is this after it comes out of the kiln? I had some pink Lauschsa which was very pretty but awful to anneal. It would always come out of the kiln with a very rough, almost porous finish,. If this is happening to you and you're using Lauscha, you may have the anneal temperature wrong. I didn't persevere with my Lauscha pink so I never did work out the correct anneal temp.
Thanks for your replies- no, it's not lauscha, just effetre. I will try and be more gentle!
The other thing is that if you are cooling in vermiculite or a blanket you might need to wait until they are a bit cooler before you put them away. I found that a lot of my white beads were coming out bumpy and it was because they were too soft to keep their smooth surface,