Hello there lovely lamp workers
I was recently playing around in my workshop with double helix Ekho and have made a few buttons with a rod and could seem to get it to go the colour it should I tried it on its own and on other colour such as white and mint green.
The ekho on it owns striked but them lost its colour i tried heating it up again then striking again but nothing just stayed the amber colour.(http://www.flickr.com/photos/uniqueglasskat/8586642820/in/photostream/lightbox/)
The ekho and mint green worked well took some time to stike but happy with the results. (http://www.flickr.com/photos/uniqueglasskat/8586642510/in/photostream/lightbox/)
The ekho and white didnt work at all I left it to cool and striked but nothing. (http://www.flickr.com/photos/uniqueglasskat/8586642510/in/photostream/lightbox/)
What am I doing wrong please help.
Thanks
Kat
You need to reduce it as well as strike it :)
I think Im doing that....
This is what i do I make a bead get it hot n gloopy take it out of the flame cool it while turning let it cool until the glow has gone turn my oxygen to almost closed so my flame has the bigish candles in the middle wave it in and out a bout 6 times or until i get lustre then I turn the flame back to a normal working flame and wave it right in the top of the flame.
Am I missing something out?
Please help :)
Thanks
Kat
Are you on a hothead or duel fuel?
It could be that you are OVER reducing it... try less reduction.
Are you encasing it after the steps you have listed? If so, make sure you aren't getting the bead too hot after encasing or you can burn the reduction haze off...
Hi
Im on a dual fuel im not encasing it.
So a little more oxygen so candles are smaller.
If you don't want to encase it but to keep the shine, don't put it back in the tip of the flame once you have stopped the reducing process, you are just taking the shine off again. If you can encase it with clear or pale lilac glass without letting it touch the flame itself you will get a nice opalescent bloom inside the bead once you melt the encasing layer in. Lilac is easier to encase with an adds to the purple-ness.
If you use ekho over white you will get a pinky colour but probably green will just neutralise the purple of the ekho and you will get grey or brown.