When I make beads, I am getting lots of little tiny pock mark holes on them. It doesn't happen with them all but it's happening more frequently.
I am using effetre glass at the moment and put them in cooling bubbles then batch annealing them.
Can anyone shed some light on what it may be?
I thought it may be due to my propane as it was running low but I have just got a refill today and it has happened again ???
Danielle x
Are you putting them into the cooling bubbles too hot? I sometimes get little dimples on my beads if I don't wait for the glow to go completely...
Some colours will do this more readily than others - for example - Effetre dark turquoise, Effetre Aqua, CIM Pulsar, CIM Leaky pen, etc. If you see tiny little "sparkles" when the surface of the glass is heated, then these will result in little pock marks. it's almost as if the surface of the glass is boiling.
What colours is this happening to?
To slow this process down you need to melt the glass using a slightly reducing flame - i.e. more propane (slightly bushy). if you bathe the bead in a reducing flame before you put the bead away you should be able to minimise this problem.
Basically - less oxygen will help combined with a softer, less agressive flame.
Hope this helps.
I tend to cool it down in the end of the flame then put it in the bubbles.
It is happening to transparent light pink, terranova, copper pink and purple mainly.
Danielle x
Sounds like you're going into the beads too hot - there needs to be no glow at all when you pop them in there.
It never occurred to me it could be that. Thanks for your advice, I will let them cool more and see how I get on with it.
Thank you xx