Frit-Happens !

Lampwork => COE 104 => Topic started by: senge on June 09, 2011, 02:33:29 PM

Title: encasing reduction frit using a hot head torch
Post by: senge on June 09, 2011, 02:33:29 PM
Help needed please ,I have been playing with my reduction frit , I can get it to turn metallic but tend to lose the effect when I encase or I get a nice effect on a small part of the bead , I have searched the internet and found some good instructions for raku frit , then found out that raku frit is not reduction frit.Can someone point me in the write direction for getting the best out of reichenbach reducing frits and which one is best to use on the hot head torch, as I am going to wincanton bead fair on sunday and if I am lucky they will have some .Also what is the difference between reduction frit and raku frit
thanks
lizzy
Title: Re: encasing reduction frit using a hot head torch
Post by: MadelineBunyan on June 09, 2011, 02:52:42 PM
you can reduce raku, but it doesn't tend to go a nice colour!

technically its a striking colour, rather than a reducing, this means it changes colour using a change in temperature rather than a change in flame chemistry (by upping propane/reducing oxygen)


I don't work on a hothead, so I cant really advise so well on your other questions.

I seem to remember iris green being quite yummy. or perhaps that was because at the time I hadn't met a double helix glass!
I also don't remember getting good results out of encasing them, but that's possibly because my encasing was pants back then!
I liked the effects I got on the surface, didn't want to spoil them with my rubbish encasing!

perhaps I will get these out again and have a play.
Title: Re: encasing reduction frit using a hot head torch
Post by: ScarletLeonard on June 09, 2011, 04:15:53 PM
I am on a hot head but not up on reduction frits.

But when you are reducing you will want a foil collar around the holes on the torch, get what you want out of it then remove the collar and then only keep the bead warm at the tip of the flame. you will want to keep it just warm enough so it doesn't crack.

Get a huge gather of clear nice and hot and cover as much of the bead as evenly as you can. If you can get round it all (sides not so much of a worry fill them in if needed.) then you shouldn't have to worry about loosing any reduction on the base bead.

Title: Re: encasing reduction frit using a hot head torch
Post by: Veebee on June 10, 2011, 08:15:21 AM
The Iris frits are great for producing faux boro effects when encased, but wont really keep their shine much. You can try using them really sparingly, swirl around a bit, cool, waft through the reduction flame then encase (without getting the base bead too hot in the process!) and with Iris green or gold you should get some nice wispy ethereal streaks. Be aware that your flame is naturally reducing anyway ( more so when your tank is low as the pressure of the flame isn't high enough to drag as much oxygen into the mix) and that marvering on a graphite marver will encourage further reduction ( the carbon draws the metals out of the glass)
For really shiny reductions, where you want to keep the shine, try Double Helix frit like Psyche, Triton or Kronos. Follow the procedure above and you should have it!
Good luck!