Help with using posh glass on a hothead

[Blue Box Studio]

Please can someone tell me where I am going wrong?  I've tried Iris Gold, Silver Brown, Multicolour, blue Chelcedony and the other Chalcedony in the hope of coaxing just a little colour out of them on a HH.  I have a fine collection of muddy brown beads.  I think I must be doing something wrong and once I have the knack the penny will drop into place and I'll be away.  Right now (as many will confirm) I'm a penny short of an eureka moment.

I'm making beads with the glass, cooling right down, flashing into the far end of the flame (far end from the HH) with no reaction, glass-wise or any other.  I've tried heating really hot and cooling right down, just a quick flash in the flame, leaving in the flame until the bead glows, and several other combos of not so bright ideas.  I'm not getting a flicker of colour.

Please can someone with a HH, who's had some luck, talk me through what they do?  I looked longingly at those gorgeous dragons in luscious shades of blues, purples etc, had a go and made more 'poo on a stick' as it's now known in our house. 

I've just ordered a couple of rods of DH inspired by the response on cbeadies thread, but won't touch them until I've managed something other than unpleasant shades of brown and green.

Thanks x

[lampworklover]

Well I've only had success with a couple of them, but Dark Multi is easy to get colours out of, just poke it and prod it around a lot! It works particularly well if you don't make 'flat' surfaced beads; i.e flowers, raised stringer etc. I found I got the purple on the 'extremities' amd bits that had cooled more on a brass marver.

Silver brown; I tried encasing it, and got bird poo. I tried it over CIM Maple and it came out fab....the trick again seems to be to sort of manipulate it about a lot when winding it on to the rod; try twisting as you go.

Iris gold; I only have frit, but have tried it over loads of colours and had success; I finish the bead to whatever shape I want, then use the 'tin foil over the hothead holes' method, swipe it through the flame, and bingo; metallic marvels.

Hope someone more knowledgeable than I will be along soon to fill in some gaps for you!

[helbels]

Ok, first up, you might struggle to get anything from the Chalcedony's on a HH - they like to be worked very hot, and even lots of people on duel fuel have problems with them.

Silver Brown isn't a striker, it's a reducer.  So don't worry about heating/cooling, just cover your HH holes a bit and you should be able to get some nice effects with it.  It's quite nice encased too, from what I remember.

Multicolour is very possible on a HH.  Heat it up as hot as you can, then cool by taking it out of the flame until the glow has gone.  Then bring your bead slowly back towards the flame (I used to start under the flame, and gradually raise the bead towards the flame so it was near the flame but not in it.  You should see the colour change almost immediately).

I don't know about the Iris Gold I'm afraid, hopefully someone else will be along in a minute....

PS: I'm not on a HH now but I was for about 7 months until I upgraded x

[Blue Box Studio]

Brilliant, peeps.  I shall stick this advice to the shedio wall and read as I have another go tomorrow.  Perhaps the chalcedony will be destined for some torch time at Fireworks, they have a couple of massive torches that might coax some colour from it.  Doesn't help that I don't know my reducing from my striking!! 

Wish me luck

[lampworklover]

I got some lovely shades of brown and green with Chalcedony frit over ivory.

[Magpie]

I thought Multicolour was like Pandora and kiln struck. I'm sure I just used it like pandora, let the kiln do the work. Someone will be along to correct me if I'm wrong.

[jammie]

hmmm...on a hothead I can't get iris gold to do much or chalcedony. Chalcedony frit is great though. Multicolour in rods is great too, just tip of the flame as Helen says, though mines is dark and 96coe.

[helenfc]

Have you tried iris gold frit with straw yellow? It works really well on a hot head. Multicolour works best for me if I heat it as hot as I can then press or marver to cool down.take it back in the flame to remove the chill marks abd it strikes naturally.I have also had it kiln strike under encasement. If you don't have any straw yeLlow and would like to try it send me a pm
Good luck! X

[Blue Box Studio]

Multicolour in rods is great too, just tip of the flame as Helen says, though mines is dark and 96coe.

Mine's not very dark, think I read on here somewhere that the lighter one isn't so good.

I have all of these as rods, and not really anything I can make them into frit with - but will Percy Vere.

[Trudi]

I used to think that with iris frits I had to reduce them - no. All I do is pull them into stringers - decorate bead and encase. Try over staw yellow or over std 008 amber!