What fancy glass should I try first?

Enchanted Cobwebs · February 23, 2011, 05:00:41 PM

Now that I'm managing to get beads a fair shape (thanks to all the help I got here on this forum) I'd love to try some fancy glass. I tried Iris Orange but I only made it look like poo apart from one that looked like poo with green bits in!

I'm tempted by Reichenbach Magic and 591065 Silver Black - do these make the colours easily or is there a real trick to it?

I'd like to try one double helix as well, love them all but whats the easiest one to get the colours from?

I have a minor but not tried reducing anything yet!

helbels · February 23, 2011, 05:04:32 PM

Avoid Magic - it's really hard!!!

Silver Black is easy, and if you want a DH glass, go for Triton, Aurae, Helios or Psyche - all very easy.

That's what I'd recommend anyway!

Enchanted Cobwebs · February 23, 2011, 05:07:06 PM

Brilliant, thank you
I thought those colours in magic were probably way too good to be true for my level anyway! Saved me some dosh and disappointment but will defo have a go at the others

Thanks again
Helen

spheresofglass · February 23, 2011, 05:10:08 PM

I have exactly the same promblem... what to try first

I've just received some goodies from Tuffnells and all I can do is stand and look at them with awe.... $:-\$

Every time I step forward to grab a rod to play with I change my mind... it's a bit like a chocoholic faced with a box of Thorntons Continental!

Good luck trying to make that all important choice!

helbels · February 23, 2011, 05:12:11 PM

I'm personally convinced that the person who took the piccy of the rod of Magic on the Tuffnell's site is the only person, ever, to get those colours from it. I had another go the other day and managed to get some greens and blues, but it was still distinctly underwhelming!

I forgot to say that another good one is Reichenbach Dark Multicolour - it's a striker, but a nice straightforward one x

SilverGems89 · February 23, 2011, 05:12:23 PM

yeah i agree with Helen, avoid Magic! silver black and all the DH glasses she recommended you should find easy enough to work on your minor, i have a HH and i manage with all of them so i'm sure you'll do wonders with them!

Remember, have fun!

Enchanted Cobwebs · February 23, 2011, 05:38:06 PM

Thanks
Dark multicolour goes on the list too!
Hx

sarah t · February 23, 2011, 05:48:53 PM

I have always found aurea the easiest silver glass to use ........maybe not as stunning as the others but a lot less faffing about and some nice reactions with ordinary glass

i also love copper green .......

Enchanted Cobwebs · February 23, 2011, 05:57:12 PM

I will add aurea to my wish list, it does look nice and if its not too faffy thats what I need! I have seen lots about copper green as it looks like it reacts with other colours but cant see it on tuffnels, where would I get that?
Hx

★★Terri★★ · February 23, 2011, 06:06:26 PM

So far.....I have found Triton the easiest DH to get a result from. Dark Silver Brown is quite a good but cheaper alternative to DH glasses.

I recently got some Copper Green - from Off Mandrel - and they sell glass by the single rod which which is good for 'testing' out some of the more expensive glasses.

sarah t · February 23, 2011, 06:07:18 PM

copper green ....its an effetra special/hand pulled ....so if tuffnels has not got any off mandrel has it .......and i think they are comming to flame off ...they where there last year

Hazer · February 23, 2011, 06:18:07 PM

I found Triton and Aurae easy to work with - you don't get quite the same amazing spectrum of colours as with some others, but the results are invariably pretty

MadelineBunyan · February 23, 2011, 06:27:22 PM

think of silver black not as a reduction black, or indeed a silver black, think of it as an interesting texture and metallic black, I call mine meteorite black. its not quite what you think, but it is yummy

as others have said, raku no, magic no (magic as far as Im aware is just a lighter, harder to do anything with version of raku)

multicolour dark is a big fat yes, ordinary multicolour, not so much

I pretty much don't to anything to multi dark to strike it, I maybe make a twisty with it, goldstone and black, base bead of black, put on twisty, encase, smooth off, in kiln, get colour, no faff at all. it is nice unencased also, usually quite dark though, but I get better colours encased (I use reichenbach clear)

silver brown, I wouldnt bother with that much at this point, it still hates me, yet others can get nice things out of it.

psyche would be my choice for a first DH, you can reduce it and leave the surface metallic, or you can reduce and encase, both are lovely.
though if you want high shine surface stuff nice and easy, then tritons the one (not tried helios yet)

Kalorlo · February 23, 2011, 07:08:26 PM

Yup yup - Reichenbach multicolour dark and Double Helix triton and psyche. They're all easy to get good results out of.

If you reduce triton multiple times you can get different effects out of it, then you can encase it or not encase it... Psyche is a little bit purplier and I really love it.

Enchanted Cobwebs · February 23, 2011, 07:25:15 PM

This is soo helpful, thank you all so much. Cant get to the flame this year, maybe its just as well as I'd probably 'need' everything I saw. I will go next year though and by then I might have a better idea what I'm doing!
I will also have a look at off mandrel, didnt realise they do single rods so thats a big bonus for trial runs without breaking the bank, they do bullseye (Hubby fuses that and is after a few rods) so I have a ready made excuse too!

Thanks all
Hx