Lava Beads???

Lush! · December 21, 2011, 11:52:30 AM

I've been trying and trying to make Lava style beads - pitted and old looking, but not encased and I am failing!

I've rolled the bead in lots of bicarbonate of soda and heated it, not enough bubbles. I know that if I then encase it, I get lots of bubbles but I don't want it to be encased, so I added more turquoise and got more bubbles, yay, took it out of the flame and all the bubbles closed up again.

I was hoping that maybe it would come out of the kiln a bit more bubbly - or leaving it in the etching fluid for ages might make the surface break down more, but nooooooooooo.

Can anybody help me please?

Here's my failed beads - nice beads, but not what I was after!

Fail by LushLampwork, on Flickr

Oh and I've just gotta show this little beauty - just to prove that I can do it under encasing!

Bubbly bead by LushLampwork, on Flickr

Fiona · December 21, 2011, 12:07:13 PM

I can't help you on how to get the effect although I'd love to know myself as I thought what you've just explained was all you had to do. Love the beads you have shown though so at least you got something good out of your efforts.

justjules · December 21, 2011, 12:12:31 PM

ooh, lovely bubbles

lampworklover · December 21, 2011, 12:30:08 PM

I seem to remember Katie Quiggle mastered them a while back; might be worth asking her?

Redhotsal · December 21, 2011, 02:20:11 PM

Do they have to be that colour? I would think that if you used a transparent rather than an opaque you'd have less trouble with the bubbles closing up. They look lovely though - I really like your encased one!
You can also try rolling them in sand for that just dug up-out-of-the ground look?

Magpie · December 21, 2011, 03:40:57 PM

When Kate makes them she uses copper green, tons and tons of bicarb and heats like blazes. I don't know if it's a specific reaction between the bicarb and copper green or if it works with any glass.

Lush! · December 21, 2011, 05:45:25 PM

Sand? Wow, I wouldn't have thought of that, thanks Sal.

I'll also try the transparent, they don't have to be that colour but I was kinda thinking that as the turquoise can get quite fizzy/boily it might work better.

I remember Kate's copper green lava beads, I would really expect anything that happens to copper green to be the same with dark turquoise, but I might give it a try just in case, thank you.

Redhotsal · December 22, 2011, 12:14:36 AM

Actually - a couple of colours will do the lava thing by themselves anyway - for example, leaky pen or dark turquoise. If you heat it strongly with an oxygen rich flame it will boil the surface. You can polish the surface with a slightly reducing flame if you don't like the look.

Trudi · December 22, 2011, 05:59:13 AM

I think pulsar is quite bubbly too!
Good luck x

jobead · December 22, 2011, 11:35:13 AM

I can vouch for what Sal said, I regularly boil dark turquoise, not because I have a plan but because I have no patience

Carol · December 22, 2011, 08:39:05 PM

I made some of these ages ago Julie (probably 2 years+ so memory hazy!). Copper green worked well, rolled in a fair amount of bicarb then etched. I *think* they were in the etching stuff for 15 mins or so. Also worked well with effetre violet

Sorry photie is a bit small but you can just about see the bubbly bits!

Sarah · December 24, 2011, 08:57:49 AM

Copper green and a l-o-o-o-o-n-g etch has worked for me Julie. But i like the sound of rolling in sand too.

Sarah
xxx

Pandanimal · December 24, 2011, 09:49:56 AM

I have done some rolling in sand too. its a lovely effect. and you all know how much I love my organic pebble like beads.
I read that and thought 'damn, that was my idea!' Nothing new under the sun eh?
Try rolling very lightly in the bicarb and burning it off quickly in the flame, not melting it in too much, it leaves an ancient sort of look on the surface. You could try tumbling too. that breaks down the surface more roughly than etching.

Julia

Madam Steph · December 24, 2011, 10:35:19 AM

Quote from: Carol on December 22, 2011, 08:39:05 PM
I made some of these ages ago Julie (probably 2 years+ so memory hazy!). Copper green worked well, rolled in a fair amount of bicarb then etched. I *think* they were in the etching stuff for 15 mins or so. Also worked well with effetre violet

Sorry photie is a bit small but you can just about see the bubbly bits!

They are unusual Carol, but lovely

Linda x

Lush! · December 24, 2011, 11:28:26 AM

Well I persevered with the dark turquoise, and I'm really happy with these

Lava Beads! by LushLampwork, on Flickr

I've often noticed that overheating silver wire causes air holes to develop and the silver wire gets pushed right to the surface of the glass, so I made these the same way as I described earlier but then rolled in silver foil and reheated. They did have a very looooooong etch too!

Julia, I'm going to try your method of a short reheat rather than the long heating I've been doing.