Silver Dots

[sam9769]

Hi,

I bought some lamp work beads which have silver dots on them and I was wondering what kind
of glass they would have used to get the silver dots.

Would this be double helix glass do you think?


Thanks Guys,


Sam.

[helbels]

Probably DH Triton, it makes lovely silver dots.

[mel]

If it looks exactly like silver, and is in lines, then it could also be fine silver wire which has been wrapped round the bead. The wire melts and balls up.

[sam9769]

Thanks for your replies!

They are actually dots made with glass.


Sam.

[Redhotsal]

Double Helix have a number of glasses which will give a very metallic look but they vary quite subtly. I think Triton gives the best "silvery" metal look but if you carry on reducing this will go to a blue silver sheen. Aurae and Helios both seem to give a slightly golden metallic look when I use them. I think Notos is also metallic but I haven't used it.

To get a metallic look melt in/on the glass as normal in a normal flame and then remove from the heat for a few seconds to let the glass cool down. Then, turn down your oxygen valve if using a dual gas torch until the flame looks "bushy" with long yellow "candles". These should be about 4cm (ish) in length. Now "flash" your glass in and out fo the flame. Don't linger in the flame, as this reaction is a chemical one, not a thermal one. This procedss is called "reduction" because you are reducing the metallic oxide in the glass by stripping away it's oxygen content to leave the basic metal. You should see your Double Helix glass start to go metallic. If you turn the flame back to normal and then expose your lovely metallic glass, beware - it will go back to how it was before!

If you're on a hothead don't despair - you can still reduce. In fact, Triton and Aurae reduce very easily - just flash the glass through the lower levels of the torch where the blue cone is. Some people like to cover the holes of the hothead with silver foil to make reduction easier - but you can probably get away without doing this with these two glasses.

If you overreduce, or stay in the flame too long, your lovely metallic sheen will start to go cloudy and will start to resemble a snotty green colour which is very difficult to reverse and doesn't always look very pretty! 

[sam9769]

Thanks Sal,

That's really helpful.

I'll give it a go!!


Sam

[fionaess]

Aurae 

[Graphitegirl]

..hey!
maybe this tutorial could be interesting

http://littlelovelysdesign.blogspot.de/2013/06/ammoniten-tutorial-for-you-for-free.html

[Kimster]

Thanks for the tutorial! Going to give that a go - they're very pretty