I am thinking of trying boro

[puffin]

I am thinking of coming over to the dark side and trying boro or other types of glass.

Although I am a bit scared as it is like starting new again.

Like the kiln settings to start with Lee programmed it in for me and I have not touched it since, so having a look at the kiln section last night it scared me a bit. I kiln as I go and have a pinkie !!! thats it concerning knowledge of kilns.

So is it like starting new again ?

Will a lynx and 2 oxys do ?

will i need a lesson or 2 before i take the plunge ?? so many questions not sure where to start  

Any suggestions welcome

[fionaess]

A lynx and 2 oxycons will be perfect - just look at what Glenn produces  
I suggest just taking the plunge.  Coloured boro likes lots, and then some more, oxygen..
Clear boro is cheap and lovely to melt - take a tip and have a play around with some clear before you start with coloured boro.  This will give you a feel for the glass, how it melts and its non shocking ability when taken out and then reintroduced into the flame.
If you decide you want boro lessons I know that Emma does boro days, covering a lot of stuff that is incredibly useful, and best of all she's not too far from Manchester

[Steampunkglass]

Yep, lynx and 2 oxys is fine, in fact before I had those it was two oxys and a minor, and that was fine too! Expect the melting to take a bit longer than soft glass, it might sound obvious but keep anything you are melting in the flame and give it time to melt. Also you'll find that clear melts alot easier, and that you can put colours between layers of clear to keep/make effects as well as keeping the costs down.  It is like starting a new in some ways, but you'll get used to it very quickly. I hardly ever use 104 now.

One tutorial I started with was Pipyr's 'boro on one oxycon' which gave me the info and confidence to experiment even though I only did one of the projects  otherwise as Fiona said Emma's starter day would be a good bet.

[liquidglass]

Stacey
If you would like some clear Boro to try I will send you a couple of sample rods, you just pay the postage cost. Let me have your address and I'll get it done straight away.

Kevin

[Marcel]

  that's the way to do it give them a free sample
and turn them to the darkside 
Just kidding boro is fun glass to work with you are going to love it 

[stuwaudby]

Please join us!

The one tip I would give is not to use thicker mandrels and not too close to the burner to avoid melting the mandrel.

If you are starting I would suggest a few clear rods, about 6-8mm. The colours to get first are multi, amber purple and aurora (Northstar). These will give dramatic results and are good examples of the main groups of reactives.

[puffin]

Thanks ever so for the advice ......


need to set the kiln first .... then take the plunge 

[turnedlight]

I've just tried a small boro bead this morning after meeting someone at the weekend who told me to give it a whirl! I have no idea which colours do what though, and whether they strike or reduce etc. I tried amber purple and dotted on something else and then I think I encased in clear but will find out later if it was lol!
I found it a bit stiffer than 104 but not as difficult as I was expecting, this is on my minor and one oxycon, pumped up to about 4.
The other thing is I need to find an annealing schedule, this first one just went in with everything else.

[puffin]

And was it ok in that annealing schedule .....

That would help me loads as its not the glass I am worried about trying it is setting this ruddy kiln schedule up

[garishglobes]

Thanks for the shameless plug, folks! 

I would suggest starting with some half rods of Momka colours - gives you a wider range of colour for your buck and many Momka colours work really nicely. Silver Beach is a fab strong amber purple (I would suggest that you don't start with just Amber Purple unless you like frustration  )  and will give nice purples. I'm in Germany with limited internet at the mo', so can't give much more of a big list, but some of the Glass Alchemy colours from Plowden & Thompson are also really nice if you want to start with beads - would suggest definitely getting Amazon Night to help with flame chemistry, looking at their colour working suggestions in the resources part of their website (GA, not P&T) and going for Triple Passion (again a strong amber/purple) and some of the carnival colours.