Reichenbach Iris Orange

[Scubeadoo]

Help!!
How do I get this glass to produce the colours shown on the sample on Martin's website?
I am using a Hothead and so far it refuses to change colour at all
What am i doing wrong?

[littlegiggles]

you have to get it super hot then quickly chill it.  I found I couldnt make it work on a hot head unless I used very fine frit as I couldnt get it hot enough.  You could try using a press on it others have said that that makes it work

[fionaess]

What sort of Reichenbach iris orange are you using.. 96 or 104 and is it frit or rod? 

[dinah46]

I think if you've got the 104 then don't expect too much   It definitely doesn't give as good results as the 96.  I struggle to get anything decent out of the 104 and get better results with 104 'magic'.

[garishglobes]

get better results with 104 'magic'.

How on earth???! I can't get to grips with this stuff. It turns all base beads black and stays resolutely pale, with just a hint of yukky yellowy green, pink or blue. It runs all over the place, swamps everything and every time I use it I swear I never will again! I can use all sorts of other silver glasses, including Luna, but this one just leaves me completely flummoxed!
I agree though that 104COE Iris Orange gives less good results than the 96COE - and if you're on a HH, you're probably best with stringer or frit. A cold press or even cooling quickly on a piece of cold brass might help. I have a feeling there is a thread on LE showing raku beads on a HH, somewhere, which might have a few tips....

[Dizzy Di]

When I used the hot Head and Iris Orange,  I used frit and stringer.
Have you got any orange coloured glass? sounds stupid I know but I had some great results, orange back round iris orange stringer then just raked it, heated it as hot as I could get it! then cooled it down rapidly,(http://www.tuffnellglass.com/contents/en-uk/image_viewer.html?lmd=39799.390972) with a metal tool that had been sitting in cold water. Then plunged tool back in cold water and done it all over again.
The colour did eventually build up, it takes time, but well worth the effort.

Dianne 

[Shadowdarner]

I'm so glad you asked this question!  I've been playing with this for a couple of days now...I have 104COE small frit and I've been trying some little implosions with it.....I haven't been getting a lot of color out of it....my son said it looks like snot    I took a class with Sherry Bellamy and she was working with a very fine Iris Orange frit....she said, if I read my notes right, to let it get really hot until the frit goes white and disappears then cool it down again.   I still can't get the colors I want though.  I'll try again today....maybe I'm not cooling it down enough.

[Sarah]

I'm so glad you asked this question!  I've been playing with this for a couple of days now...I have 104COE small frit and I've been trying some little implosions with it.....I haven't been getting a lot of color out of it....my son said it looks like snot    I took a class with Sherry Bellamy and she was working with a very fine Iris Orange frit....she said, if I read my notes right, to let it get really hot until the frit goes white and disappears then cool it down again.   I still can't get the colors I want though.  I'll try again today....maybe I'm not cooling it down enough.

Hi Delana - Sherry also said not to use the 104    We were using 96 frit during the class.

I haven't had much luck with my 104 rods either

Sarah
xxx

[aoturoa]

I have 104 Iris Orange and it is a bit hit and miss. First time I used it I got some great colours out of it - second time? Not so much.

I haven't really used it again since 

[Shadowdarner]

Hi Delana - Sherry also said not to use the 104    We were using 96 frit during the class.

I haven't had much luck with my 104 rods either

Sarah
xxx

Sarah....Thanks for the info! 96COE?!  Ok...I could give it a go I suppose but what about compatibility issues?  I know the first response to that question will be that you don't have to use a lot of frit but I've had real problems with cracking when using Lausha and I'm shy about mixing COEs.  I've been playing today with the 104 and I really can't get it to do anything!

[Steampunkglass]

oops! I thought it was a reducing colour!
I had some rods which I reduced instead of cooling/heating, and got some interesting effects that way-but that might have been because I was messing up the glass. I was sure it was 104, but I did find lots of problems with cracking, so now not so sure, will have to go and dig into corner of workshop.....

[Scubeadoo]

Mine is the 104
I did manage to get it to change colour a bit but its been to blooming cold to venture into the garage for the past few days

[turnedlight]

I've been trying for 18 months! I used to get pastel colours from iris orange frit on my hothead, by just making the bead, and then moving gradually out to the end to flame anneal. No actual 'trying'.
I can't seem to manage this on my minor, but yesterday I did coax a bit of purple colour! I made a twistie with iris orange and striped black onto it, the iris orange got very hot as I was making it, then cooled once made, then hot again on the bead, then cooled in a press.. so I think that's what it likes, not just hot and chilled once, but twice? I'm only just begining to crack it though, and I've read the thread on LE more than once! I also have the 104 which I think is bad but does make nice tree trunks on tree beads!

[Shadowdarner]

I do infact have 96 frit....I contacted Arrow Springs where I ordered it from and they gave me some good tips....I'll let you know if I have any success.

[Mary]

Kathryn, heat and cool several times, yes! First thorough heat and cool should give dark brown, then reheating produces the brighter colours. You should be able to go through several colours and back to the beginning, though after the first cycle the colours are not so vivid.

I find 104 needs less heat, I have overcooked it (for 96 the hotter the better) and the colours are more pastel.