TAG 104

[silvergirl]

Just debating whether to try some of the TAG 104 glass.  Anyone got any opinions on ease of use, success rates etc??

Lisa x

[Nina A]

Trudi has kindly put some info on Fritipedia,  I'm going to have another go tonight,  All I've managed to get so far from the Juno and Emerald are muddy colours   
I'll let you know how I get on.

Nina 

[silvergirl]

Thanks Nina

I've seen the fritopedia info but was just looking for peoples opinions really

Lisa

[Trudi]

 Dalai Lama is nice and easy to use.  Jelly opal is lovely and golden emerald!!

I've got jupiter - but I just get poo out of this - really dissapointed in it! But I will keep trying!

[Hamilton Taylor]

You should definitely try some. No, really.    

Trudi - Jupiter is experimental, and as such may be tricky to use. Cook it up really, really hot, let it cool until the red heat is off it completely (should be really dark), then very, very lightly strike. You could almost strike this with a cosy blanket. if you end up with the original rod colour, or close to it, it's overstruck. try again.
Anneal as cool as you can.

Nina, what colours are you using Juno & Emerald with? Let me know what your process is, I'll try to help.

Cheers,

Sean

[Trudi]

You should definitely try some. No, really.    

Trudi - Jupiter is experimental, and as such may be tricky to use. Cook it up really, really hot, let it cool until the red heat is off it completely (should be really dark), then very, very lightly strike. You could almost strike this with a cosy blanket. if you end up with the original rod colour, or close to it, it's overstruck. try again.
Anneal as cool as you can.

Nina, what colours are you using Juno & Emerald with? Let me know what your process is, I'll try to help.

Cheers,

Sean

Sean

I was trying with the full rod - was thinking of pulling into stringers and trying again!?? Not sure if this would make a diffference - but mine also tends to pit a lot too! And I've lowered my temp too for silver glass - and I soak for longer!

T

[silvergirl]

Jelly opal is lovely and golden emerald!!

Golden emerald is the one I like the look of!

[silvergirl]

Ive ordered golden emerald, dalai lama and deep purple so we'll see what I can come up with.....

[Nina A]

You should definitely try some. No, really.    

Trudi - Jupiter is experimental, and as such may be tricky to use. Cook it up really, really hot, let it cool until the red heat is off it completely (should be really dark), then very, very lightly strike. You could almost strike this with a cosy blanket. if you end up with the original rod colour, or close to it, it's overstruck. try again.
Anneal as cool as you can.

Nina, what colours are you using Juno & Emerald with? Let me know what your process is, I'll try to help.

Cheers,

Sean

Hi Sean,
I've tried them with effetre ivory, and whites, and various different other colours.   
When I use with CIM White I get a lovely spidery effect, a bit like lace, but unfortunately no sign of any colours.   
I'll post an update when I've  had chance to have another go, which hopefully will be on Sunday.
thanks,    Nina

[Hamilton Taylor]

Try both over black first, melt in gently, then reduce lightly.
If you don't fancy the reduction effect, allow the bead to cool enough to lose the red heat, then strike gently.
Generally, these show their best over darker colours. Both will react with ivory to give a very strong dark reaction line at the interface.

hth,

Sean

[Hayley]

Out of all the silver glass brands - Double Helix, Precision 104, GTG, StrikingColor, TAG 104 - most people find TAG the most finicky to use. It also varies greatly from batch to batch - I have various batches of Dalai Lama and one might yield the richest purple while two were just light brown mud.

The last game I had in my Silver Exchange 5 on lampworketc was for participants to master a glass they had trouble with, curiously more people picked TAG over any other brands.

Also not that most of TAG reducing colors produces more an oil-slick effect and not a metallic iridescence. Still very pretty but don't expect it to be like Triton or Aurae

Some of the more popular colors – striking: Dalai Lama, Tibet, Transcendental, Green Dalai EXP, reducing: Taxco Silver, Juno, Golden Emerald, Zeus

Are you able to get a one-rod sampler? That may be a good way to see which color works for you.

Hope this helps.

[garishglobes]

I think colour preference must vary between people. I used to (back 6 months before boro obsession sank in ) love deep purple and Lake Geneva. I found them both easy to use and really, really pretty particularly encased. Curiously, I preferred many of the TAG colours to the Precision ones, too - particularly those "boily" exotics Kandinsky and Matisse.

[Hayley]

I was just sharing the experience of the participants of my silver exchanges. I do agree that preferences and workability of silver glass are surely dependent on individual preference and torch set up. I also agree that many of the Precision glass - Kandinksy, Matisse, Hurricane Rumble, Frida Sunset, etc. - pitt and boil and are impossible to work with.

[Veebee]

I'm on a HH and have only done test beads with Dalai and Tibet........got poo of course!  I didn't, however, ,super heat to white hot, really droopy gooiness, so that could have caused the problem. I must admit, though, the use of the word "strike" is now confusing me. I thought to strike was to heat, then cool quite rapidly, then of course heat again to even up the heat of the bead. So when you say let it cool until the glow has gone then strike, do you mean let it cool till the glow has gone and then roll it on a cool marver to strike? Or do you heat, cool to lose the glow, soak in heat to even up the heat in the bead, then marver to strike? Please forgive the questions, it's just an expensive experiment, if you know what I mean! xx

[Hamilton Taylor]

Nothing to forgive, questions are always good.
Striking is always accomplished via a cycle of heating and cooling. Whether that is rapid or slow, in the flame or in the kiln, through a large or a small heat differential, are all dependent on the glass and the effect you require.
For example, Iris Orange (Raku) is said to be best struck by heating to hothothot, then cooling as fast as possible.
Effetre striking red, orange, yellow will strike by heating until clear, allowing to cool, and then warming gently by wafting in the back of the flame. (although the reason for the colour change is a bit different in  these than in silver glasses)
Ditto with CiM strikers, and indeed this is a good process to use when approaching any unknown but supposedly striking glass.
Many silver glasses respond well to repeated warming and cooling cycles, moving through a range of colours and effects, often returning to their starting colour, where the process can be repeated a few times (depending on the glass) until the silver is 'burned out'.
Some (like TAG Jupiter, discussed above) are very easy to overstrike, and need only the whiffiest whiff of hot air in the back of the torch to colour up after the heat/cool cycle.
Some (eg TAG Black Cherry) are designed to strike very slowly in the kiln at around annealing temp allowing very good hue control, and so will overstrike instantly in the flame.
Experimentation with any new striking glass is always necessary, as setup, conditions and working style will affect the outcome. You can use the experience of others as a starting point, but it is never a guarantee of success in replication of results.

Check Hayleys (enVisions) blog for lots more about silver glass, with ebooks on the subject and everything.

Hope this helps,

Sean