Millefiori for Newbies - How not to make a fugly??

[helbels]

Hello Again oh patient folk of Newbie Corner...

This evening I thought I'd give millefiori a whirl - OMG - that was a mistake.

I heated my bead and heated my millefiori in tweezers, then attached the millefiori and melted it in..... and ended up with this weird white scum on the surface that seemed to obliterate all the colours!  What did I do wrong please?

Working on the principle that "there's no such thing as a bad bead" I encased it anyway, and it's currently sat in the fibre blanket, but I'm pretty sure that this is going to be one really fugly bead when it comes out!

Tips please! 

[Andy]

I've only tried millefiori once. I didnt heat it up before hand, just spot heated my bead then pushed the bead onto the millefiori that was sitting on a marver. I've noticed that you need to be very careful with the heat on commercial millefiori though, if you overheat it, you will get the weird white thing happening. Apparently this doesn't happen with homemade millefiori.

[Mary]

The white in purchased millefiori is bad for devitrifying, and devit can take over other colours once it starts. Try spot encasing it right away, or work it quickly.

[Krysia@No98]

I don't like millefiori.  But I do what Mary says and push them in a little too.

but hay you used a possible bad bead and used it for practice therefore not a bad bead as you have learned something from it

[theflyingbedstead]

We had a fantastic thread on murrini a while back....

I'll see if I can find the link....

[theflyingbedstead]

Here it is:

http://www.frit-happens.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=13147.0

It was a competition, but there was also some excellent advice and of course gorgeous beads!