creation is messy glass annealing

[♥♥Tan♥♥]

There's a specialist.......don't tell my hubster, he'll have me there like a shot

[glassworks]

Dear Taramag:

I'm sorry to hear you've had trouble working with our new colors! I would recommend turning up the heat. Most of our colors work better when worked hotter than you may be accustomed to.

Also, turn up your annealer. We've tested Cirrus and the annealing range is 970-1040 degrees. Our tests also show that Halong Bay anneals best at 1070 and Peacock Green at 1050. I would recommend setting your annealer somewhere around 1050.

Not sure if you figured most of this out already, so forgive me if I repeat what you already know. The trick to getting Cirrus to go milky is to strike it. The misty white opacifiers will appear as you cool and re heat the glass.

Since we know many people will work their beads in the flame for half an hour or more, we engineered Cirrus to remain transparent despite long torch times. You can control the color by how many times you cool and re heat the bead. I timed it today - if you strike in and out of the flame for alternating 8-10 second periods over the space of 3 minutes, you can get a round bead to go milky. Takes a bit longer if you are working on something flat like a paddle.

I've also heard that it is very difficult to get anything under a 12-15 mm size to strike at all. So small sized beads stay completely transparent.

Halong Bay and Peacock Green work essentially the same as Cirrus.

It sounds like you were only using Cirrus, Halong Bay, and Peacock Green. I wanted to note, for your reference, that Messy Color is formulated to be closest to Effetre and Vetrofond. It is a little bit farther from Lauscha (which is a higher c.o.e.).

I hope that helps. Taramag, let us know if turning up the heat and your annealer helped!

I'm working on compiling this kind of working info to post on our site. If anyone else has input about how these colors work, or any other Messy Colors for that matter, I'd appreciate the feedback!

Sorry for the delay in response. I'm in China working on new colors so in a different time zone.

just found this from the makers of CiM on LE... thought it was worth posting here?..

[♥♥Tan♥♥]

Thats interesting Q, wonder why under 12-15 wont strike?

[mindy23]

Ah Beverly, it's too late for sense, I'm already lost to glass but thank you for trying, do we have a support group?

[BeverleyH]

    I know the feeling (and two more parcels expected shortly)!

No support group.... yet.... but you never know, might be useful....... 

[mindy23]

Thanks for the extra info Q, it all makes a bit more sense now.  I have just about decided on what I'm going to get, if this is an addiction then I have fallen off the wagon and am in a ditch at the roadside right now but I'm happy so I dont care for now, until the credit card statement comes in that is!   

[♥♥Tan♥♥]

do what i do......email Q......with your obscenely large order.....close your eyes when you hit the pay button.....

Its great!!

[Shirley]

So, is anyone actually cooling this stuff in vermiculite and then batch annealing? There was a suggestion earlier that suggested it wasn't any good for CIM glass.

[Mary]

Just read this on LE, just thought it might help!

<<One of Craftweb's member, David Williams, made an entry that quotes and should be properly credited to Lani McGregor of Bullseye as follows:

"If you are annealing glasses with varying annealing points (as compatible opals and transparents will have), then select the glass with the higher annealing range and soak at the appropriate temperature for it. As long as you go slowly enough down through the strain point of any glass with a lower range, you will have taken all the glasses through the annealing process. "

Please see the attached chart for the annealing temperatures for all 11 Messy Colors.

Hope that helps. Feel free to let me know if there are any other questions.

Kathy
Attached Files
File Type: doc    MessyColorAnnealingTemperatures.doc (34.5 KB, 42 views)>>
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[Trudi]

Hi

On a different post I was asking for information about understanding the firing schedule - I was given a programme (thanks Mary) for Effetre and lookng at different posts saw that there were different times etc - obvious with different size beads - but also soaking times - and I really wanted to find out more and understand the programming schedule. Now that I've used my kiln a few times this is a lot less scary!! And I'll go back again and re-read the manual - and hope it makes sense.

I looked on the effetre site but it was all in italian and I couldn't find what I was looking for. Then again in another post it said to be wary of mixing up different brands - even if they had the same coe - like ASK / CIM/ etc etc.

Then looking at Q's post and advising temps ranging from 970 - 1070 I'm really confused - as the schedule I'm working with from Mary for Effetre is 520°C. Q are the temps you've advised in °F?? I wouldn't have thought it woud be so far different?

Also, turn up your annealer. We've tested Cirrus and the annealing range is 970-1040 degrees. Our tests also show that Halong Bay anneals best at 1070 and Peacock Green at 1050. I would recommend setting your annealer somewhere around 1050.


If you have beads that are made say from Effetre & Lauscha  - would you go for the higher of the temps and soak for longer?

Thanks

T

[Trudi]

Me again

More of a question for Q

Since we know many people will work their beads in the flame for half an hour or more, we engineered Cirrus to remain transparent despite long torch times. You can control the color by how many times you cool and re heat the bead. I timed it today - if you strike in and out of the flame for alternating 8-10 second periods over the space of 3 minutes, you can get a round bead to go milky. Takes a bit longer if you are working on something flat like a paddle.

I hadn't realised that this colour needed to be striked to go milky - from the picture in your listing it looks milky already ........ I have some on order but it hasn't arrived yet so I haven't had a chance to expreiment - I was just curious after seeing this post.

I also didn't realise that it was harder to strike smaller beads - it's an interesting point, and makes me want to go back and experiment!!

[glassworks]

all my temps are in Fahrenheit.. but we really haven't played much with kiln temps to change colours... we just make what we want and bomb them in the kiln until bedtime, and turn it off...

i guess the very best thing is experimentation... i know its easy to say when we have all the glass we need - but it is fun, and part of the whole flame working adventure!!!

[♥♥Tan♥♥]

I think we all learnt our own techniques by experimenting, thats why there is so much varying info out there!!

[Trudi]

I agree - some of my nicer beads have been by experimenting. The trouble is I get so excited and want to do it all yesterday - LOL.

I have so many ideas buzzing around - then when I get to the torch I have to stop & think about what I want to do first. Sometimes I 'll see a bead that inspires me - sometimes a picture and sometimes I'll want to make beads that match with gemstones!

[Trudi]

I had also book looking up temp for Lauscha - I emailed them and got an email right back from Marcie Davis:

Hi Trudi,


Congratulations on making your own beads! Fun, isn't it?


The annealing temperature for Lauscha Glass is
968F
It softens at 986F, so don't go that high!!!


Enjoy your adventure. The larger the beads, the longer you should hold it at the annealing temperature.

Marcie


968°F - translates to 520°C = Same as effetre which is also at the lower end of the range Q talked about for CIM!