Newbie question...

[Lucas]

Hi everyone, I was after some advice on 'fine silver' inclusions - does anyone use these at all, or know anything much about them?  Does it matter what glass I use or will it react with somethings?  What guage would you recommend using (for accents on fused pendants mostly) - any ideas?
Thanks

[Zeldazog]

Hi Lucas

Welcome to the forum. 

Whilst you're waiting for replies, why not head over to the "Hello and Welcome" thread, and introduce yourself - we don't bite, honest!  Well, only things made of choclit 

I can't make any recommendations about gauge of silver to use.  But you will find it reacting with some colours.  Bullseye do a "crystal" clear which is recommended when using with silver - otherwise you might get yellowing of glass. Some of their glasses are reactive, so you can get all sorts of interesting effects. 

Bullseye do a whole range of tip sheets, including reactive glasses, on their website.

[♥♥Tan♥♥]

I think silver goes a bit funny with the pinks

[caraj316]

I think silver goes a bit funny with the pinks

in my experience silver makes pinks look like baby poo.

I've had a fair amount to compare it with!

[Zeldazog]

Hmm, yeah I can imagine pink glass, going a bit yellow (and a bit brown as reactive glasses go) may well look like baby poop!

[noora]

French vanilla goes greyish brown and turquoise(!) with silver. The pinks go yucky. Sometimes the wire itself goes yucky but not the glass as far as I can see. It could still be a reaction with the glass.

Lower temperatures (tack fuse) work better than higher, in my experience. My experience is however quite limited, since the results have been so varied I haven't really bothered to experiment with it a lot yet.

If you make complex squiggles of wire you run a risk of trapping bubbles, especially if you use thick wire. Other than that, I don't think the gauge matters. 

[JaySpangles]

Laura Sparling has a vid about encasing silver wire that you may be interested in.
Here is the link:
http://www.youtube.com/user/beadsbylaura

I recently made a large heart pendant (using what seemed like a ton of glass - well it seemed like it) wrapped in fine silver wire.
The Reichenbach Pink Lady was unaffected but the Reichenback Pink Pearl went what can only be described as a very ODD colour!

[Lucas]

Thanks folks - me thinks I'll leave it alone for the moment, results sound too variable!  Thanks for useful info though.  Thinking back to the joys of baby poo, I want to steer as clear as possible!
L