DH virgin

[dunkster]

hi guys. Have just taken the grand step of spending £20 on a mixed double helix pack from Tuffnell's. For that i have received 7 rods which are:-
1 x aurae, 1 x gaia, 2 x luna3, 1 x elektra, 1 x nyx, 1 x aion2.

due to their slim diameter, they wont go far if i use on their own as focal beads. So therefore i would appreciate it if you guys could give me some pointers such as:-

1) do you form a base bead from a cheaper glass  (for bulk) before covering it in a layer of DH?
2) if so, what colour/type glass do you use for the base bead? (do they react to some colours)?
3) What colours/effects can i expect from the rods listed above?
4) are they easy to overheat and destroy their colours?
5) are they prone to cracking easily?

any hints/tips/advise would be very welcome as i don't want to rush in and waste £20 worth of rods making cack that i haven't thought about enough 

[helbels]

Hi

To answer your questions:

1) Yes, make a core with a cheap glass then encase with your DH, or just use the DH for surface decoration (eg: dots)
2) Opal Yellow, Ink Blue or even bog standard white are good bases to use.
3) Aurae will reduce to Gold sheen, and goes sort of cloudy if encased.  Gaia will reduce to a turquouise/blue but doesn't much like encasement, Luna 3 is a striker and will give sort of cloudy purples, or other colours over a dark base, Elecktra is a striker (I think) and will give nice blue swirly colours, Nyx is a kiln striker and goes dark blue, and Aion 2 is reducer and goes kind of pinky.
4) They won't generally crack or overheat easily but I'd recommend that you check out the tips on doublehelixglassworks.com first

Helen

[dunkster]

that answers a lot thankyou very much.

[Ness]

Elektra and Nyx are both reducers 

Try making a bead and adding spots of DH.  If you're using a reduction colour, reduce then cover with a dot of clear ( making sure you don't get the spot oHD in the flame or it will remove the lustre).  On dk ivory you get some lovely webbing from the reaction with the silver.

It might be a good idea to pull some stringers from your DH and have a play.

Like Helen said have a look at the DH website or search this forum for more tips.

[Lotti]

This is great.  I have printed off loads of stuff off the double helix website which is great, but it's nice to have it all on one page!  I too am a DH virgin and terrified of using it, partially because I am worried about my ventilation, but am going to chat to Manda and David about this when I pop up there shortly for her open day.