reactive red

[Ali Mesley]

Can someone tell me is the reactive red going dark red and staying that way because I'm working it too hot?

Thank you

Ali

[Dragonfire Glass]

Which reactive red?

[beadammed]

Maybe overstriking?

[bob proulx]

What Colette said, what red.
Bob

[tuffnell glass]

Hi ,
  Would kill to get a reactive red that went really dark

Best wishes ,
Martin
Tuffnell Glass

[Ali Mesley]

It's the reactive red from tuffnells ironically. I want a bright red but when I make a bead with it it goes almost the same colour as purple red effete,although transparent rather than opaque. As a highlight it goes bright red.

[Nicknack]

You could try making a white bead and encasing it in the red, like with Rubino Ora.

Nick

[Shirley]

Am I being really thick here, because I've never heard of a reactive red. Do you mean striking red? Is there a code on the label?

If it is a striker then rather than working it too hot you are probably working it for too long. The other possibility might be that you are using a propane-rich flame. I don't know what type of torch you use, but try turning down the propane a bit or working further away from the torch head.

[Ali Mesley]

Thank you to everyone who has replied.  I think it could be me being thick, relative newbie is my only excuse! It is a striking red and I will try not to play with it for so long in the flame and turn down the propane a little and see if that makes the difference. Thanks again!

[ajda]

Don't worry about not knowing about striking colours - when I first bought some, I read on the description "this is a striking colour" and thought it was an odd thing to say - I had no idea about colours that need to be flame "struck" and just thought I was getting someone's opinion about how impressive the colour was... and when I tried it it was anything but impressive, just purplish mud.

The basic thing with flame-striking reds is to heat them until all the colour disappears, then cool until the red hot glow fades away, then reintroduce to the outer part of the flame, heating gently until you see the flush of colour. You can re-strike by reheating until clear and doing it again, but some don't like too much of that. Which red(s) are you using? Some are a little easier to control than others.

[babyshoes]

I've also had issues with the Effetre striking red going dark. It's quite a nice colour, but not what I was looking for. I decided to put it away and play with it later once I'm a bit more confident that I'm controlling the temperature accurately!

[Trudi]

try letting it cool down at bit as you melt it .... that should help x

[Pegasus]

Striking red will look dark if you are making a bead entirely out of it. If you lay it over a light opaque colour, it will look more like a rich red. I use it quite a lot but I find it is best used sparingly over light colours.
Here's an example using striking red over a light transparent colour & mica glitter.


DEVILISH by Pegasus Lampwork, on Flickr

[Trudi]

Drool!

[Pat from Canvey]

That is one beautiful bead Bev.