I want a pitted finish - any ideas?

[GaysieMay]

I recently played with some bicarbonate of soda on a light pale grey Effetre opaque and while the bubbles formed the were large and left great craters.  What I'm wanting to achieve is more of an aged pitting effect.  I want to etch them too.  Grateful for any suggestions.
Gay x

[Pam]

Could you roll it on spikes and then heavily etch the bead?

[GaysieMay]

I have poked at glass in the past, but it's not the look I'm after. I might try tumbling with stones?

[Trudi]

Found this


http://www.anndavisstudio.com/scavo.html

[GaysieMay]

Wow Trudi, thanks for that, that's just the sort of thing I was after. X

[ajda]

That "scavo" method looks great - thanks for posting the link. Who's going to enter one of those in the current monthly theme challenge? I was going to suggest simply tumbling with coarse silicone carbide grit - that's what I use to get a more pitted finish - a more authentic sea-glass effect - as compared to chemical etching or tumbling with fine grits. But scavo looks a lot more fun!

[JanieD]

I also discovered the Ann Davis tutorial when I wanted an aged effect on beads. I wanted to hear about how other lampworkers got on with it, and discovered this thread on Lampwork Etc:

http://www.lampworketc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9579

I know it's an old thread, but after reading about how dangerous heating potassium nitrate can be, I decided that my poor old lungs would be better off without this technique.

I can sometimes get a pitted surface using enamels (often unintentionally!) and tumbling with coarse grit helps as well.


Jane

[mizgeorge]

Might be worth asking Josephine about these - I don't know if it's the sort of look you were aiming for?

http://www.frit-happens.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=36353.msg583699#msg583699

[ajda]

It's good to get the warning about potential safety issues... Thanks for that Jane.

I wouldn't necessarily rule out using it, but I'd want to do some more research first and find out exactly what the hazards are. The same goes for etching solutions (active ingredient Hydrofluoric Acid - look it up if you don't know it). These things can be used safely, but you need to inform yourself in order to protect yourself.

I'm interested in the idea mentioned in that Lampwork Etc thread of using silicone carbide grit on the bead in the flame - that might be worth looking into...

[Nicknack]

Might be worth asking Josephine about these - I don't know if it's the sort of look you were aiming for?

http://www.frit-happens.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=36353.msg583699#msg583699

I did this course, (brilliant!) and we used bicarb.  For the little black pitted bits we made fine frit (heat a blob, mash it, heat it and dunk it in a dish of water) from Intense Black and used that.

The same course is on at the Old Kennels, Dunkeswell this November, but I've just seen that it's full. http://www.theoldkennels.co.uk/programmecurrent.html

Nick

[JanieD]

I've just looked at that course at the Old Kennels and it looks fantastic - pity there's a waiting list. I would definitely do it if there was another one.
I remember looking at Josephine's beads and thinking how lovely they were.



Jane

[GaysieMay]

Thanks for the replies, I think I'll try baking soda first, I seem to remember using it by mistake once when wanting the bubbles technique and it going all white and cloudy, that was on ant green transparent - looked good but at the time wasn't what I was expecting. Thanks all xxx

[Nicknack]

You don't need a lot, Gay.  For bubbles you roll the bead in bicarb and enclose without heating the bicarb (sorry, I can hear grandmothers sucking eggs!), but for this you roll the hot bead in a little bicarb and heat.  If you want more you can do it again.  Julia (Pandanimal) uses it quite a lot, and her pebble beads are lovely.

JanieD, that was a great course!  If they do it again you should definitely have a go.  I never actually finished my necklace - I was going to do it at home, and made a few of the beads I hadn't done on the course, and remade a few I wasn't happy with, but I guess I'm too much of a butterfly, I went on to something else .  I must finish it one day.  It was strange, we were all making the same thing, and all made the same beads (the main, interesting ones), so you might expect all our necklaces to look much the same.  They all had the "look", but they were all different.  I suppose that's because we only had 3 days, and Julie had much longer, to work on them over and over until they were an exact copy.  I admire her patience!

Nick

[GaysieMay]

I wonder if I used too much bicarbonate last time it formed bubbles, but because the glass is opaque you could nt see them, they were under the surface, will have another play.

[Trudi]

I'm sure I've seen another tutorial somewhere .... quite possibly an old soda lime times one!