using transp & dicroich = cracks?

[bubblefizz]

I had some pieces of dicroich glass (104) i used transparent glass as a base and then encased the whole bead in clear and its cracked  i was really pleased with it aswell it was a nugget shaped bead also i batch anneal my work,could it be the size of the bead? even though i tried to keep it small it seems inpossible with the thickness of the dicroich then encasing
any tips on using it?

[beads-on-toast]

have you got a picture?

might be TOO stressed being dichro and pressed

[bubblefizz]

here it is sorry bout the awful pic 

[Trudi]

Ohh that's a shame - very pretty beads!!

[turquoise]

oh what a pain in the neck, they looked like lovely beads too. I hope this problem gets sorted out. 

[dinah46]

Mm! I just posted in this thread and it's vanished

I've had similar cracking problems with dichro encasing trans. The only dichro bead of mine that survived was the barbie bling example from Sarah's think pink tut possibly either because it was super heated and swirled or because it was 2 separate pieces ie. not encasing

I find the dichro to be a lot stiffer glass than the 104 rods

[beads-on-toast]

they look like compatability cracks as opposed to thermal, but i may be wrong

are you using sheet dichro? i only use pre fused but i know a lot of artisits who use sheet with success.

are you sure the COE are the same?

are you encasing with Lauscha?

[Vicki]

Aw, they were gorgeous

[garishglobes]

That is a shame, they did look pretty.
I agree, they look like compatibility cracks. I think thermal cracks are usually straight, and often cut the bead in half?
I too have had problems encasing dichro glass with transparent, though it is usually ok provided I don't use too much at a go.

[Donna@Rockin' Beads]

I had cracks in some of my early big encased beads which I put down to not melting the clear in enough. I have only made 3 dichroic beads but they are fine. I reckon it might be that you are not melting the clear fully - IMHO  

[beads-on-toast]

it could be getting an even heat within the bead too.

When i use dichroic i make sure the encasement layer and the dichro are heated to the same temperature to ensure they gel together so that the two layers do not keep seperate at different temps.

does this make any sense?

[beadysam]

Looks like incompatability to me!  I've had the same problem recently with some Lauscha I used, only where the Lauscha is the bead has cracked. This is also exactly the same patttern of cracking I had between different colours of P&T glass.  Are you sure your dichro is 104coe?

[dinah46]

Are there issues with using Lauscha with dichro then?

[beadysam]

No, no! Sorry, I didn't make myself at all clear did I?   No, I used some coloured Lauscha in a bead with some vetro or moretti glass and just where the Lauscha was, I got incompatability cracks - the Lauscha was incompatable with the base glass and it caused the same sort of pattern of cracking as seen in the piccy of the dichro bead.  The same colour of Lauscha wasn't very compatable with anything though, all of the other beads I made with it cracked too - no great loss though, it isn't the easiest colour to wear. 

[bubblefizz]

I cant be 100% its 104 i know i have some other but its black based and that said 104
but yea maybe this one isnt