sashas silver glass help

[jamie lynne]

i just ordered and received sasha's silver. i honestly thought it was a striking glass, which i have down, but when it failed to strike for me i realized it was a reducer! i haven't ever had any luck with ANY reduction, dont get me wrong, i can get it to reduce, but it all seems to look about the same, black shiney gun metal , no matter what color i use. so the question is how the heck do i get COLOR out of it and when i do, how do i go about encasing it. this reduction thing is a whole new beast to me! so help me, please!

[Hayley]

The earlier batches of Sasha's Silver were both striking and reducing. . . the later ones are only reducing.

It's also called Michelangelo. There are a few posts regarding this glass under that name . . . do a search if you are interested.

[jamie lynne]

this said it was first run....

[Hayley]

First run as in first quality perhaps? What color is the rod?

[jamie lynne]

well thats kinda throwin' me too... i got 1/4 pound, 6 rods are transparent blueish green, and i got one that has the same bluish green tone but is opaque...? got it from abr, says first... and it looks opaque baby blue in their picture...

[Hayley]

I got some from ABR too fairly recently and it doesn't strike. The ones I got over a year, a year and a half ago did. Those did not contain any transparent rods, the newer batches do. . . . at least in the ones I got!

[jamie lynne]

so reducing stuff huh.... bummer. lol. thanks for your help

[Hayley]

It's very pretty, reduced then encased!

[jamie lynne]

so stupid question time... do you encase in the reducing flame so the reduction doesnt go away? seems obvious, but i get mud everytime i encase a reduction, striking i get, reduction i don't..

[Hayley]

I adjust back to a neutral flame after reduction is done and keep the bead below the flame when encasing. Anouk has a great tutorial out on that if you are interested.

http://lampworketc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=125693

[nancyinvermont]

Jamie Lynne, I have Anouk's tutorial and found it really helpful. I was having trouble reducing ANYthing properly, which I gather is your difficulty also.

Nancy

[crystalflipz]

Sasha's Silver is one glass that, for me at least, looks better the more it is cooked. It also will keep some of its reduction color when used as a base under striking silver glasses so you can get some nice contrasts going. This is Hades black with Sasha's Silver shards and StrikingColor B1 frit.
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c81/crystalflipz/michelangeloshardswithB1fritonHades.jpg

[nancyinvermont]

What a nice combination, Carol, using the shards and the frit. Beautiful bead.

Nancy

[Torcha]

I also can get very beautiful purples out of Sasha's Silver.
Alana

[SadiesJewels]

I love the original Michaelangelo ... beautiful blue/greens when reduced and encased. I can't get quite the look with the newer batches (more transparent rods) but still get nice blueish effects - just not as obvious.

[crystalflipz]

Thanks Nancy! Mine are all the older, opaque rods - I guess I need to try some of the newer stuff (always looking for a good excuse to buy more glass!)

[jamie lynne]

does anyone have a picture of what it is supposed to look like encased and unencased? maybe i am getting the results i'm supposed to be getting, and i just don't like it. i made one last night, encased, and it ended up kinda looking like a blue butterfly wing...kinda... if ya squint real hard and tilt your head to the side and use you imagination! LOL. and i tried one unencased and i got what reminds me of a dragonfly, kinda irridecent blue. looks like it is tutorial time, since i already blew almost an entire rod last night dinkin around with it.

[piedradesigns]

Ooh, Carol, beautiful bead!!! Inspired me to try making shards one more time.

[Troll Lover]

I only have the older rods, and this is what I got encased:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3070/3009279369_5fca1e7738.jpg?v=1226043918

I haven't used it in a while though, but after seeing your bead Carol I wanna use it right away, lovely!

And thank you Hayley and Nancy for your kind words :love:!

[jamie lynne]

OHHHH! i did it! granted it was just the end of the rod (cause i really didn't want to waste anymore on fugly beads) but i did it! i guess sometimes it helps to read the directions... and follow them! i was using a HUGE HONKIN reduction flame with zero oxy because i was used to working with taxco which suggests using a zero oxy dragons breath reduction flame, once i toned the reductiong flame down to about 2 inch candle it worked like a charm! whoooo hooo! bad news is now i'll be buying more glass, lol.

[volkanokaren]

Thank you !!!!!!! I started playing with my Sashas Silver yesturday ,,kinda got some color other than brown and was using the HUGE HONKIN reduction flame too ,,,soooo should I be initialy super heating in neutral and then usie a slight reduction flame to reduce???

Karen
Volcano Exotik

[jamie lynne]

i didn't really super heat cause it was on the end of the rod and it would have just dripped off, but i did get it pretty hot, then i let it cool till the glow was gone, adjusted my flame to about a 2 in candle maybe a hair bigger, and reduced it in the back a couple times... i didn't get SUPER results, but i did end up with blue, and it was not super metalic like i had gotten before. i think once i make a bead with it it will work better. on the other hand i tried psyche and got super results with this process! yeah i love reducing glass now, i always thought it was supposed to get super metalic... WRONG! unless that is what you are goin for...

[Hayley]

I have a lot of information on working with silver glass under the Label "Silver Glass 101" on the right sidebar in my blog if you are interested.

http://envisionsf.blogspot.com

[jamie lynne]

thanks hayley!

[StephBonniwell]

Glad I found this thread, thank you!

I haven't worked with Sasha's Silver/Michelangelo in a while and picked it back up a week or so ago. I was making a big pressed bead and used the end of an old rod(bottom half of bead) and the beginning of a new rod(top half of bead) to make this one. I was planning to encase, but I had too much glass already for the press, so I alternated between reducing and erasing a few times before I stopped messing around.

I thought this might serve as one example of an old batch vs new batch of Michelangelo in the same bead. Unencased. Also, I used a very light reducing flame by turning down my oxygen slightly.

164940

[nancyinvermont]

Steph, that's a great example. I have had the old batch, but ordered some more, so I wonder if it'll be the new one. I like the old one. I really like your trillium-shaped flowers on your bead! The trilliums are just blooming here now, and are the state flower of Vermont, and I just love that shape!

:love: Nancy

[volkanokaren]

Well Im a little disapointed,,,,I have the new batch,1/4 lb of it,,,:pout:,,,but at least Im getting the right brown with slight,slight purply blue

Karen
Volkano Exotik

[jamie lynne]

don't really know if what i got is correct but i LOVE IT! will be making a set of beads tomorrow. here is an end of a rod i was playing around with.
164964

[nancyinvermont]

Jamie, that's a gorgeous color!
Can't wait to see your beads.

Nancy

[jamie lynne]

thanks, it is more purple than what the camera picked up, it was being a pain today. can't wait to get a few beads made with it. yummy color!

[volkanokaren]

=D>Jamie...killer color!!!!!I hope I can do it too.Good luck with your next beads!

Karen
Volkano Exotik

[StephBonniwell]

Very nice, Jamie! Keep us posted!

Nancy, I am envious of your native trilliums. They are such pure beauty! My bead isn't the best example of what Michelangelo can do, but it is at least one example of an old vs new rod and then reduction in a very modest propane-rich flame. So, don't give up on the new rods!!

[Hayley]

Great example, Steph. I find that the new Sasha's Silver is definitely not as colorful (or iridescent) when reduced as the old ones.

[Troll Lover]

That is indeed a great example Steph! Too bad the new batch Sasha's silver is like this :(.

[jamie lynne]

so my beads SUCKED, i couldn't get them to do anything interesting at all, so i tried using it on a pendant... here is what i came up with! i kinda like it
165535

[crystalflipz]

Beautiful bead Steph! Love the trilliums - did I understand that they were done with one of the newer rods?
My bead isn't nearly as exciting as Steph's, but I thought it struck nicely. It's a basic straight-sided lentil bead that I heated to almost white hot, let it cool, struck it in a neutral flame then flashed through a soft reducing flame - then repeated the whole heat/strike/reduce sequence again. This is from a really thick rod out of the older batch.
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c81/crystalflipz/playing%20with%20silver%20glass/2daysplaywithsilverglasssashassilve.jpg

[crystalflipz]

Jamie, I love that pendant.

[Birdy]

This is the only time that I got lots of color out of Sasha's Silver. These were made with some of the old opaque rods. Have tried the newer transparent rods and got nothing except brown. Beads are richer purple than they look in pic.

I'm photo-challenged. This picture was taken by Keith of Frantz Art Glass. Thanks Keith!!

http://www.lampworketc.com/forums/uploadedimages.php?viewid=168751 (http://www.lampworketc.com/forums/uploadedimages.php?viewid=168751)
Birdy
Cricket on Propane & 5 lpm Oxy-con