Where did my oilslick go?

[Anne Ricketts]

I tried out some bullseye glass with the lustre glass the other day. I pulled the lustre into stringer for some raised designs and they were all cool and oilslicky when I put them in the kiln. I take them out of the kiln the next day and all of my lustre is gone!! :shock: :cry: What happened?

[chrisdd]

I remember reading somewhere that you have to put the lustres in the kiln while they're hot. I wonder if the temp would affect the finish?

[pam]

Hi Anne, Which of the lustres did you use?

[Anne Ricketts]

I used the transparent light aqua green one but it went to an almost khaki color when I pulled them out! :-s

[pam]

Okay, that is the copper green. I LOVE that khaki color - only I call it green, and it gets blue striations as you work it from hot to cold and back and forth. This one takes more propane to reduce than most of them. You can have it turn the khaki color and put uranium lustre dots on it and reduce the uranium with just a tad of propane added to the flame and the khaki won't reduce. Back to the copper green, if you reduce it too much it will turn kind of brown, but you can get a really great metallic copper out of it if you play a little bit to get the right amount of propane, just think more rather than less.
I hope this helps.

[Fana]

Ann, I remember the subject from WC. Take a look at this link, that may be what happened to your lustre beads.

http://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/showthread.php?t=291221&highlight=reducing+atmosphere

[Anne Ricketts]

Thanks ya'll! I talked to Vicki Harrison last night at the meeting about it and she told me that using the lustres, you pretty much have to go all the way with propane so I'll try them again! :-D

[FiredDesires]

Anne, when I work with the frit/stringers made with this luster glass..I use a an oxy flame (to keep it from lustering) and only do the propane one to bring the luster out right before putting in the kiln, they act alot like reduction frits. You CAN burn this luster effect out of the glass with too hot of flame, and it ends up with drab/dull colors. The below pic is amber luster.

[Heather/Ericaceae]

If was shiny before the kiln, maybe you had too much fresh air in the kiln? I've read threads that talk about using a dish of activated charcoal in a kiln to suck out that pesky excess O2 to keep reduction effects shiny. I'm so not a kiln expert - does this ring a bell with anybody?

[Joanne Owsley]

If was shiny before the kiln, maybe you had too much fresh air in the kiln? I've read threads that talk about using a dish of activated charcoal in a kiln to suck out that pesky excess O2 to keep reduction effects shiny. I'm so not a kiln expert - does this ring a bell with anybody?

I've heard of doing this, too. BUT, I've also heard that it's very hard on the kiln elements. It sort of 'reduces' them, too. I probably ought to research it more, but just thought I'd throw that out there.