Pixie Dust - What is it?

[SquareOneBeads]

Hi all,
A very generous person gave me some samples of pixie dust. It looks very cool. What do I do with it?

Thanks,
Heather

[starlia]

It's actually mica powder. You can roll your beads in it. Do several coatings to get a good covering.

[SquareOneBeads]

Thanks! Do I fire the bead after or would that damage the mica?

Heather

[starlia]

Keep reheating the powder inbetween coatings. Some mica takes heat better than others. You'll have to experiment with the powder you have to see what kind of results you'll get.

[Listenup]

About a year ago, to make things easier for those who wanted to use the mica powders (including myself) and because there wasn't one anywhere else, I came up with a chart that shows not only the color as it comes out of the jar, but how it looks when it's used. The chart is with a basic bead in black, white, and clear, but it shows how heat affects the mica color - each bead was rolled in the dust twice and flashed in the flame twice - and they've been annealed.
http://www.listen-up.org/kitty/beads/pearl/charts.htm
Of course, this chart isn't the ideal chart. The ideal chart would show how the powders look on every color of base glass, since it does affect the final look - maybe someday. :biggrin:

-Kay

[SuzyQ]

Kay I love your chart! I used it to determine which polymer clay pearlex to sell and keep.

[margriet@stainedglass.nl]

Thanks, I just got Mica powder and now I know what to do with it....