Boro compatibility

[evenia]

Is boro from different companies compatible with each other? Are all the COE's the same?

[Juln]

Yes, boro is boro.
Scientific blowers avoid mixing different formulas of clear (different companies), but their products have to stand up to more abuse temperature and chemical wise. Different color companies might use different base formulas and this can cause very slight stress, theoretically, but empirically, people mix different color companies colors all the time with no problems.
I feel like making GA-NS-Momka-Abe pieces is a nice way to laugh at color company politics. Take that!!

[firefreak]

I mix colors from 5 companies all the time. And clear from 3 companies. Haven't had any problems yet.

[Mr. Smiley]

Some colors are a little problematic, but it has nothing to do with mixing it with another companies color. The glass doesn't get involved in politics. :lol: Glass has a great attitude... we could learn so much from it's example. ;)

[Tanya]

NS does warn about heavily encasing their exotics - they say it changes the COE of the exotic slightly and can cause problems. I had a bead crack in the kiln that was an exotic fairly heavily encased (I hadn't read the NS warning when I did this.) Also, GA says that reducing their chrome colors can cause the color to change COE and also cause problems. But these are issues about very specific colors and not between companies. Other than the one bead I mentioned, I haven't had any problems at all except with one bead I accidentally encased with soft glass clear...

[kbinkster]

I have found that the Parasilicate colors (by Roger Paramore) are NOT all compatible with the rest of the boro brands.

EDIT: I think the white might be a safe color, as I have not heard otherwise. I have not used it alone with another brand (I always used it with another Parasilicate color when using it with another brand). It is a very good white, one of the better whites available.

[Juln]

Parasilicate is so weird.
I got a sample pack last year but haven't tried it much yet. I used to use the Siberia with other colors with no problems, as well as the white, a few years back.
It just seems like such different stuff. The opaque pastels don't really fit into my color schemes!

[e. mort]

Hi,

I made this tube implosion pendant yesterday, and I have some cracking, but only along one of the greens. I am pretty sure that it is the NS Jade that it is the culprit. I put the piece in when it still had a slight even glow to it, and followed my normal garage at 975 and anneal at 1050 for 1 hours routine. It is backed with NS star white, and encased with kimax clear. Any ideas on what I can do to keep this from happening in the future? I really like the NS Jade, and I don't want to have to toss it out.

Thanks,

Eric

[Cosmo]

I'd be willing to bet it is NS Jade. I have heard many many horror stories about that color when used under clear.

[MikeAurelius]

Yeah - a lot of the greens are 'problematic' to use a kind phrase...and I totally agree about the Parramore colors - they are weird...

[MikeAurelius]

Eric - the only advice I can give you is to not use the Jade quite so thick and don't encase it heavily.

[Cosmo]

I know that Precision has a color very similar, and it seems to work well inside clear. I think it's called Green Tea.

[e. mort]

Thanks for the input!

[Juln]

You can try mxing the Jade with clear.. but really, it sucks. Encasing it in an oxidizing flame can also help, but mixing it a bit usually does the trick. Oxidize, oxidize.
A fabulous glass artist made me a lovely Jade Devil sculpture that represents the horror of this color.
Go to GA's website (www.glassalchemyarts.com) and read up about Chromium in their comprehensive user manual.
Just use the NS Forest green instead: Let the Jade Devil rot in Hell. Except Jade Powder, it isn't cursed.
It has an adjusted COE so it does not have the Jade Problem.
I've actually made pieces with surface stripes of jade where the jade stripe FELL OUT and left a groove in the piece.

[baylie]

for beads like that you might try encasing yellow crayon with cobalt as your green

[Tanya]

Bummer...I just ordered some jade cause it's such a nice color. Perhaps I'll just use it all by itself.

[firefreak]

Jade works great on outside work. or coil potted. just don't deep encase it and its fine. check out northstar's hint on working their color. I'm using the new formulation
http://www.northstarglass.com/

[Juln]

Is there a new formulation? Non evil, like the new Forest Green? (I loved the old Forest Green until some of my pieces exploded. Also, "Teal")