Reichenbach 104 Devitrification Issues

[sweetiedog]

Has anyone else experienced devit issues with the Reichenbach Mystic glass colors? I recently purchased a sampler pack to give them all a try. Last night I made beads with Mystic yellow, green, blue, pink, violet, and orange.

Now I half expected the pink and violet to possibly give me troubles, but all of them devitrified on me. Even the green, orange, blue and yellow.

They were all half-n-half beads with a strip of SIS down the middle and some twists thrown in. Every single one of them was pressed multiple times. I noticed the devit start to show up after the second or third pressing so I'm wondering if this glass just can't handle the rapid cooling/re-heating process you get when making pressed beads?

My torch setup is a Betta on natural gas and a 5lpm concentrator. I returned the bead to a fully heated glow after I noticed it to try and burn off the devit, but I still couldn't seem to get rid of it. The pink and orange came out the worst, but even colors I wouldn't expect to devit like the green and blue went scummy on me. It looks just like your typical EDP devit - pitting and white chalky filmy residue on the surface.

Anybody else have issues with this glass? Does it require special handling? A specific flame chemistry?

If it just can't handle multiple pressings then I am going to have to dump it. Which is a bummer because I was really excited about the striated semi-opaque colors, but all of my beads go through multiple press/reheat/press cycles so I can't be having devit-sensitive glass. I've never had this problem with any other colors, although I've notably avoided EDP because I know it can't handle being pressed multiple times either.

Thanks for any insight and input!

[Elizabeth Beads]

Yes.

[mewkittie]

Me too.

[neagle]

Yes-I have Mystic Blue and it devitrified when I mashed it after heating it for a reasonably long time.

[BeadBlossoms]

Hmmm, I've never had a problem with the mystic pink or violet - but I work it a bit cool and shape with a beadroller. I'll have to try pressing it and see what happens. Here's a set I did a bit ago, and had no problems. But I also bought the glass about a year ago, I wonder if it makes a difference?

251345

[Lisi]

Try not using a press or a roller and see what happens. Some glass just does not like graphite or the presses either.

[MelanieG]

So weird. I have only used Mystic Pink, Mystic Coral, Mystic Yellow, Mystic Beige and Mystic Blue-Grey, but none of them have devitrified on me at all.

My glass is more than a year old though... maybe it's something they've changed in the glass? I would really hate it if this stuff stopped being fun to use because I love it.

[killerbeedz1]

I use the pink the most and it has devited. I have found that you need to work it cool and fast for best results. I would not use this glass if I had to reheat and press it multiple times. Even if you are working cooler.

[Lisi]

I'll bet it makes beautiful spacers! Beautiful enough to be used as a single color I'm sure, so I'll put it on my list under one condition. Is it streaky and inconsistent from beads to bead or can they be uniform in color? Which colors are the least problem free?

Thanks in advance! :)

[neagle]

I bought the Mystic Blue over a year ago-it was in a sample pack. I'll have to try again and work it cooler. It's not my favorite blue, and I only have one rod, so I didn't really care too much.

[chrissij]

I think it's a heat thing. I made some pink murrini with it, and to begin with, everything was cool, but then, when close to finishing the bead ('cause I want the shape perfect and F with it too long), it devits and fries on me. :(

[artwhim]

Funny, a couple years ago I made the same beads you are talking about with ivory, Mystic pink and SIS down the middle. They were SSLs and after pressing and reheating a few times, the pink started to devit on me too. I've also had it happen on Mystic Beige bicones. Once the pink got the devit, I never could get rid of it without the color looking a bit funky.

[mewkittie]

I can make spacer beads with the Mystic colors without getting any devit. It's when I work it a while that I get it. The pink seems to be the worse.

[sweetiedog]

Sorry for not getting back to this thread earlier. Just got back from vacation.

I sincerely appreciate all the responses. I thought it was just me and I didn't know what I was doing. Glad to know I am not alone.

I am going to attempt to redo all the beads and work them a little differently based on the reading I've done here about EDP - cooler flame, less oxy, and try to limit the press/reheat/press cycle. I will post my results and let you know if anything helped at all.

[swamper]

I'll bet it makes beautiful spacers! Beautiful enough to be used as a single color I'm sure, so I'll put it on my list under one condition. Is it streaky and inconsistent from beads to bead or can they be uniform in color? Which colors are the least problem free?

Thanks in advance! :)

You can make spacers all the same. The streaky is small. I have had some mystic purple stay all one color - depends on the heat.

[Lisi]

You can make spacers all the same. The streaky is small. I have had some mystic purple stay all one color - depends on the heat.

I saw some beads made with it and the streaky is actually pretty, so that's fine with me! :)

[sweetiedog]

Last night I remade all the beads with the same exact Mystic glass colors with much better success. I worked much cooler & faster, with an ever-so-slightly reducing flame and only pressed the bead a total of 2 times - once for initial sizing and once for final shaping - instead of pressing after each "step" like usual.

No devit this time. Just beautiful shampoo-like colors.

So my theory is that this glass just does not like to be worked very hard and for very long. Get in, get shaped, get out and it stays beautiful. Putz around and you get devit.

Even though I got it to "work" it's still way too high maintenance for my liking so I will not be ordering more - which is too bad because when it works it is beautiful. But the reality is I was stressed out the whole time I was working it to try and stave off the devit. Kinda takes the fun out of it. :pout:

Hope this helps others who are having issues with this glass.

[LarryC]

.

Even though I got it to "work" it's still way too high maintenance for my liking so I will not be ordering more - which is too bad because when it works it is beautiful. But the reality is I was stressed out the whole time I was working it to try and stave off the devit. Kinda takes the fun out of it. :pout:

Hope this helps others who are having issues with this glass.

I like glasses like this. I tend to put in the time to perfect the process and then the stress of working is completely gone. Sounds like the result is worth the time. End result is that you have a product that few will be able to duplicate that stands out from the crowd. :-P