Iris Gold dulling in kiln???

[ajwhite]

Hi everyone~

Can anyone tell me why my iris gold is sometimes dulling in the kiln? They are bright and shiny when I put them in there. This mostly happens with dots but not always. Other reduction colors have done this too but not as much as the Iris Gold.

I tried putting a pea sized piece of charcoal in the kiln as Tink had suggested in another thread but it has no effect.

I'm stumped....


Audra

[FiredDesires]

Audra...I'll be waiting to see what answers are given to this question. I don't work with iris gold, but the one time I did...my bead (with dots) ended up looking like bronze mud! Maybe I shouldn't have reduced them so much? I see folks that lay stringer, dots or whatever and have such a shine to them after annealing I'm sometimes wondering if they didn't cheat and paint them with Hanovia! lol Maybe its' one of those PPP things...gotta play more with it.

[ajwhite]

I am so glad I'm not the only one this has happened to. I was beginning to think I was reducing wrong! I know they are not over reduced because they are completely shiny going into the kiln. I lay them on a fiber blanket but that should not hurt the reduction. It does normally happen more with dots. If the iris gold is part of the bead I rarely have the problem of it dulling. This is really frustrating because I love to use Iris Gold but am so tired of bronze mud! I did a wine stopper with Iris Gold accents - swirls, dots etc. Shiny and and pretty going into the kiln - mud coming out. Nothing like an ugly paperweight!

Audra

[Feldt's Glass]

There is an example of this in passing the flame, in the back with the second addition info. I believe she used that color. I also read somewhere here that the secret to reduction is not to let it get to warm and therefore burn it off again. Keep the bead in the back of the flame and turn the oxy way down or off. I have had really good luck with this but don't do it often, so I really hope someone else answers your question.

[Kevan]

I have had this happen with the Reichenbach, but the Kugler seemed to stay shinier.

I like the Kugler better.

[ajwhite]

I don't know what brand I have - I got the rods from Val's site. Maybe I'll try pulling them from thick chunks but those are from Val too. Like I said, it is only on raised decoration that this usually happens too. It rarely happens when it is flat on a bead. I know it is shiny when it goes in -but dull when it comes out. Where do you get Kugler vs. Reichenbach?

Thanks for your input!
Audra

[Paradise Designs]

I too have this problem some times. My goldstone stringer has been doing this the last few times of used it too...how bazzar. I have heard that the Kuglar is better, but why the golstone dulls is just weird. I'm wondering if it has something to do with the kiln temperature? I'm anxious for answers too.

Lynne :>)

[*san*]

I'm anxious for answers too.
Lynne :>)

But there are still no answers.
Anyone? I'm anxious too.

San

[pam]

hmmmm, I can tell you what I think, but to prove it........haven't done that much experimentation. 10, 15 years ago when I was using Reichenbach Iris Gold quite a bit, I never had a problem losing the shinyness. At that time I garaged my beads at 940 and the beads came out as they went in. A few years ago I started playing with my same supply again and was having problems with it becoming mud-like in the kiln - garaging at 963. So, I reduced the garaging temp and just held it at that 940 temp an extra long time (an additional hour) before starting the annealing. All the beads came out bright and shiny again. I didn't play with it much, so it could have all been happenstance, but that's my theory.