newbie to dichroic

[Beads-on-Toast]

Hi guys,

I fancy playing with some dichroic in my bead designs and i currently use 104 COE.

Can you advise of any good suppliers?

Do you pre-heat the dichroic or treat it just like a rod?

Thanks in advance guys.x

[suzanne]

try it from R4 glass ( www.fineartbyrocio.com)
I got the samplepack and I love it!

[Feldt's Glass]

I purchased some from frantz art glass. You need to heat the side that is not treated with the dichroic. Bounce in and out of the flame to get it bendable, then place on the bead. Very important to not put the dichroic side in the flame at all. Tuck in the edges to keep the dichroic from comming up and scumming up the clear layer. I hope this makes sence.

[Carolyn M]

Remember to place the dichroic side down on the bead.

[crystalflipz]

I'll second the Dichro from R4. Gorgeous colors and I haven't managed to burn/scum it up yet!

[lldesigns]

I'll second the Dichro from R4. Gorgeous colors and I haven't managed to burn/scum it up yet!


I have. :sad: I have the worst time with dichro! Even working it cool I have a terrible time making it look good. I can't tuck the edges down fast enough and end up with scum creeping up the sides of the strip. I also have trouble meeting the ends up properly so one side always looks ugly. I love the look of dichro and so want to be able to use it in my designs...sigh. I envy and congratulate anyone who is able to work successfully with dichroic.

[suzanne]

I'll second the Dichro from R4. Gorgeous colors and I haven't managed to burn/scum it up yet!

I've scummed it unafortunatly. What helps for me is cleaning the glass part ( not the dicro coating) with an alcohol whipe, put the glass down on my bead as cool as I possibly can with my barracuda, and imediatly encase the glass part with transparant. That is the only way I can prevent scumming. I have not burned out the dichro, I have done that with other dicroglass but not with this particular glass. The thing I like best is the fact that the R4 Dichro comes in very thin and narow strips, very easy to use IMO

Laury try encasing the sides of the dichro instead of pushing them down first, it might help you, it did help me:)

[Emily]

Remember to place the dichroic side down on the bead.

If you're using dichro on clear, that is. If you're using dichro on black, you have to sneak the flame in underneath the dichro strip so that you're heating the black back and get it soft enough to lay down on the bead with the dichro facing up. Then you either have to encase the dichro with clear, or finish your shaping on the bead without scuzzing up the dichro. (Don't try dichro on black until you've mastered dichro on clear.)

Some colors will fry more easily than other colors because the coating is thicker. If you're using CBS (Coatings by Sandberg) dichro, which is good quality dichro, the Premium colors are more durable than the standard colors because they get an extra pass from the coating machine. It's done that way for the sake of the color, but it has the effect of making the color just a little bit harder to ruin. I can ruin pretty much any color of dichro, but the Premium Colors (which are likely to be the more vivid colors) are less sensitive than the standard colors. You still need to be very careful not to hit the coating with a direct flame, and to cover the edges and the seams with clear as soon as you can. Heat the clear gently once you have the dichro applied, and use the edge of a metal tool (I use my small brass Stump shaper) to nudge the clear over the edge.

If you want a specific recommendation, go for CBS Rainbow 2 (not Rainbow 1, not Rainbow A, B, C, or D). If you're buying strips, get the ones that have been pre-fired. Sometimes they're called pre-fused or pre-slumped. That means they've been heated in a kiln until the edges are rounded. I don't know why, but it seems to make it a little harder to ruin the dichro when it's been given a kiln run. Maybe it's the rounding of the edges, or maybe it adheres the coating better. Whatever the reason, I think it helps. My reason for recommending Rainbow 2 is that it's a Premium color (Rainbow 1 is not, so it's paler and easier to burn) and it will give you a variety of colors on one strip. It's my favorite -- I buy quarter or half sheets and cut my own strips (or I would, if I could break the Double Helix habit that I've formed recently.)

[Leanne]

The only way I can get dichro to work is to use 90 coe dichro. I don't know why but it is SOOOO much easier than 104 dichro TRUST ME!