New silver colours

[Carolyn M]

I'm debating whether it is worth me purchasing some of the newer silver glass colours. I'm specifically looking at R4 Waterfall and Peridot. Are these colours very different from all the other silvers? I have almost all the others, I just wonder if it's worth having these two. Also, what about Silver Stone?

[VivianLampwork]

I can't tell you about the Peridot, but my Waterfall does nothing. I emailed R4 about it & they said that there were 2 different batches from the same run. One was partially transparent & the other was totally transparent. The one Kevan got the beautiful colors from was partially transparent & the one I have is totally transparent. If you could get your hands on the one like Kevan showed it might be worth getting.

[R4GlassStudio]

The new batch of waterfall is super reactive... the same as what Kevan used.

[Carolyn M]

Well, that helps my decision!

[AKDesigns]

Skip Silver Stone.

[Carolyn M]

Thanks Amy!

[AKDesigns]

Thanks Amy!

If you really just want to try it anyway I can send you some...I have plenty!

[Carolyn M]

Will it make me crazy?

[JetAge Studio]

Ok, I just have to jump in here...
Did you ever try Zeus? No one talks about Zeus!!
It's super ez to strike: but you have to work it cool, then strike in a redux flame. It takes a few passes, but it will strike, and you'll see it best against trans. orange, or black. It's a transparent silver glass, so the colors under it will either work with it, or not at all..(best to use orange, rubino, ambers or black!) It's crazy how the warm colors compliment Zeus...but I guess that's what draws me to the glass.
Just ordered Waterfall, and I'm excited about it!!

Here's an example of Zeus...
92157 94379

it's the blue in the first image, and the purple-blue in the second.

Renee Wiggins
JetAge Studio

[AKDesigns]

Will it make me crazy?

Well...yes! I couldn't get it to do anything and that was after about 20 minutes trying to strike it. I then tried to encase it and nothing.

[AKDesigns]

Renee I only tried Zeus once on a bead that I used tons of different silver glasses on and the bead had incompatibility cracks all over it. I don't know what glass caused it so I'm not blaming the Zeus. I just haven't picked it up since. I did use Black Pearl for the first time today and I'm in total love. But I guess I should hold off my love affair until I see the beads out of the kiln.

[steph1214]

Hey girls,

well, i am new to the R4 glass and just bought the clear and the Michaelangelo after taking a Jen Geldard class i bought a bead that had Mich on it and it is cool. is is similar to any of the double helix glasses? thanks, and do i absolutely have to have any other colors of r4, which ones? go ahead twist my arm, my money is burning a hole in my pocket, oops, that pocket is empty but i will get more and then it will burn a hole in my pocket!;-)

steph

[Hayley]

I love Michelangelo, Black Pearl and Miro. Black Pearl is very similar to Black Nebula except that it's jet black if hit with an oxydizing flame, very cool with the reduced part that's iridescent and blues. Michelangelo is both a reduction and a striking color. Miro is similar to Gaia but doesn't get the washed out look when over reduced.

[R4GlassStudio]

There are no cracking problems from any of the R4 colors. They are all a TRUE 104 and can be used freely with all other brands of 104. Cracking from mixing with Lauscha can happen with all brands of silver glass....but, their clear isn't really 104 coe, it's published at 105.

[steph1214]

Thanks Hayley,
I tried the michaelangelo today and loved what i saw going into the kiln, i hope its like christmas when i open the kiln up!!!!:) I will definately try other R4 glasses, i seemed to have a harder time with the nyx DH than michaelangelo! Thanks for the other thread Hayley (your list of silver glass), so cool of you girl!

steph

p.s. thanks R4! i figured there were not problems with cracking, it seems to be a lauscha annealing schedule problem for me, not the lauscha itself.

[Rachel]

I think Michelangelo is my favorite. I love the purples I get from it. I like Cezanne a lot too. I've had good success with almost all of the R4 colors. I've had no problems with lauscha and the silver glasses personally but I've heard that some people do. I typically have several layers of the lauscha with only small amounts of silver colors so that might be the reason. I got some of the peridot recently but haven't tried it yet. I got a sample of waterfall from a kind soul and I love it so I am eager to get the new batch!

I think R4 has the best rubino too so I hope that is in stock soon as well. I am almost out.

[steph1214]

whoa, I am sooooo sad, my encased Michaelangelo beads did not turn out like i thought!! When they went in i had the turquoise blue and purple, different shades throughout the melted in stringer and now it just looks, like bluish gray!!! ugh, HELP:shtf: Does it like to be encased or does it lose some color? i will try without encasing tonight!!

steph

[JetAge Studio]

Renee I only tried Zeus once on a bead that I used tons of different silver glasses on and the bead had incompatibility cracks all over it. I don't know what glass caused it so I'm not blaming the Zeus. I just haven't picked it up since. I did use Black Pearl for the first time today and I'm in total love. But I guess I should hold off my love affair until I see the beads out of the kiln.

That's a bummer! I have never had any trouble whatsoever with Zeus, and I generally tend to encase it a lot, I just use Eff clear, that's all I have. I tend to pretty much stick with Eff as my colors of choice, I also use CiM, with no problems, and I only have a few Vetro colors. The only silver glass I had crack on me was the Trans. DaVinci (we had that conversation earlier in the "critique" section :) ), and I still haven't figured out what I did differently, so I'm going to just blame it on me that I didn't flame anneal properly.
Hmm, wonder what glass was your problem glass.

Renee

[AKDesigns]

I had done a base of DaVinci and put probably 10 different colors on it, mostly silver glass. I can't blame any one color. But there were spider web cracks all over the bead after a few days and it wasn't centered over any one color. There was also Silver Cinnamon, River Rock and Ivory....I got a little carried away but the bead totally rocked! It was sad.

"over reduced" I really hate that term as it implies you've done something wrong. I really like the look of heavy reduction with some of the colors.

[Rachel]

The way I work Michelangelo is this: I might use it as a base color or as a color for flower petals. I reduce slightly in a light reduction flame (with some oxy) then it turns dark and doesn't look like anything special at all. Then, I always encase it. I have found that it will do different things depending on how much encasing is done to it and how much you heat it. Here's a bead that I used Michelangelo in several places with different results.

The base of the bead is Michelangelo and it is a bit blue. The flower petals on the 3 petal flowers has Michelangelo and they are a bit purple. The top of both of the bigger petals is also Michelangelo and I got different results. I love Michelangelo for this reason. I owe t his bead to Kevan. I need to send it.

94527 94526

Here's a custom order I had with Michelangelo where I reduced it a little more and then encased it. The lines in it aren't cracks, it was just the way the Michelangelo was layered and I didn't melt the lines out very well. I always use lauscha to encase but I tried the new CIM clear this weekend and I am loving it. I am waiting to see if I have any cracks or problems with it to make a final decision but for now, it is my new favorite clear. I love R4 clear too.

87534

Here's another bead made from Michelangelo only and it has different colors as well. All of them are encased and had different degrees of reduction before encasing. However, before encasing all of them, the Michelangelo looked dark and didn't look like much. I would try a light reduction until you see a little shine and then let it cool and encase it in a neutral flame without letting the flame hit the Michelangelo again until it is fully encased. That's what I do anyway. I am certainly no expert though
79317

whoa, I am sooooo sad, my encased Michaelangelo beads did not turn out like i thought!! When they went in i had the turquoise blue and purple, different shades throughout the melted in stringer and now it just looks, like bluish gray!!! ugh, HELP:shtf: Does it like to be encased or does it lose some color? i will try without encasing tonight!!

steph

[Pat]

Rachel. beautiful work. :)

[steph1214]

WOW, i am loving the colors you have gotten out of this glass, thanks so much Rachel for posting such great info on Michaelangelo and the pics are out of this world!!!! The bead that i encased look like the last bead before i encased it and put it in the kiln. i will try a lighter redux like you suggest and see what i get. I am so inspired right now, but i am off to basketball (my daughter)!!!! Thanks a million!!! i love you guys, you rock!! what would i do without the biggest and greatest community around? We glass people are pretty special, lol!

steph

[Firebrand Beads]

Thanks for mentioning Zeus, Renee. It's my new favorite, too. Testing this glass is part of my job at Trautman Art Glass (!!!) Vivian's story is part of why we need to keep talking about how to use these kinds of glass. The problem might be the glass, it might not be. I recently dropped off some TAG Zeus (which comes completely transparent) and some TAG Tibet (a translucent amber/purple glass, like the original boro amber/purple) with some friends to try. They had immediate results from the Tibet over black in a neutral flame (it turned electric green) but nothing from the Zeus. And one of them was a *very experienced* beadmaker! It turned out the gas-to-oxy settings in that studio were off, plus he wasn't letting it cool before reducing-and-striking it, and the Zeus was not changing for him96273. At home, I have great success passing it 3 times in a slightly reducing flame, cooling, and then striking in a neutral flame 2 or 3 times. ~Jenny

[steph1214]

I did not get those pretty colors Rachel, i got ugly!! i need to play more

steph

[steph1214]

This is Michaelangelo dots and the middle is also michaelangelo. the top dot gave me the turquoise,blue color and the others are purple. i love this stuff

steph

[AKDesigns]

Michelangelo is becoming a favorite of mine. The small purplish dots in this bead are Michelangelo:

97063

And the blue raised stringer near the bottom of this one is Michelangelo too:

98331

I recently ran out of it and just got a new shipment in. I really missed not having any.

[Laurie L]

Amy what silver glass is the lighter blue dots made from ??? ( top bead )

Beautiful beads BTW !

[StOrM]

why not silver stone?

I saw some beads on here that someone had made with taby grey and silver stone and they we so gorgeous........I was thinking of getting some......*confused

[AKDesigns]

Amy what silver glass is the lighter blue dots made from ??? ( top bead )

Beautiful beads BTW !

Thanks Laurie. Those dots are Nyx.

[AKDesigns]

why not silver stone?

I saw some beads on here that someone had made with taby grey and silver stone and they we so gorgeous........I was thinking of getting some......*confused

And those are the only beads made out of Silver Stone that I've seen too. It's been out for almost two months so that alone should tell you something. I can't get it to do anything and I sent some to another silver glass ho and she couldn't get it to do anything either. Of course maybe you have the magic that we don't have so don't let me stop you from giving it a try.

[steph1214]

amy, those dots in the above picture demonstrate what the dots (except the top dot) look like on my bead, i love it too. my pic quality is very low in this picture so you can not see the colors well. your beads are gorgeous!! i made some lentils that turned out like your lower line, i just think that color warrants the price of the silver glass!!! i love that color with against orangey red in my bead! i will take a better pic and upload it so you can see the real colors i got as well.

steph

[josielv]

I have only played with the peridot a little, cuz it was supposed to be a xmas present, heee hee, but I love it!!!!!! I also love michelangelo and sissely.

[steph1214]

Josie,
i have not seen sissely??? i have not used the peridot either. i am new to these glasses, but where do you get the sissely, any pics???

steph

[steph1214]

amy, those dots in the above picture demonstrate what the dots (except the top dot) look like on my bead, i love it too. my pic quality is very low in this picture so you can not see the colors well. your beads are gorgeous!! i made some lentils that turned out like your lower line, i just think that color warrants the price of the silver glass!!! i love that color with against orangey red in my bead! i will take a better pic and upload it so you can see the real colors i got as well.

steph

here is a better pic of the color michaelangelo! oh, i found sissely but no picture of it, anyone know about this? anyone also have good info on da vinci 1 and annealing temp? thanks

steph

[josielv]

98353
This is peridot, and I wish I could take better photos, it is loverly!!

[josielv]

This is the link to sissley pictures, mine is way down there hee heee

http://www.lampworketc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=74648

[StOrM]

LOL.....I can't even get psyche to work for me......lol (maybe with the help i got from kevan my next attempt should be a good one :) )

I just loved those beads......I am too new to know how long a new silver glass has comeon the market.......but i guess you are right, if those are the only beads made with it, it must be a hard glass to use :)

[steph1214]

Josie, your bead looks like mother of pearl but prettier!! i went to the link and i am in love with the wispy look. i have to have some. i have da vinci 1 and used it once with no great effect. i will try again. those pics on that link are gorgeous!!! your bead on there also looks like spun honey with some mother of pearl thrown in!!!

i do not have much luck with psyche either, nyx is a little easier and michaelangelo is the easiest of the three for me. try something different and try all the different flames. test 3 beads from left to right

1 - smaller reducing flame - let cool and flash through 5 seconds, cool look at bead, maybe flash a little more
2 - large reducing flame - let cool and flash through 5 seconds...
3 - no oxy at all, just propane - same.....

see which one comes out the best!

steph

[mnoelker]

I played with my waterfall the other night and didn't have any luck. Does anyone have tips or pics of beads with waterfall? I saw pictures of the opaque looking beads but my rods are light green transparent. The rods are beautiful, but not my beads!

[terryl]

I can't get my waterfall glass just purchased to do anything exciting either. I tried encasing it with Vetrofond Crystal Clear and it it didn't work....came out of the kiln severely cracked. Hope you more experienced lampworkers will have more luck and post your recipe for success.

Terryl