Dichro help?

[neagle]

I don't use much dichro, but the last couple of times I used it, no matter how careful I was, it burned off into colorless scum. This was probably Moretti dichro, bought years ago. It was on clear. I use a Firebird torch, and had heard from someone else who has a Firebird that they had problems with dichro as well.
BTW, the black-backed dichro that I have worked.
Anyone have a Firebird torch that has this problem with using dichro? Any suggestions?

Also, where do you get good 104 dichro?

Thanks!

[Carolyn M]

Black backed and clear dichro are applied differently. With clear you heat the clear side gently, then flip it over and apply the dichro side to the warmed bead. After it is applied, tuck over the clear covering to prevent the dichro leaking out from underneath. I use Rocio's dichro a lot, it is very nice.

[Tancaro]

LBSupplys.com has a bunch of dichro under their Effetre tab. I got some last time I ordered but haven't used it yet...

[neagle]

Thanks, Carolyn and Carol,
I have applied clear dichro by first encasing the coating side with clear to protect it. That's how I was taught. Is it better to just heat the clear and flip over?

I'll try Rocio-maybe the dichro is better than what I have.....

[Carolyn M]

I do it the way I described and have few problems. Give it a try and let me know if it works for you

[Emily]

Coatings by Sandberg (CBS) makes good quality dichro. A number of suppliers carry it. I think both Arrow Springs and Frantz carry CBS dichro, but you'll have to check their catalogs.

(EDIT: I don't know anything about Rocio's dichro. Please don't interpret my post as a negative comment on her product. It's just an additional recommendation.)

I find that it's easier to use dichro that's been pre-fused, which means that the strips have been run through a kiln to round their edges. Maybe it makes the dichro coating adhere better, or something. I don't know.

I use dichro on clear. Heat the strip, keeping it moving so that the flame doesn't focus on any one spot. Try to keep the flame off the coated side. (People who are good at dichro can heat both sides, but for now, just heat the uncoated side.) If you have a hot plate or a kiln where you can pre-warm your dichro strips, that can be helpful, but it's not essential. Get the glass at the tip of the strip a little hotter and give a flash of heat to the spot on your bead where you want to attach it. Touch the strip of dichro to the heated spot with the dichro coating down (closest to the bead) and the clear glass up. Now keep heating the dichro strip gently from the clear glass side and as it softens, wrap it around the bead. Use a tool as necessary. When it gets around, use nippers to cut the strip off (unless you were really good and had the strip cut to the right length ahead of time, and were using pliers to hold it.) Use a tool with a thin edge, like a razor blade, to tuck in the beginning and ending edges of the strip. Try to tuck the clear glass over the dichro coating so it doesn't creep out. Now go around the bead heating the top of the dichro strip gently and using a metal tool with a thin edge to push clear glass over the bottom edge of the dichro strip to seal the coating in. If it creeps out, it can go gray and icky. Once everything's sealed, you can heat the bead a little more aggressively if you need to, but for a little while, you need to use gentle surface heat.

[Theresa Navarre]

I just switched from using a Hot Head torch to a Minor Bench Burner. I had great results using the dichro with the Hot Head torch, but now with the oxy-propane, I am getting a milky-effect in my dichro on clear. Any suggestions?