Fuming?

[stargirlmama]

I may sound like a dork but I have to ask because I've been seeing it everywhere lately and my interest is peeked but what exactly is it? how does it work? How is it done? and what does it look like? (show me yours):waving:
Thanks!
Marianna

[Slaterville]

Fuming is like a film that is left on a bead when using metals (ie: silver, gold, etc.). Fuming enhances and even changes various colors. Like clear to a bluish color. How to use it: Form a gather of clear on a punty (boro works good for this), roll it on silver or gold leaf, burnish and flame flash the gather, set aside. Make a base bead (transparent works good), and shape as desired. Heat the bead to glowing, bring it out of the flame, and let cool until the glow is gone. At this point bring the bead back into the flame at it's coolest point (way high on the flame), and place your punty just above the blue cones in the flame. In a few seconds, you will see metal traveling up the flame to the bead. Do this for about 5 seconds continuely twirling the bead in the coolest point. When you remove the bead, you should see a film on the bead. Anneal right away. Hope this helps!

[ElizabethCreations]

here's an example of fumed beads. the shiny ones are gold fumed.

8216

[Rebekah]

Ventilation!!! Don't forget!
Fumed beads are beautiful.

Rebekah

[luke gardner]

The residual film that is left on the glass is actually silver or gold "smoke" or fumes that are deposited on the surface after the metal in question has been burned. As an element is heated, its individual atoms are charged to a super-exited state where they become more active and can seperate from the original mass. This phenomenon can easily be obseved by putting a rod of glass into the flame and watching the flame turn from blue to yellow caused by the sodium content in glass or by heating cupric(copper) sulfate to turn the flame blue-green.
My personal experience is that gold adheres better to soft glass and silver adheres better to boro. In fact silver is actually able to travel through the molecular matrix of boro giving colors with a high silver content a hazy look when encased.

[Cosmo]

You can also use fuming as the color itself...

These pieces are made from clear glass (except the backing color) that is colored just by fuming gold, silver, or both.

http://www.soleiletlune.com/lampwork/IMG-0130.jpg
http://www.soleiletlune.com/lampwork/IMG-0132.jpg
http://www.soleiletlune.com/lampwork/IMG-0133.jpg
http://www.soleiletlune.com/lampwork/IMG-0309.jpg
http://www.soleiletlune.com/lampwork/IMG-0353.jpg

[stargirlmama]

sweeeeeet! That is cool! I'm ganna have to hold off until I upgrade my ventilation when I move studios but that looks so cool thanks for clearing that up for me you guys!