copper mesh tutorial?
 

Sorry if this has been covered....(and if it has can someone direct me as to where I can see what's being done with it?) but I would love to see the possibilities......

The only thing that I know to do with copper mesh, or foil is to put it on white and then encase it. It turns the most amazing shade of blue. I did use a punch once for some different shapes and put that on a bead. It turned red and I'm not sure exactly why unless it was because I did it on pink.
Not a lot of help am I? LOL

thanks Deb,....Can you use any COE? I'll try it.....I'll try anything!!!!
I LOVE copper....

If you encase the copper mesh with dk lavender transparent (Moretti), it turns a deep fuchsia (sp?). If you encase the mesh with pink transparent (Moretti), it turns a deep rust.

Can't wait to try this out. Thanks for the color combos.....Does anyone have any pics?

This is one I made using copper mesh... it's pretty subtle. The photo is rather bad but it looks really lovely in person.

I used a Chore Boy scrubbing pad on a white core and a clear core, both encased in clear. Got the most wonderful shade of fucsia Red, very garnety rubino oro.

Mona

Mona, would you please share how you did this? Did you just pull out threads of the pad and place them on the hot bead? I'm assuming the Chore Boy pad is a kind of tangled bunch of copper threads - is this right? Its been a looooong time since I've seen one, and can't quite remember what they look like!

Thanks so much!

Cheers
Kathy

gorgeous!

Kathy, the Chore Boy is a lot like those nylon shower puffs for your body, only it is made of crocheted copper wire. I use scissors to cut off a strip and roll my hot bead over it. I heat it up good and encase.

Mona

Thanks Mona! I had a feeling it looked something like that - good to know my memory is better than I thought - LOL! :-)

I'm going to get one and give it a whirl - thanks again!

Cheers
Kathy

Mona, you are brilliant! I have wanted to experiment with copper mesh...but didn't know where to buy it...I never would of thought of using a Chore Boy scrubber in a million years! Thank you!

Heather, That bead is really gorgeous! :-)

These are some of my favorite copper mesh beads...made by PEtra...hope she doesn't mind me posting the link :http://www.beadartists.org/Gal1923_L...._PENDANTS.asp

Beautiful bead!

I found that if I didn't encase it right away it's go pouf!

Paula

Great ideas guys!!!

I went out and bought a Chore Boy and then made some beads....so far I am pretty excited with what I made (although the copper looked more blackish as I worked). I don't know if that is normal or not but even if it stays black or turns another color as it cools, I loved the effect! It gives a very "seaweedy" effect that really works for the beads I was making! Thank you again!

I like to cut the mesh into short filling and use it in the backgrounds of some of my florals. I like the way it adds some warmth to the beads, and allows you to see more of the dimensions:

http://69.36.72.237/artglass/images/...pperFloral.jpg

http://69.36.72.237/artglass/images/.../Coppercup.jpg

Where do I buy copper mesh? I like the chore boy idea, but where can I purchase copper mesh?

I found it at Micheals, although the are sometime out of stock for awhile.

I got two different sizes from Howaco.

You know, I've seen it at Michaels...and didn't think much about it at the time...duh! I guess I wasn't sure if it was real copper....

Dave, your beads are really beautiful!

BTW when you are encasing the copper mesh does it turn red right away? I might have toasted mine a bit too much....

Oh, and the only thing about the Chore Boy is that it is a loose weave mesh...but they are cheap, around $2, and you get lots and lots to work with for the $2. I am just THRILLED to be able to find something so quickly and so easily (thanks again, Mona).

You can buy it at Dick Blick.

Paula

Just in case anyone wanted to see how the beads made with the Chore Boy scrubber came out...





It makes a splendid sea fan!

When I put these into the kiln the copper mesh actually looked black, this is fun to experiment with!

As long as it's 100% copper, it's okay to use, right?

who needs copper mesh? pm me your addy i will send you some.
-Mary

Copper turns red when you use a reduction flame (more propane/less oxygen). To get the mottled blue, you have to keep it in the flame for a long time to get past the dark sooty looking effect. If you add silver foil or leaf on top of the copper, then you get a beautiful green mottled effect.

I learned this in Kate Fowle-Meleney's "Is This Glass?" class. She also gives lots of color suggestions for different reactions. I recommend her classes for anyone wanting to add some pizzazz to their beads. She's an awesome instructor.

Joy, do you use a reduction flame to get the mottled blue effect too?

thanks, Sue

I just used a neutral flame to get the mottled blue effect with copper. You get reds when you have a reduction flame. In fact, if you put a reduction flame on Petroleum green, you get great patches of red/rust also.

When working with copper leaf, be sure not to overlap the leaf! This causes a sooty grayish cast which is extremely difficult to burn off. To get the blues, you have to leave the bead in the flame an extremely long time. Work through the black/gray stuff. It will eventually turn blue.

To get this effect a little easier, I use aventurine powder. Just make a white bead, roll in the aventurine powder, then melt in the flame. Beautiful blues! Add other colors to play with this reaction.

Copper Mesh Under Clear
 

I played with the copper mesh last week. The copper turned a really beautiful rusty red color.

I tried to melt down the edges a bit first and then placed the clear over just the mesh and then pressed.

Gail, those are beautiful!!