furnace glass shards used with 104coe?
 

I've been trying to get more depth in my large beads and have always so admired how people use shards to get colors in their beads. Val's book has some beautiful examples and I am wondering if you can get away with the same rules about using small amounts (in percent of total bead weight) as with frit. I made one yesday and used a thin shard of a ruby gold as I've had so much trouble with CIM cranberry and Moretti rubino cracking when encased.
Now I'm really watching the bead expecting cracks will develop. It worked out to be very pretty encased with DH zephyr. The shards are thin, but cover a larger continuous area than frit, so.......

Jeez - any of you used shards much in encased beads with 104?
Thanks so much - hate to keep experimenting (esp on 2 hour large beads) only to have cracks develop later.

My personal opinion is that applying them to the surface of a 104 bead is risky enough, when 96 is fully encased with 104, you are asking for trouble, even with the 5% rule.

was afraid that was what I might hear. Thanks. Guess I must be the only person dumb enough to try it.

You can also put them in the freezer for awhile and then take them out and see if cracks develop.

Not stupid. If they fail, then they fail. I think everyone has tried it.