How is this affect achieved?
 

I bought some boro beads back before I started to make beads, but I work in soft glass. The best way I could describe it is that it looks like trapped seafoam, I am almost positive it involves frit. it is a base color, layered with the kind of creamy seafoam frit effect (you can still see the base color through the bubbles or webbed type effect) and is then encased. I was wondering how it was done and if it was possible to achieve with similar soft glass? I know a picture would help, but I have seen these quite a few times over the years by a number of artists...so I'm hoping somone knows what I am talking about, and that it isn't a secret still. Any ideas?
-Echo :)

Without seeing them it's hard to say, but I'd imagine it was a base color, then clear frit, then encased in clear.

It could have been a novices burned out dichro..........

Too Funny!!!

In the hotshop we would dip a gather in a bucket of water mixed in sodium carbonate then gather over that. The result is a sandwiched layer of bubbles. The sodium carbonate is the same as used in the batch. You don't need much of it, either. I'm sure you'd be able to use baking soda instead or get the same result dissolving some wood ash in water and very quickly dipping your bead in that before you encase it.
Have fun :)

It could be inside out frit, but without a photo it's not at all possible to tell.

My best guess with out a pic would be

silver color base
clear frit
encase

This gives kind of s "sea foam" look...

I think Brent is likely right because that would be close to my guess. I only can find one of those beads, and I didn't want to post a picture of it because I cant remember who made it to ask them or give them credit. I was wondering what silver glass in boro stays transparent when clear frit is added over the top but reduces to that cream color and keeps it when encased? The Northstar Silver Strikes? but it looks opal in rod form, so I was wondering if it might be Momkas Silver Beach or Purple Haze? Any ideas on which glass would do this? Yes I am a boro novice...not even sure I would qualify for novice...more like wet behind the ears. I have been working soft glass for quite a few years though. :) -Echo :)

SeaFoam look
 

Is it possible you are looking at beads that are "stormed"? There is a tutorial on how to achieve this effect which causes a foamy stringer type appearance in the bead. This is done with silver glass. AK Design is the person who developed this and has a great tut on it. I'm sure you could see samples on her website to see if this is what you are trying to achieve.

Good Luck,

Gail

For your last question, if you are still working on the seafoam beads, I would try Momka Silver Tears for the transparent.

my vote is with Cosmo and Mr Smiley as for the trans part don't have a guess, as for the cream color most of the silver's will go cream/mud if over reduced.

AcidFly

I really think it's OK to post a picture of the bead if you bought it and own it. The maker might step forward. I think we need to see it to guess at how it's made though. It might be a well known technique and it might be proprietary but we won't know until we see it.

Thanks for all help! Here's a picture...
 

It isn't Amy's Storm beads. Atlthough they are beautiful! When I bought these I had a carmel, blue and a tangerine color of this style, it is the only one I have left. I hope no one is mad for me posting the picture, but I have seen this technique quite a bit in boro so I'm guessing it probably isn't a well guarded secret. And if you made this bead, I will gladly give you credit, I bought it about 7 or 8 years ago so I'm not sure who made it.

It is the carmel one...
Thanks again, Echo ;)

I didn't make it, but I'm 99% sure this is how it's made.

Base of GA Caramel Luster, clear frit, and then encased with clear.

Actually, I'm 100% sure it's how it's made, and 99% sure it's Caramel Luster.

LOL! I agree 100% with Cosmo.

Anita
www.nitabeads.com

Silver Strike 3 can also look like that.

Everyone is so helpful in the Boro Room!
 

Thanks Everyone! So if that one is Carmel Luster or Silver Strike 3, how would that be done in Tangerine or Blue? Is it reduced before encasing? My thought process was to try it in 104, using a base color encased in maybe Aion 2, then clear frit, reduce and encase. Is there a silver color in boro that stays clear unless you reduce it, or close to clear anyways? The Silver tears mentioned before would that do the same kind of trick?
Thanks again! -Echo:grin:

For the tangerine, you could use GA Solara with clear frit, then clear encase. For the blue, use GA Indigo Luster with clear frit, then encase. Whether you need to reduce before encasing will depend on your torch atmosphere--if you're running a hot torch with plenty of oxygen, a little reduction could be done. If you're on a concentrator, the flame is probably going to do that all on its own.
Anita
www.nitabeads.com

Echo, you might get more help on a 104 substitute if you post it in the regular Tips & Techniques section. I'm wondering what Mountain Honey would look like with clear frit. I have some but I've never even used it. That bead has a similar color of Canyon de Chelly but I just used frit on that the other day and it really lightens up when you encase it and looks white. Used with silver foil it turned an opal yellow color, so that wouldn't work. This would be a fun challenge. :)

I think that the deeply embedded appearance is gonna be tough to achieve in 104 due to the differences in relative stiffness between clear boro and soft glass. It would be cool to see results though!

Yeah, you may be right about the deeply embedding unless I use an extremely soft base like ivory or white, and a stiffer clear like Reichenbach or maybe Devardi. Mountain Honey is really yellow in my one experience in using it...I think I used it with either Aion or Amber Purple Trans though, so it might work different with other colors. My brother ordered me some Boro to play with for my birthday, so I'll see what I can do with that, then try it in 104...I'm still thinking that Aion, or Zues might be the awnser. Might be a week or so but I'll let you know what I discover.
Thanks so much for the help! -Echo :)

Yes, Mountain Honey is very yellow. I pulled it out yesterday. You'll also get a lighter yellow with Aion. Zeus is very similar to Olympia Rain so you'll get a pale yellow with that too. I pulled out Silver Brown yesterday and tried that. It looks nothing like your pictured bead but it turned out rather cool. I'll post a picture when I have one. It does have a boro look to it.

Well no luck...
 

Even in Boro I couldn't seem to get the frit to go deep enough to create the effect, I am on a BBB though so I'm guessing you need a bit more torch. I couldn't get even ivory to sink the clear to that depth. Unless I'm missing a trick to this, I am going to have to say this one isn't going to work. :(
Thanks again for all the hints! -Echo :-D

If you can't get it to look as deep, use a darker frit - i.e., instead of using a plain clear, use amber - it'll give it a lot more depth than it looks like. Hope that helps!