crayon colors

sleekbeads · #1 2006-10-29, 9:40am

I forgot to ask this before.
I'm having troubles with crayon colors. I love the brightness of them, but seems like they always bubble up on me in the flame. I thought perhaps I was overheating them, but that's not it.
Do the crayons have a tendancy to bubble up like that and if so, is there a way around it?
Also, is it just me or are the transparent reds hard to handle? Seems like I always heat the color right out of them. They bubble up and turn clear.
All help always much appreciated.
TIA

Jo

sleekbeads · #2 2006-10-29, 9:43am

Oh, and Smiley, that last horseshoe you made before I left on the second day of class, was that obtanium or unobtanium?

thanks!
Jo

Mr. Smiley · #3 2006-10-29, 9:49am

Jo, either will work.

The crayon colors do boil... you should try encasing them in clear and they are easier to work that way. It insulates them from the direct heat.

The red color osn't gone... it will restrike in the kiln. If you strike too long some will go livery and be ugly. Try a lower shorter kiln time for them. I normally just use those colors at the very end of the day if I have to use them at all.

sleekbeads · #4 2006-10-29, 9:54am

Aha. I understand the livery thing. Remember when I was making the rose implosion pattern with the garnet trans/pink opaque? When I picked that up from Mari's I thought I was going to hurl. Eeeeeew. The garnet flew throughtout the clear and was a God-aweful brownish/red color. THAT was a good learning experience. I'm not kidding, it was fugly!
Thanks for the tips!

Jo

sleekbeads · #5 2006-10-29, 9:55am

Oh, where do you get the obtaniums? GA? or NS?

Jo

IF-Designs · #6 2006-10-29, 10:07am

Hey Jo,
If you can find it try to get Elvis Transparent Red its one of the best Transparent reds on the market it rarely goes livery its really great

The obtaniums are Precision Color which is a division of Northstar now or is in partnership with them..something like that either way

you can get it through most places that carry the northstar brand

Venbead · #7 2006-10-29, 12:37pm

joanna pomegrante is a nice self striking red too.

sleekbeads · #8 2006-10-29, 3:22pm

Thanks everyone~

Jo

Cosmo · #9 2006-10-30, 8:12am

Work crayon colors cooler. Most people turn the oxygen up to cool the flame, but that seems to make them boil worse. Try working them in a reduction flame. They aren't sensitive to flame chemistry. Work them cool until you get them melted in. Once you get them melted in, you can crank up the heat again.

sleekbeads · #10 2006-10-30, 8:26am

will do, Chad, thanks.
I'm going to play with some this weekend and I'll post results.
Jo

e. mort · #11 2006-10-30, 4:53pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cosmo

Work crayon colors cooler. Most people turn the oxygen up to cool the flame, but that seems to make them boil worse. Try working them in a reduction flame. They aren't sensitive to flame chemistry. Work them cool until you get them melted in. Once you get them melted in, you can crank up the heat again.

This may be my problem with the Crayon colors. I need to try your suggestion ASAP. Thanks!

sleekbeads · #12 2006-10-31, 9:03am

don't forget to show pictures Eric!!!!!

Anakin's Glass Eye · #13 2006-10-31, 9:50am

A principal colorant in the crayon color glasses is Cadmium. Cadmium sublimates (turns to gas) at a lower temperature than other colorants and consequently the glass will bubble at a lower temperature than most others. It can not be worked like your typical Boro color glass.

Here's a few tips for working Crayon colors:

1) Work further out in the flame.
2) Adjust the flame to a cooler setting. You can turn down the oxygen and get a bushy flame which is cooler because all of the propane is not combusting or you can turn up the oxy (Glass Alchemy User Manual)
3) Take your time - heat up the mass of color slowly far out in the flame until it glows orange at the core. Once you have established a good heat base, you can work a little more aggressively.
4) Encase the color in clear. This will help but does not eliminate the need to be carefull and work slow. If you're pulling stringers, this is a good idea.
5) If you have a multi-ring torch like a GTT or Cuda, set a neutral flame with the centerfire and crack open the oxy valve for the outer ring just a bit. This will surround the flame with a blanket of cool oxy. It will help.
6) Prework the color glass and knead out some of the gas. The fulcrum method works best to mix glass. I do this especially with NS White. Simply heat up the glass slowly and the work it, twist it, knead it. You will see some bubbles form and work themselves out. This adds time to your production but it is well worth it.

And one last thing to remember. Once you have sublimed the Cadmium, there's no going back. If your color has bubbled badly and blistered, you can't fix it.

Hope this helps.

Brad