Fuming Metals

beybey · #1 2012-03-06, 11:53am

What is the difference with fuming with foil vs. wire vs. casting grains? Knowing that gold and silver naturally produce different fuming colors, does fuming with one metal form over another produce a different effect or not?

Thanks,

Candace

menty666 · #2 2012-03-06, 12:25pm

If you're fuming with it? No, it shouldn't. It's just a matter of how easy it is to pick up and hold in the flame.

beybey · #3 2012-03-06, 12:54pm

Thanks. That's what I needed to know. May I ask which one you have found the easiest to fume with?

Bunyip · #4 2012-03-06, 1:07pm

As long as you're using fine silver and 24k gold it doesn't matter what form, although handling leaf and foil can be challenging.

There are a lot of variables with fuming, but I'd say silver was easier than gold for me to get immediate results, but I got more consistent results with gold right off the bat, not that either was particularly difficult.

Layering gold fume over silver fume, or vice versa will certainly affect your color outcome, as will the relative quantities of each, etc. One again, lots of variables here. I've had the most interesting results with putting silver fume over gold fume, your mileage may certainly vary. Experiment.

And use good ventilation.

beybey · #5 2012-03-06, 1:13pm

Thanks, Chris.

wickedglass · #6 2012-03-06, 4:51pm

the guys are right, as long as the metals are quite pure. the gold doesn't have to be 24K, you can use 18K, that's pure enough, but as to leaf, granulated, wire, a chunk sheared off the edge of a coin, it doesn't matter or make a difference. if you can get your hands on some quartz glass rod, heat it up and make a dip in it and introduce silver into it, it won't sink into the glass like it does into a boro rod. with boro, you have to constantly squeeze the silver out again to bring it back to the surface.
these are some of the effects you can get by blending gold and silver fuming, I just used the fuming and clear glass to get those:

Over the Moon · #7 2012-03-06, 6:18pm

Totally and awesomely wicked, Wicked. Incredible stuff - simply amazing.

beybey · #8 2012-03-06, 6:26pm

Wow!!! That's cool. I can't wait to try it out.

Thanks,

PennyLane · #9 2012-03-07, 8:30am

Where is the best place to find the glass quartz rod?

beybey · #10 2012-03-07, 8:31am

I have found it at Mountain Glass and ABR.

PennyLane · #11 2012-03-07, 8:43am

cool.

LarryC · #12 2012-03-07, 9:19am

Quote:

Originally Posted by PennyLane

cool.

If you work with leaf or foil you will not need the quartz rod. It is a little more expensive then bulk metals but I feel a whole lot easier. A lot of us just use some stiff glass like cobalt on the end of a boro punty. Best to experiment and find the method that suits your working style, though.

PennyLane · #13 2012-03-07, 4:10pm

Thanks Larry, I have plenty of foil and PPP to do.

LarryC · #14 2012-03-07, 5:15pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by PennyLane

Thanks Larry, I have plenty of foil and PPP to do.

Just roll a half sheet of foil or so into a small ball. Heat the end of the rod your using until it is glowing and touch it to the ball of leaf. It should stick. Reintroduce the end of the rod to the flame and it will melt and adhere as very small droplets to the rod. You can now use this quite a few times before having to replenish the metal. Let us know how it works out.

beybey · #15 2012-03-08, 11:26am

Alrighty. Thanks, Larry. Will do.

Rose · #16 2012-03-10, 8:05am

Wicked,
Can you share how to get colors, any colors, from fuming? All I'm getting is veils and wispy clouds.

wickedglass · #17 2012-03-12, 4:58pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by LarryC

A lot of us just use some stiff glass like cobalt on the end of a boro punty. Best to experiment and find the method that suits your working style, though.

^ Yes ... the reason I prefer quartz rod is because I often use the inner flame to fume and have the outer flame set to reduce. That way i can do two steps in my fuming process at once. Just using boro is impractical for me, as even cobalt won't stand up to that kind of heating and using a really stiff cobalt, such as obsidian or turbo, can fume off those lovely gray streaks, along with the metal fumes, as well.

LarryC · #18 2012-03-12, 8:36pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rose

Wicked,
Can you share how to get colors, any colors, from fuming? All I'm getting is veils and wispy clouds.

Rose, as far as I know there is no cookbook for fuming. Let me know if you find one

This is gonna take experimentation since every setup is different. For both gold and silver I use a neutral flame. I heat the glass just to light glow before fuming it. I keep the glass being fumed 5-6 inches away from the torchface. If you let us know what your trying to achieve someone might be able to help.

e. mort · #19 2012-03-13, 11:51am

you just have to practice a lot. there are so many factors that can effect it: amount of oxy, amount of propane, type of torch, distance of piece from rod you are fuming with, distance of rod you are fuming with from the torch, type of glass you are fuming on to, reducing the fume on the piece or removing some with a high oxy flame, colors you are backing with, etc. etc. etc. sometimes, I think I have it all figured out, and then i do a series of pieces, and wonder where i went wrong....... LOL

todda · #20 2012-03-13, 5:11pm

do you like wire or gold drops better?

LarryC · #21 2012-03-13, 7:10pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by todda

do you like wire or gold drops better?

Leaf or foil for me.

rjw69215 · #22 2012-04-05, 4:13pm

Quick question, I just did my first silver fume marble (it's in the kiln now) ill post pics tomorrow. The problem i had was it was almost like the silver was "spitting" on the surface of the glass. I put the rod with the silver on the end just above the candles and the glass to be fumed out in the flame about 6 inches. Is there any way to avoid this "spitting". Before it went in the kiln it looked interesting.

Bunyip · #23 2012-04-05, 7:49pm

What's worked for me:
Try bouncing your silver in and out of the flame once you start getting fume.
If that doesn't work, hold your piece further out in the flame.
Or some combination.

It's really a matter of getting a feel for the right flame, the right distances etc. Practice will show you what works for you.

rjw69215 · #24 2012-04-06, 6:27am

I will give that a try today. Thanks a bunch.

Cosmo · #25 2012-04-06, 7:07am

If it's spitting, you need a softer flame. Use a soft, heavily reducing flame for silver. You need a lot more flame for gold, but for silver you don't need much flame at all.

rjw69215 · #26 2012-04-06, 7:17am

That also might have been my problem now that I think about it. I'm gonna give it another shot here in a few minutes. Thanks for the help.

deb tarry · #27 2012-04-06, 7:48am

Good luck with you endeavours today Bob. Fuming is something I haven't played around with to much because of the learning curve. but I will sit down with some gold someday as I love the pinks that come out of it.

untamedrose · #28 2012-04-06, 8:34am

Not having much luck getting other color combos....

I did a heavy layer of gold..then a layer of silver...and It's well that lol.

How in the world are yall getting the blues, green colors out of this???

Cosmo · #29 2012-04-06, 8:56am

Quote:

Originally Posted by untamedrose

Not having much luck getting other color combos....

I did a heavy layer of gold..then a layer of silver...and It's well that lol.

How in the world are yall getting the blues, green colors out of this???

There are a couple things to consider.

First, colors with no background look significantly different than those with dark backgrounds.

To get blues, use just a little silver. To get green, use just a little gold backed by a little silver.

And, that's not a heavy layer of gold. If it was, the whole thing would look metallic gold.

deb tarry · #30 2012-04-06, 9:06pm

I like it.