Help! My colours do the darnest things!

[Marianne]

Hello everybody!

I have just started lampworking. Maybe someone can help me with this:

Today my colours did the oddest things. The white glass got pinkinsh-reddish-brownish spots (but not all the time), particularly in the area around the mandrels. The blue glass had reddish-blackish areas...again, not always, and not everywhere in one same bead. Also, my sky-blue got decididely red spots in one bead, but it was perfect in all the other ones.

So, what do you think? Am I using too much heat? Why does this happen on, let's say, one side of a bead only? What can I do to keep this from happening?

Thanks in advance,
Marianne

[Kevan]

The red on the sky blue is caused by too much heat. It brings out the copper and only in spots.

I haven't seen the spots on the white before.

What kind of glass is this?

[Kalera]

It sounds like either your flame is overly reducing, or your fuel is contaminated. If you're on a Hot Head you might be able to resolve the problem by keeping your glass farther out in the flame; if you're using an oxy/propane torch, check your pressures; you may have the pressure too high on your propane. If not, turn it down at the torch and make sure you're working at least three-four inches from the face of the torch. If none of that works, try new fuel from a different source.

If you have time, post details about your torch setup to help us help you troubleshoot.

[Kevan]

Oh the old HH. I never used one, ever. I forget that people do use them. lol

[beadgoodies]

Overall, it just sounds like you're working the glass too close to the flame. It's a very common mistake for new lampwork artists. I know, in the beginning I did the same thing!

Candy

[Marianne]

I am working with a Minor Nortel burner, with propane and an oxy con.
The glass is Efettre (sp?) from Glass Smith in Victoria.

[Marianne]

...and my propane is at 6 psi.

Thanks so much for all the suggestions!

Marianne

[Emily]

Are you 100% sure that your white glass is white? You might have gotten hold of a rod of tongue pink, which strikes (changes color) to various shades of pinkish/terra cotta. It's a very finicky color and hard to strike, so people who buy it on purpose sometimes complain that what they've bought is a rod of very expensive white. The way to strike it is to apply it, let it get as cool as you dare (without cracking the bead, which is the tricky part) then re-introduce it far out in the flame and gradually bring it closer to yourself, reheating it slowly until you see a color change. You can try making a small simple bead and see if you get a color change. If you do, what you have isn't really white but tongue pink. That's my only guess for why you'd be getting spots on your white.

If your blue is either turquoise or one of the sky blues, and you're getting reddish or brownish marks, you're using a reducing flame, which means either that your flame has too much propane in it or that you're working too close to the torch head. Do the adjustment with the knobs on your torch, not the valve on your tank. On a Minor, the blue cones at the head of your torch should be blue with the tiniest bit of yellowish-white at the tips. If the ends of the blue cones are yellow and brushy, you have too much propane in the flame. Add oxy or reduce the propane.

[Heidi von Frozenfyre]

With the Minor you can get a great flame with Oxy at 5-6 and L.P. at 1-2. Try that and see if it helps

[Marianne]

I'll try all those things.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Marianne