Lauscha Color of the Month Help

Juliac · #1 2006-10-04, 5:14am

Any tips on using this new color? I don't want to give the color away yet, but my results were dismal. I got a grey. And i don't want to waste it trying to figure it out. I did try it as a stringer on white and that was ok, but when I combined it with silver- yuck. On ivory- yuck. And even over white dots on olive green, I was left wanting more. Is there a trick? The color is beautiful in the rod so I was hoping it might be me and not the glass!!!

joebirder · #2 2006-10-04, 7:50pm

I have had the same results you have gotten... even my beads with a white base turn out a gray color... But your right the rods are beautiful. I thought about breaking my rods to differnt lengths and hanging them with string to make a wind chime...
Maybe someone who has had some luck will be kind enough to share some pics and info...
Joe

loribeads · #3 2006-10-04, 8:01pm

My beads are exactly the same color as the rod. I did the hokey pokey with one of the beads for half an hour trying to strike the color.

amybfromtc · #4 2006-10-05, 4:09am

We just did one test bead over Moretti white, and it looks really great! Didn't do anything special really... will do again and pay careful attention.

Amy

FiredDesires · #5 2006-10-05, 9:52am

I haven't even tried mine out yet! Gorgeous color in the rod form....my first thought when I heard of the greying problem? Either turn the pressure on propane regulator down (4-6 psi p and 10-14psi oxy) or work further out in the flame...might be getting too much gas and this color needs a more oxy rich flame. I will do some tester beads today and report back tomorrow....
Lori.....please post instructions for the hokey pokey, we can use all the help we can get! lol

Jenn L'Rhe · #6 2006-10-05, 10:15am

I got a really nice one by: black bead, encase with Supernova in a reduction flame, melt flat, squiggle heavily with Supernova stringer (pulled in a reduction flame) melt in (slight reduction flame) then encase.....pretty much the same as the Double Helix glass...tempermental got just a couple great ones and a bunch of muckies (is that a word?) Hope this helps, now off to try what Marcie posted.

I can "try" to take a pic and PM it, if you'ld like.
Kay
(Mom to Jenn, Lu and Rhe)

Reenie · #7 2006-10-05, 10:43am

Here's some tips from members and also the official tip from Lauscha.
Hope it helps

http://web.mac.com/marciedavis/iWeb/...Supernova.html

Try This: It's a silver based color. That means that after you get your shaping done, let it cool slightly and then hit it once or twice with a really reducing flame, with plenty of gas, very little oxygen. The more you reduce it, the more surface effects you can get. They range from pale opaque blue to opaque sandy butterscotch. I noticed that if I only partially reheated the glass, several inches from the flame, I got yummy peacock tail colors. If I reheated close to the torch for a serious reheat with a good glow, I got the more sandy/desert butterscotch effects. Try melting in dots of clear here and there to multiply the type of effects you get. We'll be posting in a day or two the "official" version of how to work the color. Till then, have fun, and send me photos of what you come up with.

I'm on a hothead and I played with it just a little bit last night. Used a mosaic green base with dots of opal yellow and then added the supernova on top of those. I got a very light purple transparent color. The beaeed is wonky so I'll try again today and post it. I worked it both very low to flame and heated it up super high and also up towards the top of the flame like you do with Kronos....same results each time. I'll make a couple just on white today to see if there's a difference in where I heat it.
Irene

DesertDreamer · #8 2006-10-05, 12:25pm

Wahhh, my glass hasn't come yet and I want to play!

SLY Creations · #9 2006-10-05, 9:40pm

So far, I have been disappointed in this color. As stated it is beautiful in the rod, but turns a very dull brownish color when applied. Tried a clear base with the color on top, not attractive. Then pulled into stringer and made flowers, very dull color. A successful experiment was overlaying the purple over pink. Gorgeous. I think we are going to have to find the right combos for this color. I have only begun to play with this color, but I am sure we will find nice applications.

FiredDesires · #10 2006-10-06, 8:37am

Well, things came up yesterday and I didn't get a chance to play with this color. Supernova? Is that the name of this glass? And it is supposed to reduce? I'm pretty much in the dark here as there wasn't a tech sheet or info included with the glass......I'd love for it to stay the rod color...scrumptious.
I'll try working it with an oxy flame and then reducing it to see what happens, and then of course try all the recommendations I've seen posted so far. Thanks all...

Jenn L'Rhe · #11 2006-10-06, 9:24am

Don't waste the glass using oxy rich. It needs propane. Get Double Helix type results working it the same way. SLY PM me & I'll send you the pic I sent to Reenie. Tempermental stuff.....but beautiful. I don't want to give this away for those who don't have glass....but it is NOT purple that you are looking for.
Kay

Edited to say: I didn't know that I could forward a PM with pic. I'm at work and the pic is at home. SLY did forward to you, let me know if it did or didn't work.

SLY Creations · #12 2006-10-06, 3:44pm

I just re-read Irene's post. Duh, what a dufus I am. So it's silver based. GREAT, I am one of those dummies who can't seem to to get this kind of glass to work it's magic. Sigh, what am I going to do with all of this glass. I have wasted almost a quarter pound of the Rocio Mist (R4) glass, (at $100/lb.) trying to get some kind of reaction. Nothing. This is all very depressing. I am working on a Lynx. Can anyone help me?

Magicfire · #13 2006-10-06, 7:02pm

How did you get yours? I paid months ago and I don't seem to have the Lauscha page bookmarked. I was wondering why I haven't heard anything.

Thanks,
Patti

Edited to say: I noticed the link above, but it doesn't say if this color is shipping or not? Is this the 1st color for the club? And why does it seem to be such a deep dark secret?

GinnyHampton · #14 2006-10-07, 9:21am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jenn L'Rhe

Don't waste the glass using oxy rich. It needs propane. Get Double Helix type results working it the same way. SLY PM me & I'll send you the pic I sent to Reenie. Tempermental stuff.....but beautiful. I don't want to give this away for those who don't have glass....but it is NOT purple that you are looking for.
Kay

Edited to say: I didn't know that I could forward a PM with pic. I'm at work and the pic is at home. SLY did forward to you, let me know if it did or didn't work.

Probably a silly question - - but work it in a reduction flame from warming the rod, pulling stringer, decorating, etc?? I've been making my beads as usual, then reducing and getting nothing.

TIA

FiredDesires · #15 2006-10-07, 9:32am

I played with this a little yesterday....I am not liking this glass so far. Reduction/oxy? For me it doesn't like anything. I was treating it as a silver base glass, which is easier worked neutral/oxy and then reduced...nothing...blah.....back to the drawing board.

x_phoenician · #16 2006-10-07, 9:34am

I'm on a hothead so it's propane rich flame no matter what

I just barely had some blue color appear on my bead.
I melted design into my glass, heated it really hot out in the flame a bit, let cool, tried it again....held it close to my torch head to get some reduction and then heated super hot again....still wasn't seeing anything so heated it so hot it was bright orange and getting almost to point of being droopy. I did that last step about 3 times and I just hardly had any color at all. I'm not "Lauscha Bashing" but Kronos is actually the easiest silver glass for me to work with on the hothead. This leads me to believe Kronos might have the highest silver content? Anyway, I'm thinking once the Lynx is set up I won't have these issues.
(Impatiently waiting for studio to be finished!)
~Tracy

loribeads · #17 2006-10-07, 7:27pm

Would I be ruining it for everyone if I posted a photo of my results so far?

I think they are ickiola but Desiree liked them. Go figure.

joebirder · #18 2006-10-07, 7:30pm

anything that might give someone hope... I think would be nice..

loribeads · #19 2006-10-07, 7:33pm

Ok, I just went and checked the Supernova site and she has posted a photo so I guess it's ok if I do.

I started with a base of black, covered in supernova stringers, melted in and decorated with lauscha clear stringer. Reduced, reduced, reduced again until I actually got something. Something being subtly colored mud, that is.

I can see how some would like this effect but I am really not one of those people. Do you think anyone would be mad if I sold this stuff off?

joebirder · #20 2006-10-07, 7:39pm

I like your beads. real earthy tones... Thanks for sharing... Looks much better than the mud color I have gotten so far...
Joe

loribeads · #21 2006-10-07, 7:42pm

Thanks Joe.

loribeads · #22 2006-10-07, 7:44pm

One tip I can give is to melt the rod in a reducing flame when pulling the stringer. The stringer was actually lumpy with silver 'globs' when I just used a reducing flame. In fact, barely any oxy was used during the making of the whole bead.

Lizabeads · #23 2006-10-07, 8:42pm

Mine are yucky too.... I hope we figure out how to get it to do something soon before I waste it all...

evilglass · #24 2006-10-07, 9:42pm

I really like those! If I can ever get to my torch again-sick kid-I hope my stuff comes out that earthy and cool looking....

SuzyQ · #25 2006-10-08, 5:42am

I used a propane rich flame from start to finish with my beads too. My first test bead I tried to reduce after and it just didn't seem to work. The glass likes propane! The candle was probably 3 inches long. I'll show them later when I take pictures.

chrissij · #26 2006-10-08, 7:05am

Hmmm...I've gotten a fair amount of blue, but not at all like the R4 glasses. I gotta' find my camera! and I didn't use a high reduction flame. I pulled a stringer in a high reduction flame, and then made a bead in an oxygen rich flame (I wanted to keep the pretty color), twirled and swirled with the stringer, then wafted it in and out of a reduction flame just to glowing (middle candle about 3/4 of an inch) many many many many, did I say many? times. It also seemed to me, and I could be totally wrong, that the colors appeared to come out more, the more I pressed it...

GinnyHampton · #27 2006-10-08, 9:01am

Thanks for the pix Lori, I have been getting nothing even close to that.
My problem is obviously that I don't reduce until the end, and I need to reduce from the very start.

So, should I pitch the stringers I've already pulled??

GinnyHampton · #28 2006-10-08, 9:02am

Quote:

Originally Posted by SuzyQ

The glass likes propane! The candle was probably 3 inches long. I'll show them later when I take pictures.

Yes, please do!! I'd like to see what you came up with too

SuzyQ · #29 2006-10-08, 10:58am

OK, here are some pictures. The set and the close up of the set are the supernova worked in a heavy reduction flame from start to finish. I striped on clear encased dichros stringer. I suspect cooling the bead by pressing and then reheating to apply the stringer may have helped the color come out a bit. I had a test round bead that didn't have blues and greens.

The third picture is a close up (you can tell how close by the lint) of a button bead with clear dots on top. The clear didn't seem to do much but I wanted you to see how the heavy reduction and at least one round of cooling and reheating gives the glass an abolone look.

I think I am going to play with swirling the supenova into a clear base to see if I can get a bit of purple from the glass to play. And, maybe back off on the propane to see at which point you still get a reaction but not so much propane grey.

I would love to see other results!

Jenn L'Rhe · #30 2006-10-08, 11:27am

O.K. If we're going to post pics. Since I have sent this one to a few people, I'll post it here. If I remember right, pulled a supernova stringer that the rod was melted in a reducing flame, like mentioned above bumpy when pulled.

I made a black base bead. Encase with supernova about an inch above a 1" candle. Melted it flat, swiggled in the same reduction flame the stringer, melted it in pulled the bead way back out of the flame, turned up the oxy to melt clear thick stringer (Lauscha) and encase with the clear keeping the bead out of major heat until it was fully encased. Melted the clear encasing in on the back side of the still neutral to flame slowly as to not overheat the base bead. Then I sqashed it because it was slightly lopsided and then reheated cut it up and pinched it with pliers to see what would happen if I abused it. Looks alot like OR to me but at $35/lb a bargain.
Kay