We've had lots of questions about this. The rods come translucent and lighten up with heat. Some people want to keep them translucent. Here is a quick explanation from Carol Anne in Lauscha, Germany. She is the artist in residence there. And this is her bead.
This bead is Latte Macchiatto Odd Lot available at Flamedame.com.
From Carol Anne: " The trick to the milky way translucency is that you make the bead. Then you reduce the area that you want to have remain translucent. Do this at the end of your torching day. I work 8-9 hours at the torch, so when I want to have a goddess with translucent bits, I reduce the bits that I want to have transparent, put her in the kiln the last thing. Then she still anneals for 2 hours, because they are sort of big beads, and then they cool down to 800 at a rate of 200 degrees per hour, then hold at 800 for 2 hours, and then go down to room temperature at 200 degrees per hour. "
Thanks Carol Anne!!
Paula
How to Keep Lauscha Milky Way Colors Translucent!!
