True? Lauscha blues don't bubble?

[danawana]

I think I read that somewhere. I do have this problem a lot with the moretti blues I have right now.

[Raven Wylder]

I dunno but give me a couple days and I can try it out... I have a couple of the lauscha blues.

[Emily]

What blues are you talking about? Opaque or transparent? Can you narrow it down to specific shades?

If there's a transparent aquamarine out there that doesn't bubble, I want to know about it -- then I want you to tell Double Helix about it, so they can figure out how to make Elektra not bubble. Actually, tell Double Helix first, then tell me later. Let them get a head start.

[danawana]

That would be great, if you can. I want to make a purchase soon.
I should also clarify, I mean surface bubbling/boiling, rather than trapped air bubble inside.

The blues I have been having boiling with are the moretti transparent aquas, I dont think the dark dark colbalt transp did it. And The only opaque I remember seeing it on is one of the medium bkues, not the turq, I think it is medium lapis? I have been doing things that I seem to need to get it pretty hot.

I hope to pick up some DH in the future, thanks for the heads up.

Thanks for your responses!

[Emily]

OK. Now that you've narrowed it down, I can't answer your question, but I'd like to know, too. Moretti/Effetre transparent aqua and Vetrofond transparent aqua both boil like crazy, and I hate it. (And the base glass of Double Helix's Elektra is the same transparent aqua color, and it boils. It's the only DH color that boils -- and it's a shame, because otherwise, it's gorgeous.)

From the picture on GlassDaddy's site, Lauscha medium blue transparent looks similar to the color of the Effetre/Vetro transparent aquas. For those of you who have some, is it a similar color, and does it have the same boiling/bubbling problem? Are there any other Lauscha colors similar to the transparent aquas, and do they boil and bubble?

Dana, I've had some surface bubbling issues with an Effetre opaque bluish color, and I'm thinking it was one of the turquoises or maybe copper green. I know I've had major bubbling and scumming with Lauscha transparent copper green, which is similar to the color of Effetre transparent dark teal, and with my latest order of Effetre transparent dark teal (which I ordered because the Lauscha transparent copper green bubbled so much it was completely unusable). I'm wondering if the issue is created by copper, which I assume is what goes in the glass to make it greenish -- except then we should be getting it on some of the greens themselves, and we don't. Hmmph.

I don't remember ever having had any trouble with medium lapis. (Watch -- the next time I pick it up, it will be an absolute beast.)

[mostlydetails]

I do prefer Lauscha blues, but they can be a little shocky. Bubbling can be minimized by using tweezers to pull off the first melt on a rod. (Some people clean their rods first instead, but I never have.) Past that point, I see very few bubbles in Lauscha. Certainly nothing compared to the boiling in some of the Moretti transparents!

[danawana]

hmm. I am going to order them, and see what heppens, and i will cefinitely report back here. I wish BE was compatible, they have such nice colors, and they have lots of info on their web site - like this:
http://www.bullseyeglass.com/connect...ion/torchtips/

I wish all of the manufacturers provided this much info, and nice colorful charts.

I really also want a nice, true brown. I don't like the moretti browns at all, and I think I saw one really nice Lauscha brown, not reddish.

[Double Helix Glassworks]

Copper does make glass more likely to boil. Refraining from marvering helps to reduce the problem. Of course, working further out in the flame helps too. Reformulating the Elektra is on the List Of Things To Do Someday.
Jed at Double Helix

[barclayb]

I haven't had much bubbling with the Vetrofond aquas but definitely did with Effetre (back when I was using a hothead).

Jed - in fusing, copper wire and foil both create air bubbles, but I never put that together with boiling in the 104 colors - interesting!

[beadgoodies]

I too prefer the Lauscha transparent blues. They don’t boil as easily AND they stay much cleaner/clearer.

Candy

[carolanne]

I am very fond of the Lauscha blues, as you all know. I mean, I divorced my husband, sold my house and moved here so that I could use them 7 days a week.

What I like about this glass, is that it does not boil or scum. I use a Nortel Mid-Range nowadays with Minor topfire, and blast the propane and the tanked oxygen. I like to work fast, and get impatient sitting around waiting for glass to melt. So, I cook the snot out of it.

No boiling, no cooking, no nothing except great colours.

Copper Green, well, I do have to work a wee bit cooler, of course. But it's such a rich turquoise green, that it is worth it.

Give it a try - it's wicked good glass!

Big smile,
Carol Anne in Lauscha.

[Raven Wylder]

Carol Anne - I'm jealous! To be so close to such awesome glass, sigh.

Dana - I didn't get a chance to torch yet and I won't until Saturday. But I can tell you that I have a National 8M (can be a very hot flame or pinpoint) anwyay,so far, I have used Buckhorn, Fuschia, the tri-green, thurginan green (its something like that), and milkyway - melting the crap of all the colors and they still look amazying! I got the really thick rods since I knew I could have the reallly big flame so I don't have to wait too long for it to melt. I get a little impatient, too. I think the milkyway was the only one I had issues to get the consistent color since I forgot to kinda flash it again, it's much lighter almost white then I wanted.

I have either the med or dark blue, turquoise (both trans and opaque), copper green, moss green, wedgewood blue, and tri-blue (and milkyway but I already mentioned that) which I'll work with on Sat and let you know.

I'm just starting out getting to know the Lauscha glass but I love what I see so far.

[danawana]

Thanks everyone for the input!

Sheryll - I fantasize about a pinpoint flame. You may have inadvertently answered another of my *burning* questions - pun intended. How nice it would be for some of the things I am trying to pull off on a hothead. Is that one of those expensive thingies? I know the costs of the gases, but I mean the torch. I will look that up.

Carol Anne - wow! Don't give me any ideas! heh heh!

[PaulaD]

and blast the propane and the tanked oxygen. I like to work fast, and get impatient sitting around waiting for glass to melt.

HAHAHA. This is SO me!!

Paula

[PaulaD]

I agree with Carol Anne. Guess I screwed up the quote thing..
It IS wicked good glass!
That's why I decided to import it!

Paula

[Raven Wylder]

Dana,
The torch itself wasn't too expensive... a little over $100.
I got it here but there are lots others that sell it: http://www.artglass1.com/national8mtr.html I'm not affiliated w/ them, I just knew they had pics of how it compares to a minor and of the flame.

I love the torch but I'd recommend to go to a studio or store where they let you try out other torches as well. This was the torch that I found the price was decent and could grow w/ me when I wanna try boro. The knobs do get a little warm but with all the much hotter stuff we work w/ it's not bad at all (I still want to catch hot stuff or pull mandrels from the kiln bad, bad, me).

Paula,
Making note, next time I need some Lauscha.

[mostlydetails]

Dana, not to discourage you, but I had some difficulty melting Lauscha on a Hot Head. I know some people do it with ease, but I found myself entirely too impatient. That's one of the reasons I chose to upgrade my torch.

[Emily]

OK, so which Lauscha colors are similar to the Effetre transparent aquamarines? (I know I can look at websites, but how the colors look depends on the computer monitor, so you never really know from seeing something on the computer.) If you give me a color name, please let me know which vendor, too, since Lauscha names vary sometimes.

Dana, the cocoa that Glassdaddy sells is a nice brown. I'm not a big brown user, so I don't know whether there are other Lauscha brown shades or not, but I can speak for that one.

The Lauscha opaques are softer than the transparents. They shouldn't give you any trouble on a HotHead -- except that sometimes Lauscha comes in thick rods, which you'll have to start warming really gradually, or they'll pop from thermal shock. The Lauscha transparents are stiffer than Effetre. I never tried them on a HotHead, and they might be tough to work. The Lauscha clear, at least, also needs to go into the kiln still glowing, or it will crack.

[PaulaD]

I've now had some time to work all of the blues and I have never had any boiling. As I mentioned I work really hot. Paula

[Double Helix Glassworks]

Originally Posted by Double Helix Glassworks

Copper does make glass more likely to boil. Refraining from marvering helps to reduce the problem. Of course, working further out in the flame helps too. Reformulating the Elektra is on the List Of Things To Do Someday.
Jed at Double Helix

We have completed the reformulation of Elektra to eliminate the tendency to boil. The Elektra2 is not quite as dark aquamarine as the original Elektra, but it does not boil unless you really overheat it. It also strikes easier than the original and can be reduced/cooled/reduced over and over again to get rich red colors. We also adjusted it so the reds hold their color better in the kiln, and under an encasing layer. And it's $60 per pound now. So there.

Jed at Double Helix

[nagibeads]

WOOHOO!!!