104 Clears - stiffness

LampworkbyLori · #1 2011-01-06, 6:32pm

I only work with Effetre clears so that's all I know. I'm writing a tut and I need to know some less stiff clears to recommend. Any help out there?

Thanks friends!

Toni Lutman · #2 2011-01-06, 6:56pm

DH's Aether is soft and smoooooooth. Mmmmmmm.

crystalflipz · #3 2011-01-06, 10:06pm

Aether is the softest, Reichenbach Crystal Clear is probably the stiffest. l

j2canoe · #4 2011-01-07, 4:32am

Aether is like buttah.....but it does affect colors on some silver glasses. It will shift them to the green range - particularly Triton. This property can create some neat effects - like when you want silver foil or dots to turn gold....

Copperrein · #5 2011-01-07, 6:06am

CiM clear is my fav, super gooey and I haven't noticed any odd chemistries between it and other colors

GinnyHampton · #6 2011-01-07, 9:24pm

DH Aether is the softest clear I've worked with and reformulated Lauscha clear is the stiffest. Effetre clear is somewhere in between but sucks in terms of quality and clarity.

I love Aether for its softness and ease of use for encasing, but the negatives are that it turns certain silvered glasses green, and (at least for me) I get skid marks on my beads from laying them on the kiln floor. I don't get that problem with any other clear, but no matter what, when I encase a bead with Aether, the floor of my kiln will leave a mark on my encasement. I've thrown away alot of beads because of this

My kiln is set at 940 and I usually rest beads on a kiln rack at first, and then move them to the kiln floor . . . and still, Aether-encased beads wind up with a mark on them.

For the Lauscha clear . . . I like the clarity and quality because it's far superior to Effetre, but the stiffness makes it more difficult to use for encasing larger beads. I use the "big blob" method to encase large beads and the Lauscha glass is harder to use for this.

BUT, I'd rather have a more difficult glass to use than to use effetre and have all of my beads wind up with hazy crap on them.

PaulaD · #7 2011-01-13, 6:37pm

Lauscha has a version of clear called "Soft Clear" that melts pretty fast..
Paula

Elizabeth Beads · #8 2011-01-13, 7:12pm

Hey Ginny - I garage at 920 and have had no marks on my Aether encased beads. No cracking either and less kiln-overstriking of my silver glass.

Tag Clarity is less stiff than Effetre I would say and is awesome.