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Tips, Techniques, and Questions -- Technical questions or tips

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  #1  
Old 2008-10-24, 10:42am
mtbeader mtbeader is offline
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Default Alabaster Glass

I have never worked with Alabaster glass before. What is special or different about it? Are there any different techniques to use with it? I appreciate any help. Thanks.
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  #2  
Old 2008-10-24, 10:47am
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Wear protective gear!!! Alabaster is very shocky, but if it's the translucent look you are going for, that's the glass to use.
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  #3  
Old 2008-10-24, 11:20am
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Thanks , I love that look, but not sure I want to deal with another shocky glass.
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  #4  
Old 2008-10-24, 11:30am
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I always get Opalino and Alabaster mixed up but one gets really bubbly. I think both need to be worked cooler in the flame, though.
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Old 2008-10-24, 11:35am
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Stick the end in your bead kiln when you turn it on. Preheating it helps with the shockiness. They are beautiful colors but, just like anice white, shocky as all get out.

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  #6  
Old 2008-10-24, 12:08pm
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You can also use CIM glass, which has several opalino colors that aren't shocky like Moretti's.
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  #7  
Old 2008-10-24, 3:02pm
Firebrand Beads Firebrand Beads is offline
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Hey Teri, do all your CIM opals stay milky after being heated? I haven't played with many of them, but have been finding lots of transparent stuff at the end, lol!

The "alabastards" are pretty notorious in Moretti. Some of them aren't even, technically, compatible with each other! Test your combos before going to big beads with these colors, and definitely pre-heat the ends if you can -- it will save you from the scars and chasing bits all over the place. Alabastros taught me to use a heat-sink method for encasements, since *every* alabastro encased floral bead I made in the early days broke. Turns out to be a good recipe for cabochons!

Jim Smircich did more than anyone I know to try and turn the 'flaws' of the opalinos and alabastros into 'features' ... and I believe it was a yellow opalino that he used as the base for his early black web effect beads? He's the one who first told me about the incompatibility within the color line on these milky Morettis.

Good luck! And keep us posted if you make some discoveries, good or bad. ::
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  #8  
Old 2008-10-24, 4:15pm
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Firebrand Beads View Post
Alabastros taught me to use a heat-sink method for encasements, since *every* alabastro encased floral bead I made in the early days broke.
The only luck I've had encasing has been starting with a clear base then making an extremely thin layer of alabastro then clear. I think that's a tip I got from Michael Barley.
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  #9  
Old 2008-10-24, 7:52pm
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Work the alabasters very cool or they lose their color.

Here is a set of spacers made with the dark pink #380 so you can see what different amounts of heat does to the glass.

Some strike, but I haven't had much luck with them. I work pretty hot.

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  #10  
Old 2008-12-27, 12:15pm
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Wow, pretty! I love the search feature here. Just entered "alabaster" and found my answers!
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  #11  
Old 2008-12-27, 1:12pm
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That pretty pink is notorious for burning. Work it in a really cool flame and way out at the tip of the flame. I made a tiny spacer one day to see how it looked and just couldn't how that swampwater color was going to turn into pink--but you never know how it looks until its cooled. Nope, that swampwater color never did turn into pink; just stayed swampwater. I still burn that color more often than not.

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  #12  
Old 2008-12-27, 1:35pm
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Celeste,
Burning! You said that right! It loves to burn!

One of the secrets I found to working that color is to work it in slower stages.

Wind your glass on and let it cool, then melt in a little bit, let it cool, repeat a few times. Try not to get it past the first stage of glowing.

I make my spacers about 7 at a time, however many I can fit on a mandrel, so I wind two on, by the time I wind the second one on, I go back to the first one and melt it a bit, then go to the second one and melt it a bit, and go back and forth until they are the desired shape. If you put them fairly close to each other (3-5mm), the ambient heat helps shape a bit quicker.

I have to admit, that I hope to find another pretty pink before I run out of this one to switch to, it really is a PITA, but so danged pretty! And I do like the variations, I think it makes a nice set of spacers.
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#T53
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  #13  
Old 2008-12-29, 2:50pm
Firebrand Beads Firebrand Beads is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PixieFireBeads View Post
The only luck I've had encasing has been starting with a clear base then making an extremely thin layer of alabastro then clear. I think that's a tip I got from Michael Barley.
Yes -- that's the heat sink method. The clear has a different viscosity than the Alabastro or Opalino, so when you make the center out of whatever you'll use on the outside they don't break as much.
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