what is the "boro look"

angie · #1 2007-05-22, 1:26am

ive never used boro .....yet!
but was wondering what is the "boro look" i dont see any difference

Mr. Smiley · #2 2007-05-22, 2:02am

I don't know how to answer you question from a soft glass point of view... but I get the "boro look" all the time. I use boro, so maybe that helps.

Otter's Flame · #3 2007-05-22, 2:29am

Contrast Brent's beads and pendants with mine....mine are soft glass. Notice the clear boro is truely crystal clear......notice the tremendous brilliance of the colors in the boro and the way the colors are translucent and varied and have a "mist" effect around and through them....that is the "boro look". Darn.....now I have bead performance issues

lunamoonshadow · #4 2007-05-22, 4:19am

Boro looks sort of "ethereal", but also has colors you can't really "define" a lot of the time--it's pretty, but as a designer, I *don't* use the beads in much of my jewelry because it turns/shows different colors in different light far too often for my taste (ie: flourescent light vs. daylight vs. regular lightbulbs) & Iv'e found that customers don't tend to be happy about that--what they think will match an outfit in the store, doesn't match at the office, or at home--when it's in a "different light"

(for things like small beads in bracelets & such)...
Now as far as marbles & larger sculptures & such, there's *beautiful* work--that I'd love to display!! But...mostly what I buy for is "jewelry for resale" use, so....I like furnace glasses & soft glasses better.
Just my own personal opinions/choices, for the area I live in!

evilglass · #5 2007-05-22, 4:59am

of course, there's always the faux boro thing with soft glass....you get the ethereal look, but without the color changing aspects.

beadgoodies · #6 2007-05-22, 8:57am

Mr. Smiley, your hearts are gorgeous. Stunning. Very nice.

Candy

ziggys · #7 2007-05-23, 8:27pm

[quote=evilglass;1179381]of course, there's always the faux boro thing with soft glass....you get the ethereal look, but without the color changing aspects.

Wow! I want to learn how to make beads like yours! I only use 104 COE. Is that what these are? They are simply beautiful.

Angela

ziggys · #8 2007-05-23, 8:30pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by lunamoonshadow

Boro looks sort of "ethereal", but also has colors you can't really "define" a lot of the time--it's pretty, but as a designer, I *don't* use the beads in much of my jewelry because it turns/shows different colors in different light far too often for my taste (ie: flourescent light vs. daylight vs. regular lightbulbs) & Iv'e found that customers don't tend to be happy about that
SNIP: !

Hey! I never thought of it that way. I was getting a little concerned about the Boro trend that I am not on.
Yes they are beautiful and one day I will own a piece by Brent. But I was hoping there will still be a significant place for soda lime glass.
I'll sleep better now since I just upgraded my torch and it's for soft glass.

Angela

Reenie · #9 2007-05-24, 3:03am

Ziggys...
You can't get a better explanation to "Boro" glass then having Mr Smiley show u his precious hearts!
I agree...I'm still Smiley less but I'm working on it! LOL
If you upgraded your torch you could probably do Boro.
I went from a hot head to a Betta and I can melt them pretty easily. It's getting the colors to come out that i have a problem with.

Irene

evilglass · #10 2007-05-24, 4:23am

[quote=ziggys;1182339]

Quote:

Originally Posted by evilglass

of course, there's always the faux boro thing with soft glass....you get the ethereal look, but without the color changing aspects.

Wow! I want to learn how to make beads like yours! I only use 104 COE. Is that what these are? They are simply beautiful.

Angela

Thanks

These are made with the reichenbach iris frits. All of them are moretti black base, either iris gold, light iris gold, an iris blues mixture, iris green, and in the top set a teeny touch of iris violet.

You put the iris frit on straw yellow or transparent light brown, pull it into a stringer or twistie and put that on your base. Then encase it. Some of them show up well without the clear layer, some not so much. Iris violet, for example, I've learned is so dark that I had to put two dips of light iris gold under a light dip of it to have any violet really show up, plus to minimize the baby poop color, LOL.

I didn't figure out the basic idea (iris gold plus straw yellow or transparent light brown and encase) but I've experimented a lot with it. I've gotten the effect from the CIM moonstone colors, too, instead of the straw yellow or trans light brown, but I can't replicate it consistently.

lunamoonshadow · #11 2007-05-24, 9:09am

I

the faux boro--the look & the "non-color-change" quality!! & evilglass, yours are stunning! those 2nd-to-last blue ones are amazing--they look like swirling water!

DawnT · #12 2007-05-24, 9:27am

Evilglass I love those beads! I have never gotten good results with the iris gold/faux boro look in soft glass but yours make me want to try again!

evilglass · #13 2007-05-24, 10:18am

Quote:

Originally Posted by lunamoonshadow

I

the faux boro--the look & the "non-color-change" quality!! & evilglass, yours are stunning! those 2nd-to-last blue ones are amazing--they look like swirling water!

Thanks

those are with the iris blue blend, made into a twistie, then dabbed on the bead. like if you're doing the dot encasing thing. Plus the iris stuff spreads, so it works out

evilglass · #14 2007-05-24, 10:20am

Quote:

Originally Posted by DawnT

Evilglass I love those beads! I have never gotten good results with the iris gold/faux boro look in soft glass but yours make me want to try again!

If you want easy results, try using the iris blues and greens. Iris green twistie laid on normally then encased looks just like malachite! No baby poop at all. And the blues are always pretty, but I think I've got several shades of reichenbach blues mixed up in my little jar, and I don't know which ones they are, LOL.

ziggys · #15 2007-05-25, 3:53pm

Irene: I'm determined not to get hooked on Boro but I sure would like to try those those Reichenbach frits thanks to Evilglass! LOL!

Evilglass: I was looking at a past frit challange yesterday and I could not figure out how they got that look. Many of the beads were made with the Iris frits. I didn't even know they were Riechenbach until now. I'm printing your tips in my "to try" folder one day.
Thanks for the enlightenment,
Angela

evilglass · #16 2007-05-25, 6:31pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by ziggys

Irene: I'm determined not to get hooked on Boro but I sure would like to try those those Reichenbach frits thanks to Evilglass! LOL!

Evilglass: I was looking at a past frit challange yesterday and I could not figure out how they got that look. Many of the beads were made with the Iris frits. I didn't even know they were Riechenbach until now. I'm printing your tips in my "to try" folder one day.
Thanks for the enlightenment,
Angela

Glad I could help

I shared a lot of this in the faux boro thread in here a while ago, but found out about the CIM moonstone glass colors working with it since then, as well as layering the violet frit in for getting guaranteed purple in the end result, LOL.

You want the riechenbach iris transparent frits. I can't get anything like this out of the opaque ones, and black, well, it's really black and if it does anything I can't see it.

Reenie · #17 2007-05-25, 6:53pm

I've used the light brown transparent with the iris gold frit....Then it HAS to be encased and the colors really pop...I think I have a pic to show too!
I'm still working on the technique though so they are not well.....not great. I'll post a pic of it when I find it!
Irene

DawnT · #18 2007-05-26, 10:06am

Whenever I use the iris gold I always get brown tints throughout the bead and they look muddy. I'm going to try the blue though. I just bought some iris blue from Val in the 00 size. Hopefully that will work.