A question for lampworkers

I have that same link on my website. Wonderful stuff.

vj found this in rec.crafts.beads, from "starlia" :

]The rod shatters, not the bead.

oh! well as a consumer, i'm glad it's not the bead!

----------- @vicki [SnuggleWench] (Books)

Same here - you just have to introduce them very slowly into the flame. I poke the end in and out of the flame very slowly until the tip glows.

OMG. I cannot WAIT until you use EDP. You are going to make that glass SING! I would bet my lunch money on that!

I have no problems with EDP or Tequilla Sunrise coral. Actually those melt for me just fine. It's just my opal yellow hates me, but I love it.

Yanno, I don't think it's particular colors at all. Sometimes ANY given color can just be pulled with a bubble in it and BAM! away it goes.

Over the years I've had exploding: Pastel pea green Alabastro yellow Black Cobalt lapis Dark and light turquoise Periwinkle blue Opal Yellow all of the reds and the lastest...Vetrofond white. This has to be the most crazy-making because SOME of a rod can be fine, then suddenly we're back to exploding every half-inch or so. My bench is a mess.

Oh, and Bullseye dense white is always a PITA.

KarenK

LOL - Uh oh - high expectations! :) I will try my hardest. I am finishing up my very last custom order today, and also working on a gorgeous color combo of olive and mauve. Mmmmmmm I hope it turns out well!

The thing is, there never *is* a bead because I can't melt the glass because it shatters when it goes near the flame.

-Kalera

I cannot agree... in my experience, some colors are just plain shockier. I've been working glass for over 11 years now, and there are some that are predictably shocky, batch after batch.

In some cases, it's related to rod diameter. In others, there may be bubbles (but funny how my bubbliest bullseye isn't necessarily the shockiest... and I have lots of bubbly Bullseye) and in still others, it's not bubbles but stoniness, which isn't always visible.

Opaques are far more likely to be shocky.

Alabaster Dark Periwinkle is just plain evil.

-Kalera

vj found this in rec.crafts.beads, from Kalera Stratton :

]The thing is, there never *is* a bead because I can't melt the glass ]because it shatters when it goes near the flame.

well, DARN!!!!!!!!!!

----------- @vicki [SnuggleWench] (Books)

I agree - some colors are shocky, no matter what I do. Opaque uranium yellow for one. A lot of the newer handpulled opaques can be very shocky. Periwinkle is always shocky for me - especially the larger rods. I have to be very very careful when heating these.