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Beginning lampwork question/frustration

Hi everyone,

I have just started lampworking within the last 6 months, have taken a few basic classes, and I am having a problems that I hope someone here will help me solve.

Here's the situation. I am using a hothead torch, with propylene (sp) braising fuel. I am attempting to create the triangle beads from Corina's Passing the Flame book. My thought is that if I do these beads over and over again, eventually my consistency will improve. Anyway, with the bigger beads (about 20mm) the colors come through just fine. I am using medium purple transparent and light blue transparent over white. Every time I try to make smaller beads with these same colors, the blue glass "oxidizes" into an ugly rust red color, the purple color stays true.

My question to you is, what am I doing wrong? When making my beads, I am staying out of the "blue cone" where it is the hottest & and I using the same color, no matter what the bead size. Am I getting the bead too close to the hottest point in the flame? Is it the color class itself? (I doubt it) It's DRIVING ME CRAZY!

I think what bothers me the most is that I don't see this discoloration until after the bead has cooled and then wham, there it is.

TIA

Reply to
Genie
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In my experience it is easy to do this to blues on a HH, I have no idea about using propylene or what that might contribute to the problem, I always used propane, but I discovered that on a HH I had to work blues, much cooler or I would get the red or even black crud rising to the surface. Maybe try working cooler and stay farther out in the flame. You might be bringing them in closer to the flame than you realize.

Teresa

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Reply to
LavenderCreek

I would second this. Many of the blues, especially anything with a turquoise or aqua cast, contain copper, and a Hot Head always has a slightly reducing flame so it will bring the copper out to the surface, which gives you the red reduction. You can avoid this to some degree by working more slowly, farther out in the cooler areas of the flame. Sometimes it's easiest to just avoid those blues while you're working on a particular technique, and strive to master those colors working on a technique you're already very comfortable with.

I always found propylene to burn a bit cleaner and hotter than propane, but YMMV.

LavenderCreek wrote:

Reply to
Kalera

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