Northstar - SPC414 Black Pearl

Northstar Glassworks - Black Pearl. This is one of the Northstar "exotic" 104 COE glasses.

The instructions for this say:

Simply reduce SPC414 Black Pearl to get amazing colors. A light reduction is all that is needed to get the colors to pop. Turn down your oxy a bit until you get a small, bushy flame. Pass the bead in and out until you get the colors you want. The colours pop almost immediately. Let it cool a bit and then go back to a neutral flame.

These did reduce very easily and quickly. I turned down the oxygen just a smidgen - not even enough to produce long, yellow candles, just a bushy, fatter flame with ragged candles. (Candles are those "fingers" of bright blue flame that come off the face of the torch.)

These next ones are ivory with trails of Black Pearl. I reduced them more and you can see they have gone to a more yellowy green - than the intense metallic look above.

And again, the lentil below was made with trails of Black Pearl, raked, and dots - poked, and reduced.

The effect is not so reflective - but the reaction with the ivory is quite striking. I should try an ivory + exotic twisty.

I was really pleased with the first two spacers. I think it might be very easy to over reduce this colour and wind up with a more hazy look. Reduce it with a "get in and get out again" approach. I actually didn't go back to a neutral flame after - I put them directly in the kiln - not sure if that makes a difference - as generally, with a reduction glass - that un-reduces it. Spose I should at least try it!