No particular point to this post, other than to share some pics of my recent dichro purchase. Dichro - ahhhh. Hard to photo, intimidatingly expensive, and requires some skill and practice to use well - although not as much as some people would have you believe. And completely addictive!
But just look it it - it's magic!
If you are at all intrigued by this rather fabulous stuff, I highly recommend "Dichroics: Art Glass All Dressed Up" by Jackie Paciello-Truty.
It's not a huge book, and doesn't go into techniques for lampworking. Instead, it is a rather quick read that tells you the history and the background of dichroic coatings and it's origins, and some background about how it is produced. (Hint - you are not going to be able to make it in your kitchen. Not unless you have a very specialized kitchen. With a vacuum chamber. And a laser.)
I found it totally worthwhile. Gives you a greater understanding of the stuff you work with.
Funny you posted this today. I just did my first dichro bead and am fascinated by the sparkle. Making the beads is enough of a challenge, but with my beginner setup I was able to do a passable one. Thanks for throwing another log on the fire.
ReplyDeleteWhat, you don't keep a laser under the sink? :-)
ReplyDeleteIn the garage, next to the Super Collider and last year's Time Machine. The problem with Time Machines is that as soon as you buy them, they go forward in time until their warranty expires. :-P
ReplyDelete