More stamps. Large and small paw print

Well - once I've committed to buying one thing off a web site - I generally go and look for something else that I might want. At that point - shipping is already paid, so I figure I might as well get something else too. When I commissioned the signature stamp from Leonardo Lampwork, I then had a look around the web site to see what else I might want. There are lots of cool stamps / imprinting tools there. (I just had another look, and I see a bunch more that I don't recognize, so either more have been added or restocked, or I was just in a fog. Just as well. It would have cost more if I had seen them.)

So when I spotted the paw print - it was a given that I had to get it. Good thing there was no dragon foot prints - I'd have had to get those too.

There were different styles and sizes, and after awhile, I kind of got lost trying to figure out what the difference was. I elected to go with the revised large and the mini. Because they don't all sort out together on the site - I had trouble keeping track of them all - which is stupid - because I could have just opened different browser tabs every time I found one I liked. Or loaded them all into the shopping cart and sorted them out from there. Anyway - I'll buy a revised anything, and the mini-anything, I've learned, is usually more useful than the one I select.

This is the larger of the two - the paw print is about 12 mm across, or just shy of half an inch. It is raised, so the imprint is an indent, like an actual paw print in the snow, sand, concrete, ... . 

 It's a little tough to see the impression on this particular glass (Eff. Ebony and Ivory, again) - but the print is quite large and well defined and I'm quite pleased with it. You know there are going to be heart beads with paw prints on them ... .

This one, the mini, is concave, not-raised, hollowed out, if you will, and leaves a print that is raised, is in relief, surrounded by a circle. The circle is 6 mm across - so the whole thing is half the size of the larger one. Again, it works very well - and I'm very pleased with it.

You could use the smaller one as a signature stamp - especially if you had named yourself "Dog Beads," "Dog, the Bead Hunter," or "Paws to Bead."

Overall - buying from Karen Leonardo was a joy. Fast and clear communication, prompt shipment, well packed, arrived safely. Five Stars Up, or how ever you want to rate things. ;-)

Custom Signature Stamp

When I was in Tucson, I bought a couple of beads from Joy Munshower. When I looked at the back, they were signed with a stamped impression, instead of a murrini.

I really don't like murrini, they are a lot of work to make, inevitably are the wrong colour and tend to look like road kill.

So I thought this was a great idea, and she was kind enough to share her source with me.

So I got my own made at Leonardo Lampwork.

I just sent her the artwork (which is based on my initials - DJ - Dragon Jools) - and she carved it into the brass. It was quick and easy and painless.

And works pretty good.

Now, I just have to remember to USE it.

A little experimenting

Just a little experimenting. These are just shapes worked on the end of old, bent mandrels. Not sure what to do with them - plant them in the garden maybe.

This is the Effetre Ebony and Ivory - freaking awesome glass. I bought a couple of pounds - but I don't think it will be enough. I'm afraid that subsequent batches will not be the same.

I have to say, it is as shocky as hell though - loaded with air bubbles that keep shooting the end off. I have a sizable pile of chunks left over now.  But worth it.

The faces are just regular ivory - made with that Burgard face mold. Gather of glass, droop into the mold. Then drape the "hair" around the face. 

 More playing.

Comparison: CiM 525 Marine and CiM 522 Tuscan Teal

CiM's Marine and Tuscan Teal - having just done both - I thought I'd show you the two side-by-side.

Top mandrel is Marine (from the left, self, self, over clear)
Bottom mandrel is Tuscan Teal (from the left, self, over clear, over white)

The Tuscan Teal is a little more green, but is very similar in value (how dark it is). Both are intense enough to hold up to dilution, i.e. using over a lighter colour (such as white) or over clear. 

CiM 522 Tuscan Teal

Another wonderful colour - a transparent dark teal. Although it is classified in with CiM's blues, it is leaning to the green-ish side.

Top mandrel, from the left, self-coloured, over clear, over white.

Bottom mandrel, all over white. 

You can see that it is a pretty dark colour (left) and holds up well over clear (right). 

These dark aquas and teals don't really need me to say anything about them - they are just so inherently lovely - you just need them, regardless. ;-)

Riley Designs Dichro - Cyan / Dark Red

Cyan / Dark Red is one of the more common colours you will see in Dichro, along with the Magenta / Blue. Once again, I should have photo'd the rod before working it.

On the left, a core of CiM Orange Crush, a layer of dichro, and encased in Uroboros clear. On the right, a core of Uro clear, dichro, and encase Uro clear.

Kind of hard to get the rationale for the name from these pics, but who cares, they are yummy.

 These are a base of CiM Mariner (a transparent teal), a layer of dichro, and encase in Uro clear. The dichro is more like green and gold, with just a hit of red.

Definitely a cooler look to the colours than the last dichro, though. Cool as in color, not cooler as in desirability - which they are both equally gorgeous.

CiM 525 Marine

Hard to beat a dark aqua blue - it really is a beautiful colour - and so Marine is no exception.

From the left, two self-coloured beads, and on the right, a clear core. This dark aqua is really dark, and shines over clear.

 With a strong backlight - it's really wonderful. I didn't have any problems with it bubbling or boiling, but I generally don't with aquas. My technique actually works for me in this case - or whatever it is that I do that no one else is doing.

 And here's a decorative doo-dad - the colour is really wonderful.

 And again - backlit. Ooops - some heat cracks in that - let it cool too much. Damn.

CiM 209 Alley Cat Again

I know I've reviewed Alley Cat (Alleycat? Allez cat!) before - it just surprises me with it's orange-ness.

A set of CiM Alley Cat with dots in Effetre 432 Medium Red - which, is an opaque - but doesn't look like an opaque here.

Comparison: CiM Reds

OK - time for a head to head comparison - these brilliant CiM transparent reds. They are yummy, yummy, yummy - but how different are they?










We're going to look at 4 reds: from the top, CiM  113 Rudolph, CiM 106 Firecracker, CiM 101 Marachino, CiM 111 Bing.

 And here is the other end of the same rods, in the same order. In real life, they are this similar too.

 Because they look diffent over clear, I tried them both way. The top is a clear cylinder, with stripes of (from the left), Rudolph, Firecracker, Marachino, Bing. And the con-joined bead on the bottom is the same order, from the left, Rudolph, Firecracker, Marachino, Bing.

  Close up, from the left, Rudolph, Firecracker, Marachino, Bing. The Marachino is slightly darker, the Bing appears to be slightly more orange. The firecracker looks slightly more streaky, but otherwise, the same colour as Rudolph.

 And again, a close up, over clear, from the left, Rudolph, Firecracker, Marachino, Bing.Functionally, no difference.

 And with a strong backlight - the Marachino bead is noticeably more opaque.

Damn. I just realized I left Radio Flyer out of this test. Poop.

All great reds - love 'em. Firecracker and Rudolph are pretty much interchangeable, I would say.

CiM 113 Rudolph

had a very shiny nose ... here is that shiny, red nose.

CiM Rudolph, another bright happy red.

From the left - two self-coloured beads, and on the right, a clear core with Rudolph encasing.

The Rudolph also goes cloudy, and seems to opacify (is that a word?) more completely - but I can see "windows" of clear into it. The encased bead has stayed nicely clear though.

Another stunning shade of red. Starting to wonder how different these shades are, however.

CiM 106 Firecracker

Speaking of firecrackers (last post was a wine glass and a firecracker), Firecracker is suddenly a HOT name in glass, with both a CiM Firecracker and an Effetre Firecracker landing on my bench last week. (The Effetre, I will get to later.)

The CiM Firecracker is a gorgeous, intense "power" red, a transparent that goes cloudy as you work it more. I have reviewed Firecracker in the past, but got different results, with it being slower to strike.

The top bead has solid ends, and a clear core, encased in Firecracker. 

The bottom row is two self coloured beads on the left, and a clear core encase in Firecracker on the right.


 Here are those two self-coloured beads. The first one made, on the left, is opaque, from the process of heating and cooling, and the next one is less opaque, it has been through fewer heating and cooling cycles.

Even with a clear core - some cloudiness has happened, due to keeping the other beads warm.

I started with two bead of solid Firecracker for the ends, and then in-filled with clear, and encased the clear with more firecracker. You can see the spiral of cloudiness from laying down the Firecracker and melting it in.

It's a super pretty, bright red, no traces of brown in it. If you don't mind the opacity - it's still a win!

Glass is so cool - slow motion glass + firecracker

But for all that ... it still doesn't break the goblet - just the stem ...





And that might have been a bad glass - do it again, I say!

Soft Glass and Opals

You may have seen them yourself - floating in the middle of a marble - an opal.

Well - you know a thing or two about opals - it being your birthstone and all - and you know that a real, live, mined-out-of-the-ground opal would never survive the heat of being worked in glass - so ask - and it turns out to be a Gilson Created Opal - embedded in borosilicate glass.

And there it ended - because the word is that the Gilson Opal (artificial opal) is a close enough COE to the boro that you can include it.

Which would indicate that would not work in soft glass.

Well - that would be correct.


When I heard a rumor that you COULD put opals into soft glass - I was all over it like dog hair on a velvet couch.

But, sadly, the answer is, no, it's not compatible.

This is the remain of a marble and a bead. They blowed up good. 

I tried both the black opal and the white, in various sizes - even the utterly minuscule ones broke the glass. The shards of opal that fell back out of the glass retained their fire and brilliance (as you can see).

The original premise stands. Not compatible.

Sadness.

CiM 607 Vineyard

CiM Vineyard appears to be an opal - puts me in mind of "Eggplant."

It is a dark purple - mostly reads as opaque, but has a translucent quality to it.

From the left,  self-coloured, over clear, and self coloured. The rightmost bead (with less re-heating) - is quite a bit darker.







This rather handsome bead is a core of Vineyard, rolled silver foil and melted in, trailed with something that I'm not quite sure what it was - I thought it was ivory, but I may have picked up Desert Pink or Eff Petal Pink. Final step - encased in Zeus.

 And these I show just for the colour - the lids are made of Vineyard in both cases.

I am not happy with these - but it's not the fault of the glass. Please don't judge.

Comparison: Effetre 260 Light Pink; Eff 746 Petal Pink; Eff 261 Angel Pink

Side by side comparison - from the left, Effetre 260 Light Pink; Eff 746 Petal Pink; Eff 261 Angel Pink.

Petal Pink, in the centre, definitely lighter, and Light Pink and Angel Pink are similar, but Angel Pink is more variable.

What's on your pallet?

Do you have a glass palette? Or Pallet?

Dropped into Nortel Mfg last week. New glass shipment came in. Those are 22 lb bundles.

Mmmmm - ivory.

And more of it - not even undressed yet. 

There's some torchin' to be done!

Effetre 261 Angel Pink

Angel Pink is a pale rod that strikes up to a nice rose pink. It can be streaky - and it can also develop an odd grey blush.

On the face of it - it strikes quite nicely to a fairly rich pink. I didn't do anything particularly to strike these - and I have had trouble with this glass in the past, being hard, no, make that impossible, to strike. This, however, struck up nicely. 

The streakiness that you see on the right-most bead almost looks like a ribbon of transparent in the opaque - not particularly uncommon.



However, if you look at the bottom third of the middle bead in this picture - you can see a smokey, sooty looking patch.

 Here is the tail end of that patch.

 And again.

What the cause of this is, I don't know.

Overall - this is a pleasant shade of pink - but I would experiment with it before I committed to, say, a production run of pink-skinned angels - in case they came out with grey, smudgey cheeks. Now - if you were making little Victorian-era chimney sweeps and flower girls - it might be absolutely perfect - other than the whole complete-randomness factor. Or maybe you'd learn to control it?

Or pigs? With smudgy, muddy bits? Wilbur and Charlotte, anyone?

Effetre 260 Light Pink

I mentioned using Eff 260 Light Pink the other day - and so you might want to see want it looks like.

Effetre Light Pink is a pale, dusty pink. In the photo here, it appears to be peachier than the rods - but that is an illusion - in life - it is pretty close to the unworked rod colour.

The two beads on the outside (not counting the transparent green marker bead - this is how I keep them identified after they come out of the kiln) are self-coloured. The middle bead is a core of Light Pink and has Ivory dots.

Light Pink is a good choice for all those angel and fairy beads. It is a nice, well-scrubbed, happy face colour.

CiM 307: Cake Batter

This is a pale, pale greenish colour - the name "Cake Batter" baffles me - I must be missing something, as CiM is generally very clever with their colour names.

With the 3xx series number - we know that CiM intends this to be in the yellow series of colours - but not even looking at it  looking at it in different colours of light shifts the colour.

 You can see that the rod has changed colour with the heat - the tip is white, and the transition zone is more of a yellow - so it is possible that this colour is intended to strike to a yellow (which would be consistent with the name) - and I just didn't work it long enough, or at the right temperature.


From the left, two self coloured beads, and you can see a yellow dot on the middle one - which would be consistent with the striking theory. The third bead is a core of cake batter, dots of turquoise, and dots of cake batter on top. There is functionally no reaction between the two.

The rod does look "vanilla" when you are working it - but it cools naturally to a slight green. It would be worth trying to strike it to see if you can get a yellow out of it. Or possibly just work cooler than I do.  ;-)

Feet

Feet.

Hands and feet are hard. Ever notice how often they get hidden in drawings and paintings?

And with the sculptural stuff - I have a hard time boiling it down to the essence - simplifying. Because piling on the detail is what I do.

But, for sculptural flameworking - that just doesn't work.

So I've been doing the equivalent of "studies" - like an artist drawing hands, feet, and faces, over and over. Sketching in glass, so to speak.

Here are some feet that I don't hate.

Finally.

CiM 612 Frangipani

CiM Frangipani - a translucent, pale, misty pink. With the 6xx series number - we find that CiM considers it to be in the purple family, and calls "A very pale opal purple. Formerly Unique Crocus-2."

CiM has been re-naming it's Uniques as Limited Runs - which I think is a smart move. The original Crocus is a delight, definite purple - so yes, this totally deserved its own name.

I still don't see it as a purple, but there you go.

As an opal, it is translucent, and it is a very ethereal colour - getting more opaque the longer it is worked. All three of these beads are self-coloured, but the two on the left are more opacified as they have been heated and cooled more often. (I generally work from left to right on the mandrel - so that I don't block seeing what I am doing with the rod.)

 Same beads  - different colour background. Makes a difference, doesn't it?

It would be interesting to make something like a sculptural flower with this. In a very thin application, this might not read as well - but if you can pull it off - you might be able to make something with a very delicate, otherworldly look to it. Just have to find the right colours to go with it. Equally delicate colours.