Multicolour Dark! Someone please save my sanity!

helbels · August 26, 2012, 05:20:44 PM

Hi guys, well would you believe it, having just mastered the art of striking silver glass properly and even managing to get nice colours out of my nemesis Terra 2, I decided to go back to Multicolour Dark, which I haven't played with for ages. "Easy Peasy" I thought to myself..... especially after all that Double Helix malarky.

No such luck!!!! I can't get the bugger to play nicely at all.

I am heating the bead hot in the flame, taking it out, wafting it around a bit to let it cool, and then striking it in the back of the flame. So far, so good. But what happens is that it immediately strikes so much that it goes almost pitch black in appearance to the naked eye. I have then encased it, and then continued reheating and striking, but that then gives me terracotta red tones .... not a whiff of purple in sight at any stage.

Where the heck am I going wrong? Should I not be encasing? Do I need to work cooler?

I want nice purples!

I can't believe I can't work this glass, it's supposed to be one of the easier strikers! Hrrmph!

mel · August 26, 2012, 05:55:42 PM

I'm sure I had some success with Hades as a base, Hades seems to bring out the colours in anything like that and seems to stabilise them. I'm also pretty sure that it's not necessarily striking that fetches out the colour, it is rapid cooling after heating it really hard so it gets soupy (like 104 iris orange/raku), so colours come out when you roll it on a marver, and probably put it in a press, but if you then have to reheat to shape and remarver you lose the purples to more earthy tones.

BeeBeads · August 26, 2012, 06:43:30 PM

Helen, I can't believe it .. I've been doing exactly the same thing as you this afternoon! After seeing someone's gorgeous pics
of multicolour purples I thought I'd have a go too. I've managed to get dark purples, very dark actually - I can see them if I put the bead under a daylight lamp lol!

I'll be watching this thread with interest. I would like to know what base is best for multicolour dark. It's not that expensive to build the whole bead out of, but I'd like to know if any other base colour will help the colours pop.

I've been encasing too .. maybe I'll try tomorrow and not encase but press in a brass press and see what happens.
On the plus side, I have been getting some results from Double Helix for the first time so am quite chuffed about that.

Hope I haven't spoken too soon - probably find they've all cracked in the morning!!

helbels · August 26, 2012, 06:49:59 PM

Bee - thank you so much, I'm glad it's not just me!!!! I really was starting to think I'd gone completely mad!!

I'll cross my fingers for your Double Helix beads....

In the meantime, lets hope a Multicolour dark expert will be along in a minute to tell us what we are doing wrong....

flowerjasper · August 26, 2012, 08:12:47 PM

I get some fantastic purples/ blues from multi dark, sadly they can only be seen in very bright light

prehaps a miners helmet would help .
To the naked eye in normal light the colours I get range from deep purple to deep purple with a whisp od blue, I used it in a disc yesterday( I read it likes to be worked/cooled lots) with green and other colours and you guessed it deep almost black,
so I will be watching this thread ith interest,
#sandy

helbels · August 26, 2012, 08:18:36 PM

Well I have to say ladies that I am mightily relieved to hear this! Obviously not pleased that you are having the same issues as me, but it's reassuring to know I'm not the only one....

Madam Steph · August 26, 2012, 08:37:03 PM

I used it for the first time over light red and it went a gorgeous purple.

I wish I had even a fraction of success with Clio

Linda x

helbels · August 26, 2012, 08:53:06 PM

Over red? What sort of red? Transparent, opaque? Spill the beans missus

There are desperate folk here who need to know these things

BeeBeads · August 26, 2012, 08:57:39 PM

Quote from: Madam Steph on August 26, 2012, 08:37:03 PM
I used it for the first time over light red and it went a gorgeous purple.

Linda x

That's interesting Linda ... what red was it? And what did you do to it once you had it over the red?

BeeBeads · August 26, 2012, 08:58:13 PM

LOL! Cross posted with you Helen!

helbels · August 26, 2012, 08:59:38 PM

Quote from: BeeBeads on August 26, 2012, 08:58:13 PM
LOL! Cross posted with you Helen!

See, I told her there were desperate folk here awaiting salvation!!!

flowerjasper · August 26, 2012, 09:01:04 PM

was it deep purple or the elusive wispy blues and purples Linda?

BeeBeads · August 26, 2012, 09:03:28 PM

Quote from: helbels on August 26, 2012, 08:59:38 PM
Quote from: BeeBeads on August 26, 2012, 08:58:13 PM
LOL! Cross posted with you Helen!

See, I told her there were desperate folk here awaiting salvation!!!

Well it's nice to know we've set up our own support group Helen!
My name is Bee and I am multicolour challenged ...

helbels · August 26, 2012, 09:24:42 PM

My name is Helen and about 2 years ago I wasn't Multicolour Dark challenged but now it appears I am and I have no idea how I got myself in this sorry state!

ARBeads · August 26, 2012, 09:35:13 PM

I'm convinced it's a batch thing!

My first batch was super, greens,blues,pinks ,purple achieved simply by making a small spacer of MD then encasing, nothing fancy each one beautiful. I had a 1/2 kilo all made super beads. I have customers still waiting for this miracle to happen again!
Second and subsequent batches all dark purple until, as Sandy says, you put them under super strength bulbs then you can see the cerise colours. I have found that if you pull stringers/twisties and then super heat some of the colours do appear, so I think it's a case of less is more with the newer batches.