Multicolour Dark! Someone please save my sanity!

BeeBeads · August 26, 2012, 09:37:19 PM

Quote from: helbels on 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!

Oh no! You were on the Multicolour Dark wagon and now you've fallen off .. that's sad. Whereas I have never even had a
leg-up onto the said wagon!

flowerjasper · August 26, 2012, 09:40:06 PM

my name is sandy and I am multi and multi dark challenged ,
I can get colour from chalcedony rods but not from the frit

so am really special

It would make sense if its a batch thing,

Magpie · August 26, 2012, 10:16:18 PM

Remember it's a kiln striker, what goes in doesn't necessarily mean that's what's going to come out. I've generally got more reddy tones from Multicolour and the bluer tones from Pandora. There are some in the kiln at the moment though......

BeeBeads · August 26, 2012, 10:20:14 PM

I'm batch annealing at the moment - will it still kiln strike from being stone cold when I put it in? Sorry if that's a dim question

helbels · August 26, 2012, 10:23:07 PM

Quote from: Magpie on August 26, 2012, 10:16:18 PM
Remember it's a kiln striker, what goes in doesn't necessarily mean that's what's going to come out. I've generally got more reddy tones from Multicolour and the bluer tones from Pandora. There are some in the kiln at the moment though......

Don't get me started on Pandora...... it allegedly kiln strikes..... well not in my bloody kiln it doesn't, it just stays snot green.

I've tried all sorts of schedules, repeated annealing, and bugger all. One set of Pandora beads went through 6 annealing cycles before I finally admitted that it just was NOT going to strike!!

On the whole, I would say that over the past 3 years pretty much every bead I've made has come out the kiln looking very much as it went in, with the exception of Clio beads. The multicolour dark ones went in looking reddish and if anything came out looking slightly redder. Some people seem to have "magic" kilns... sadly mine's not one of them.

Dragonfire Glass · August 26, 2012, 10:43:35 PM

I've been playing with dark multicolour.
I found that if I heaed ited, let it cool than wafted to dark brown I would get purples. Encasing it when dark also brought out lovely purples after annealing.

912 by Dragonfire Glass, on Flickr

870 by Dragonfire Glass, on Flickr

helbels · August 26, 2012, 10:54:51 PM

Now I want to cry!! That's exactly what I've been doing and I don't get any purples whatsoever at any stage.... My Multicolour Dark hates me!

BeeBeads · August 26, 2012, 11:17:22 PM

Helen, I'm seriously thinking you must have a duff batch. You get the most beautiful colours from silver glass (just had a lovely drool in your etsy shop .. your beads are gorgeous) so surely it's possible that you have a dead batch of Multicolour Dark?

Dragonfire Glass · August 26, 2012, 11:52:34 PM

Have you tried pressing it to cool it down quickly?

DKS · August 27, 2012, 03:10:09 AM

It's definitely nothing you are doing, it's a batch thing. I have a few batches and treat them as 2 different colours, when making notes or talking to myself I refer to them as medium dark multi and dark dark multi. I like both, but for different purposes.

Madam Steph · August 27, 2012, 05:35:59 AM

Sorry..crashed out @ 9.00am last night and can't sleep now (5.30am).

It was a twistie with copper green and used over Effetre Light Red. I like this red as most of them go darker and heating brings it to a nice scarlet.

I didn't have to do anything special to the multicolour, i.e. striking etc..it just went blue and purple in the brass lentil press

Linda x

afina · August 27, 2012, 06:00:44 AM

I, too, think it is a batch thing. I have Rods of Multi dark that are reddish on the outside and have greenish circles at the cut and. This works like a charm. And then there are the darkbrown rods which give me a very beautiful reddish dark brown...

helbels · August 27, 2012, 06:30:26 AM

Thanks for all the comments so far folks. The fact that a few people are saying that it may be a batch thing are reassuring. I will have a play again today and see I'd it does anything different with a press.

Lotti · August 27, 2012, 08:53:11 AM

I quite like mixing it with silver glasses, seems to bring out the colours a bit in it (not always admittedly!), also MD and intense black twisities encased look very nice, this might work becasue the glass is getting hot when you make the twistie and then cooling again before use? Good luck, does sound like a batch thing to me though too after what everyone else has said.

(Oh and don't mention Pandora to me either, that definately hates me too!).

Kaz · August 27, 2012, 08:54:25 AM

I find it the easiest of the reactives to use

I don't even bother to strike it, just make the beads and put them straight into the kiln.

IMG_1104 by Kaz ~ CheekyCherubDesigns, on Flickr
I agree there are different batches but the effects I have found are just different amounts of blues, greens and purples.
I have even devoted a flickr set to my love of this glass....
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cheekycherubdesigns/sets/72157629837183410/with/6253499837/
Kazx