Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Silver Glass 101 – Reducing Silver Glass Tutorial – Psyche and Triton

My sister, Helen, and I did this reducing silver glass tutorial. Enjoy!



Step 1
Start by making a round base bead of Effetre Opal Yellow.



Step 2
Adjust to a small oxydizing flame by turning down both the propane/natural gas and the oxygen.



Step 3
Begin by working at the right side of the tip of the flame.



Step 4
Apply stringer decoration using Double Helix Psyche with the base bead below the flame. The base bead should be fairly cool at this point. The radiant heat of the flame will keep the bead from cracking.



Step 5
Keep the stringer at the right edge of the flame, never inside the flame. Apply three scroll designs.



Step 6
Add dots where needed to complete the design.



Step 7
Melt in stringer decoration slightly, making sure that there are no undercut on any of the dots. Let bead cool until the glow is gone (do the under the table test).



Step 8
Create a reduction flame by reducing the oxygen, increasing the propane, or both. The yellow candles of your flame should be about 1.5-2"/38-50mm long. Gently reheat the bead at the tip of the flame.



Step 9
Continue reducing by bouncing in and out of the flame until desired effect is achieved.



Other Combinations
Try Double Helix Triton on Effetre Opalino Nile Green (see below). Experiment with different effects such as leaving the stringer decoration raised, melting it in slightly, or melting it all the way into the base bead.

Other combinations to try, as shown in main photograph:
• Triton on Vetrofond Transparent Red
• Psyche on Effetre Pale Amber

Step 1
Apply Triton stringer to a round base bead of Opalino Nile Green.



Step 2
Melt in stringer decoration slightly. Let bead cool until the glow is gone. Follow steps 8 to 9 above.



Triton is a fun reducing glass to try! It yields a wide range of colors - silver, pinks, blues, greens, and more!





© enVision 2009

6 comments:

Mountains To Prairies B and B said...

What beautiful beads and an interesting tutorial. My brother and his wife have demonstrated some bead making to the amazed entertainment of family members. I had the privilege of making one bead, and came to the conclusion that I am better off incorporating beads into my basket weaving. Thank you! Linda

Patty said...

Great tutorial, Hayley and Helen. Thanks for sharing. Wow, your stringers are tiny!!

Margaret Schindel said...

Terrific tutorial with wonderful photos, as always. Thanks for sharing!

enVision said...

Thank you, everyone, for the kind words! Glad you enjoy Silver Glass 101!

Catalina Glass said...

This is a great complement to your First and second Silver How-To that I've been enjoying. Thank you for your very careful, clear photography of each step!
Sharon

Gabi.Loraine said...

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!! i love you!
Now, if you only spoke hothead, you would be my favorite person on earth! I love your blog!!!!! Definitely a follower. Check out mine, for a funny chronological story on how I've begun lampworking!