Test Results :: Mystic Grey Blue

I set out to test Reichenbach Mystic Grey Blue (RL0803) certain that I didn't like it very much. It's weird, because I tried it months ago and thought I loved it, but all those warm fuzzy feelings must have worn off because when I made these beads, I'd been feeling like this colour was mocking me from its place on the table every time I sat down at the torch. I finally decided I'd  get the lead out and make these test beads just so that if I did, in fact, not like it, I could use the rest of it up coring lentils.

1 - Plain, 2 - Reduced, 3 - w/ Silver Leaf, 4 - w/ Silver Leaf, reduced & encased, 5 - w/ TerraNova2 Frit, 6 - w/ Silver Glass Frit (Kronos, Gaia, Elektra & Black Nebula), 7 - Over white in a floral, 8 - w/ Black (Vetrofond), 9 - w/ Copper Green, 10 - w/ Opal Yellow, 11 - w/ Ivory, 12 - w/ White

General Impressions
Part of the difficulty I was having in wanting to use Mystic Grey Blue had to do with the colour, and the other part of the difficulty had to do with the opacity. It's a strange but compelling colour, and sort of challenging to match up with other glass. As it turns out, I really like it. It just goes to show you that glass really needs to be exercised to shine...

This isn't really very good news for me, as one of the only things that has been saving me from completely overwhelming my tiny apartment with superfluous glass purchases is that there are colours I decided I didn't want to try because I didn't like what they looked like in the rod. Now, clearly, I really need them.

Opacity
Mystic Grey Blue varies between being completely opaque with shampoo glass-like streakiness and being completely transparent, depending on how much it is struck. I am having the same amount of luck controlling this 'striking' as I did with Mystic Beige, which is not even enough luck to keep a baby leprechaun alive.

Reduction
Reducing Mystic Grey Blue by itself strikes it a little and opacifies it, but striking it in a neutral flame accomplishes exactly the same goal most of the time, so I don't think reduction does anything special to it. (Bead #2)

Reactions

I like this colour with silver a lot. On top of Mystic Grey Blue, silver leaf turns blue in patches. Reduced and encased, the silver spreads out into a shiny, iridescent blanket. I love it when colours behave this way.

Unfortunately, I didn't have the same nice luck with silver glass. It is more difficult for me to strike TerraNova2 frit on this colour than usual, and while I got good shine out of the frit blend I reduced, it seems to have turned the Mystic Grey Blue a strange yellowish green colour. I'm going to try this with some different combinations, because after how it behaves with silver, I refuse to believe that this glass is a lost cause with silver glass.

There are no noticeable reactions between Mystic Grey Blue and Vetrofond Black, and you can't see the Mystic Grey Blue so well on top of the Black. It's that moody 'I cant decide if I'm transparent or opaque' thing.

With Copper Green, Mystic Grey Blue is pretty neat. The Copper Green, on top of Mystic Grey Blue, separates into two different colours in almost exactly the same way that it did with Lauscha Cocoa.  Come to think of it, the silver reactions are pretty similar to the ones I got with Cocoa, too.

Putting Mystic Grey Blue on top of Copper Green seems to make the Copper Green turn darker, except for the bits under the Mystic Grey Blue, which are a gorgeous turquoise-blue colour. You can't see it all that well in the picture, but the Mystic Grey Blue dots and lines all have a light outline surrounding them as well.

You can't see the Mystic Grey Blue all that well on top of Opal Yellow, but Opal Yellow looks really pretty on top of it.  There is no obvious reaction here apart from the Opal Yellow blushing to pink on the side where the Mystic Grey Blue is on top of it. It sometimes does this anyway, so I'm not certain whether or not the Mystic Grey Blue really had anything to do with it.

 

Mystic Grey Blue does not react at all with Ivory or White, and it's a little weird how dense Mystic Grey Blue looks by itself, yet how light it looks on top of other colours.

I've only made one fun bead worth showing with Mystic Grey Blue, and now that I've got these tests under my belt, I've got ideas for more.