First Look :: Solar Storm

I think CiM Solar Storm (CiM224) might be my favourite 'streamer' colour so far. I am looking forward to trying the rest of them because I really like the streaky look they give. It's like the streaks you get when you apply coloured frit to a bead using a clear gather to transport and spread it except that the end result is easier to control and more predictably coloured. There's a time and place for both and I am glad to have this option in orange :)

With all of the streamer colours, I've found that it's important to use a contrasting opaque colour underneath them as the bead 'core' so that they have something to sparkle against. Otherwise, the lighter streamers get really lost against the bead hole.

Here are some fun beads that I made with Solar Storm:

First Look :: Kniphofia

Kniphofia from Creation is Messy (CiM225) is a medium orange transparent that is a bit slower to strike than other transparent oranges, but apart from that and the fact that it does not seem to opacify the way Clockwork does, it's very similar to Clockwork. It seems not so slow to strike as Goldfish was last year so it doesn't have quite as much range as that colour did. It is a gorgeous colour, though, and I appreciate both the flexibility of hue and how this colour seems to stay more transparent when fully struck.

It is very difficult to make two beads at the same time from a striking colour and have them come out the exact same colour. I made these two beads together and you can see how the one on the left struck a little deeper. In this case, I'm happy about it, because I think it might be fun to make a whole bunch of them to use in a necklace and it will be better if they aren't all identical anyway, but most of the time this is a frustrating problem. 

The only ways I've found around it are:

• to hang around in the flame (and out of it, intermittently) until both beads look fully struck like they can't possibly strike further, 
• to painstakingly restart the striking sequence in each bead after getting the initial gather on the mandrel but before starting to shape them and then being very careful to give both beads absolutely equal treatment.

But both ways take a long time, and even then I'm wrong half the time because things look so different when they're hot. When I want matching pairs with striking colours, I generally make 4 or 5 pairs and then pick out the best matches out of all the beads to be paired together.

Here are some beads made with Kniphofia:

I used Kniphofia in the stripes on the sides of these beads.

Here, Kniphofia is in the more orange of the orange stripes. The orange stripes that are a bit yellower in hue are CiM Scotch Broom.

And here, I've used Kniphofia under Clear and Double Helix Clio to make a beautiful, cloudy (because I over-reduced them) pink.

Test Results :: Sunset

CiM Sunset (CiM210) is a dark orange opaque, almost-but-not-quite as dark as CiM Phoenix and in a similar hue range.

Sunset is a striking colour and will get darker with repeated heating and cooling, but a simple waft through a reduction flame didn't change its colour.

Silver crusts up and gets yellowish on top of Sunset. When the silver is reduced and encased it turns blue in places.

Silver Glass reacts with Sunset in a dark-line way. I got a beautiful starting strike on my TerraNova2 frit on top of this colour.

While Sunset is only a moderately reactive colour, there are some interesting things going on in these test beads.

While nothing of note happens when Tuxedo is used over Sunset, Sunset separates on top of Tuxedo.

Copper Green separates and develops a subtle dark line around it when it is used on top of Sunset. When the Sunset is on top, the exact opposite is true and it is the Sunset that separates and the dark line is subtle but wide.

Opal Yellow and Ivory both separate on top of Sunset. When the Sunset is on top, it is the separator. In both cases, the sunset edges get 'eaten' by the base colour. The reaction in both cases is more pronounced with Ivory than it is with Opal Yellow.

These beads all contain some Sunset.

Test Results :: Alley Cat

CiM Alley Cat (CiM209) is a medium orange colour that is darker than Creamsicle but lighter and more yellow than Phoenix. It can be brought closer to Sunset/Phoenix orange with repeated heating and cooling because it is a striker.

The colour of Alley Cat is not affected by reducing it.

Silver behaves with Alley Cat the way it does with other sulfur-containing colours in the orange, yellow, and ivory family. It turns the surface of Alley Cat brown and develops interesting brown/yellow striations through it. This colour would probably make interesting silvered ivory stringer. When the silver is reduced and encased, it turns blue.

Alley Cat is an interesting base colour for silver glass. My reducing silver glass frit bloomed over it, and my TerraNova2 frit struck readily and developed all kinds of interesting outlining.

Alley Cat is a bit reactive. It separated underneath my Tuxedo, and when used on top of Tuxedo it got an interesting semi-opaque quality to its outer edges.

Copper Green and Alley Cat have a mutual dark line reaction, similar to but less violent than what happens between Copper Green and Ivory.

Ivory and Opal Yellow both spread on top of this colour pretty wildly, which I think is because it is stiffer than they are. I was surprised to find no outlining reaction between Alley Cat and Opal Yellow because of how Opal Yellow reacts with Ivory, but I like surprises. Without the occasional surprise, it would be hard to stay motivated to do this testing.

Here are some other beads made with Alley Cat.

Test Results :: Harvest

CiM Harvest (CiM217) is a pretty medium orange. I found that Harvest boiled a little while I was using it, but not seriously enough that it affected the surface finish or colour of the finished beads, so if you are using it and it foams up on you a bit, just carry on.

Like Phoenix, Harvest is a bit of a striker. Repeated heating and cooling turn it a more uniform, darker orange than you would get working it cool and without multiple reheatings.

Here, you can see that Harvest is lighter and a little more on the yellow side than CiM Phoenix, but substantially less yellow than the also-new CiM Monarch. The other colours I compared it with here were CiM Sunset (it's a little less vibrant than Sunset), and Effetre Light and Dark Zucca. It's lighter and more yellow than those Effetre colours as well.

On top of Harvest, silver leaf crusts up and gets a coppery sheen in places. When the silver is reduced and encased, it turns blue. This is consistent with the results I see for a lot of reds and oranges.

On top of Harvest, silver glass frit develops colour well, and it also gets brownish rings arount the fritty bits, which can be a cool effect.

On top of Harvest, Ivory separates. Harvest and Copper Green develop a reciprocal dark line reaction.

Test Results :: Opal Orange

Reichenbach Opal Orange (RL6214) is a not-quite-but-almost-opaque bright orange. Used on top of other colours in a single layer, the resulting dots and lines have good opacity, but if you reheat this colour, the very topmost layer gets a slight translucency that is quite interesting.

Here, you can see that Opal Orange is a bit of a striker. The bead that I reduced (on the right) is a deeper orange than the one that did not receive the additional heat exposure.

Silver fumes Opal Orange to a darker hue. On top of Opal Orange, silver leaf takes on a golden-iron appearance. The bead on the right where I reduced and encased the silver is a snowy white with touches of blue under the clear layer.

On top of Opal Orange, my silver glass frit seemed to migrate a bit towards the bead's centre in both tests. My reducing silver glass frit looks darker on top of this colour than on others I've used the same blend on. I got nice colours from TerraNova2 frit on top of this colour.

The only real reaction I observed in these beads was the dark line that formed between Copper Green and Opal Orange, and a very slight amount of separation in it on top of Tuxedo.

Here are some beads made with Opal Orange:

Test Results :: Monarch

OK, so you've maybe noticed that I'm on a bit of a CiM tear. And why not? New colours, even these ones that are limited runs, are pretty darned exciting for me even after more than nine years on this colour roller coaster.  I won't be blogging all of the new CiMs, but I've tested most of them now.

CiM Monarch (CiM216) is a really beautiful light orange. It does strike a little in the flame, but even after striking, it is still lighter and yellower than the other oranges I've tried. I found that it melted without any irritating boiling or shocking behaviour, and was interestingly reactive with silver and with Tuxedo.

Here, you can see how it strikes a little more orange in the flame. The smaller bead is the one that I waved around in a reduction flame and therefore struck a bit.

Here is Monarch with some of the other oranges I have in my stash right now. You can see that it is much more on the yellow side than CiM Phoenix, CiM Sunset, CiM Harvest, Effetre Dark Zucca, or Effetre Light Zucca. Older batches of Light Zucca can have streaks in it that are this light, yummy orange-yellow but the most recent batch of it (pictured) is much more on the orange side.

On top of Monarch, silver turns a bit golden. It fumes the Monarch underneath a brownish colour. When the silver is reduced and encased, it looks a bluish grey colour.

Monarch makes a splendid base colour for silver glass. I was really surprised at the nice colour I got from my TerraNova2 frit on top of this colour. Rather than a strong dark line, silver glass fritty bits get more of a gentle, fuzzy brown line around them on top of Monarch.

Here you can see Monarch with Tuxedo, Copper Green, Opal Yellow, Ivory, and Peace.  There isn't much to report here except that:

• Monarch really likes being under Tuxedo and rises up around the Tuxedo in strong orange halos.
• Copper Green and Monarch have a reciprocal dark line reaction, and Copper Green spreads rather a lot on top of Monarch.

Here are some other beads made with Monarch.