Mini Mo' July 2013 - Multi Blue and Multi Green

I have wanted to put together some Mini Mo's using Reichenbach Multicolor Dark for some time but have held back because it looks a bit meh... to me in the form of twisties and shards. But the real magic happens when you use the components to make your beads and then this glass really comes alive. My first collection is called Multi Blue and uses Reichenbach Deep Black, Iris blue and also CiM Cornflower.

This first focal has a core of Effetre baby blue with a touch of fine silver mesh then an encasing layer of Effetre 006. I have used some of the Multi blue twistie cane to make petals and you can see the Multi Dark has struck to a deep magenta colour.

The second set of beads that I want to show you have touches of the twistie both under and over encasement, there is a lovely bright reaction line between the Multi Dark and deep black in this twistie combinatio.

My third bead is a lovely free form focal showing how the shards pick up variations in colour, they can strike to purples, blues and magenta when you use them. I've used the shards over a base of Reichenbach Ocean and finished the bead with a Multi Blue Cross murrini on each side.

My second colourway is called Multi Green and used Reichenbach Deep Black, Iris Green and also Effetre Petrol Green.

This first focal has a core of effetre light garss green under 006 and had been decorated with some of the multi green twistie for vines and leaves and some multi green cross murrini too with some rubino petal cane blossoms.

My second pic show the colour variation that you can get with Multi Dark shards much more clearly. I've used them over bases of CiM Dirty Martini and CiM Mojito

This last set is an absolute corker, CiM Mojito, lashings of Multi Green twistie and a final layer of clear glass over the top to give the bright organic patterns a real depth of colour.

It is now possible to join the Mini Mo' Club via Etsy for 3, 6, 9 or 12 month long subscriptions. Please check out my shop link for more info.
Frit N Chips lampwork supplies.

Have a lovely week, Jolene x

Reichenbach glass and mixing CoE....

I have recently rediscovered a CoE 96 Reichenbach glass rod sample pack purchased way back in 2008. 

I stashed it away out of sight because it is CoE 96 and all the other glass rods I had in the studio at that time were CoE 104. It is a common practice in lampwork to mix CoE 94-96 furnace glass frit with 104 in small amounts (5% rule of thumb) but for some reason, probably the fact that this furnace glass came to me in rod form, I was thrown on how to get started with it and then I forgot I even had it (tsk tsk tsk).

The beads above are a base of CiM Peace decorated with tiny dots of Reichenbach 141 Cherry Red placed with a 1mm thick stringer. This glass is a striker but I found that it coloured up quickly and evenly for me. The dot work is very bright and vibrant with a kind of soft (as opposed to crisp) looking outline against the white. My favourite bead from this set is the soft looking twisted rose at the back.

To the right are beads made with Reichenbach 009 Fuchsia. This colour is utterly glorious! My favourite bead from this set is the twisted wave bead (top right). The deeper crisp looking dots were made by the fragment of stringer left behind when using the Fuchsia stringer as the twisting tool.

I did experiment with a third colour in the same time torch session but have no pretty pictures to show. I tried out Reichenbach 730 Copper Ruby Extra but completely failed to coax (strike) any colour out of it at all. Still 2 out of three's not bad :-D

I am really pleased with my first experiments with that glorious bundle of forgotten colour. The super saturated furnace glass colours bring something very special to these simple designs.

Wishing you a fabulous bank holiday weekend, Jo x