Allison?? Ruby Gold & Silver question...

[Moth]

Allison, or anyone who can help me:

I have been trying to do the ruby gold and silver beads that Allison posted the tutorial for. I am getting pretty colors (finally!), but I don't get those sparkly bubbled silver lines between the triangles the way other people are getting them. I also noticed that it doesn't look like everyone else always gets them either. Sometimes I see it, sometimes I don't. I had assumed that is was possibly just the picture wasn't picking up on it, but now I wonder.

Do you only get the silver between the dots when you burn it off first, or is it possible to get that effect without burning off the silver?

If that isn't it...what am I doing wrong??? They are my favorite part of the whole bead, so I am getting really frustrated.

~~Mary

ps: I am on a HH using thick silver foil with all the colors that are in the first version of beads in the tutorial.

[Allison Turner]

It should work well with the foil.
hmmm.

Try to burnish the foil well so it sticks good.
Turn down the heat or work farther out in the flame and make your dots a bit smaller so when they spread out you will have space for the silver to peek through.
I don't burn the silver off first. I get the dots down then slowly melt. as it melts the silver will do it's thing. If you want more pink, then add another dot on top again and melt slowly.

Although I haven't tried this on a hot head, so maybe someone who has can chime in.

[Moth]

Thanks so much Allison! I have been putting the extra dots of pink on top because it is the only way that I end up with any pink left at all.

Maybe I am letting the base get too hot?

I will try to work further out and see what happens.

Thanks again!
~~Mary

[Moth]

I did a few trials last night by using different base colors. In the picture below, the color of the base bead is the only thing different for each one.

From left to right:

Light ivory base
Light teal base
Light purple transparent base
White base
Dark amethyst base wonky tab


I think I might be getting somewhere finally!
Still a ways to go...

[Wuzzo]

Hey Moth! Those beads look lovely. Mine are about the same in appearance. The only problem I am having is getting a matched "set"

[Moth]

Thanks Wuz!

I have been lucky to even get pretty colors finally...I can't even begin to think about making more than one that looks the same. LOL

I would love to see some of your beads using this rubino reaction! Well, I would love to see any of your beads. LOL

~~Mary

[Wuzzo]

Hi Mary...well, tomorrow I will have a go at mending my digital. (The battery compartment keeps flying open). I'll then take a pic and hopefully post it.

[Allison Turner]

You go Mary!
Those are looking great. No there isn't really any pink left but I have to say you are getting the great silver sparkle and the peacock colors are coming through. I like the middle one the best!
I have to admit that it doesn't always work for me either. The past few weeks they have not stayed pink for me. They will look pink when I pop them in the kiln but when I take them out they look much like yours do there.
Someone had said that gold ruby doesn't like to sit in the kiln for very long. That could very well be true. But it's funny how sometimes I can get sets after sets to stay pink and then suddenly they don't for a while.
Now here is something that might keep the pink. Do this.
Make one like that middle one again. On a transparent amethyst of some shade.
First lay down tiny dots of pastel pink. melt them just enough so they will stick good. they will still be a little raised but that's ok. The smaller the better. They will spread out.
Then on top of those put the gold ruby dots.
Don't melt that stringer too hot when you apply your dots. In other words don't boil the color out of the stringer while you apply the dots. Then when you melt down that first set of dots melt them about 90%. The bead will still be lumpy looking.
Strike the pink again before you apply the second dot on top. then melt it all down slowly. JUST enough to smooth it out but not molton.
Strike again.
Then apply a raised dot of gold ruby in any pattern you want on the bead. let cool for a few seconds and strike that sucker one more time in the flame again. Pop it in the kiln and see if the pink stays.

Another thing. I have great luck with ruby and copper green. You could try putting a tiny dot of copper green instead of pastel pink down too.
This is what I get when I pull a stringer of gold ruby and copper green and lay it down on black with silver leaf.
After I melt the stinger down I add another thin stringer of gold ruby over it. melt again and encase. The pink ALWAYS stays for me.

[Wuzzo]

Ah Allison, you are the true Rubino Queen. I love your "garden" beads on eBay with all those amazing colours. I was trying to do this one evening and everything came out as a fugly BLACK blob, despite the fact I had an oxygen-rich flame. Ha! I had some idea of doing a butterfly bead (tabular) this way, with all the colours in the wings...but I think the way things are going it would look like a gruesome old moth. Thanks for all your lovely tips. I enjoy reading them so much.

[Moth]

Allison, your latest tips are kachunking their way through my printer right now! I just ran out and flipped the kiln on and I am going to go try it.

I do have a couple questions though, I am going to try and work them out for myself tonight, but will ask them now anyway just in case I don't come up with something.

If I am making a base bead of amethyst, rolling it in silver foil, not burning that off, and then putting opaque pink dots on top of that, THEN the rubino, how is the rubino going to react with the silver if it is on top of the pink, not on top of the silver? Will it react just by the edges touching?? Now THAT is a revelation! Thank you!

Also, I haven't been using stringers for my rubino dots, I use a full rod. I melt just the very end of the rod, push the dot onto the bead pretty hard and then pull away. When I was doing it this way, it seemed to help me melt the dots in faster because they weren't so far raised above the surface. I was afraid of overheating the bead if it took too long to melt in the dots. I haven't been getting bubbles or anything, so how would I know if I am boiling it? Just by color change?

Mine too look pink when I put them in the kiln, and they still have a pretty red glow to them when they come out, but it is not that gorgeous pink that your picture shows. I can't wait to see if the pastel pink solves my problem but still lets me get the silver demarcation lines.

Off I go...
~~Mary

[Allison Turner]

Thanks Wuz, and to think I hated this color about 6 months ago. Now I love it.

Mary, I just wrote up a whole big thing and hit the wrong button and lost it. UGH!!!!!!!!!!!!
Let's see,
The pastel dot should be smaller than your ruby dot. The ruby will spread out over it and still react with the silver. It's just giving a little light base for it to sit on.
and I apply my dots the very same way as you. I push them in not set them on!!
You would know if you are boling the glass. You will see it boil and the color will whipe right out of it.

here's a set with a pink dot under the ruby...


here's a set without the pastel pink.

[Wuzzo]

Allison, I got your beads mixed up with somebody else's...yours are lovely too though! The ones I am looking at and wondering about are Seamyst's on eBay. All those glorious colours with rubino....*sigh*

[Allison Turner]

Oh Seamyst is wonderful. I will win a set of hers one day if it kills me!!!!!!

[Moth]

Well, here are today's attempts.

Using the opaque pink under the ruby helped keep it pink instead of going so dark red, but I lost my silver lines! I think I may have made my dots too big.

Lt amethyst base


The second picture is a light teal base, partially encased with the pastel pink then silver foil not burnt off, then a mish mash of rubino, ink blue and teal all melted in.


I will go at it again tonight!! If nothing else I am stubborn!

~`Mary

Thanks Allison for all your help!

[Jillie Beads]

Mary, I did these on a cobalt base, rolled them in silver foil, burnished then applied tiny dots of ruby stringer and tiny dots of light amber stringer. After they are melted in I encase. The bead doesn't really show that much color when you take it out of the flame, at least not for me. Jill