dichro strategy

[Bert Weiss]

Ok dichro doobies

I'm about to cook a batch of tiles. I picked an incredibly labor intensive design, but they are now almost prepped. I made dams using 1/4" ES board that I got scraps of. I cut out the shapes leaving a border intact. The tiles are 1' x 8" and 2" x 2". I cut strips of BE black irid 5/16" wide for a border they will go irid side out. Then I cut pieces of black irid (irid side to the shelf) that go inside the border strips. Then I cut the same size pieces of dichro on thin clear. Then I will dump on some dichro frit in the same and contrasting colors. Finally they will be capped with clear frit and cooked until the frit on top just starts to flatten out.

I realize that the problem could be dichro floating up and making a rough spot on the surface. If they do this, I'll grind them down, recover and fire again.

My questions are these: Does it make a difference if I put the coated side or the uncoated side against the black? Will using the same color dichro frit over the sheet disappear or make it more interesting. There will be a contrasting color and an accent as well.

I did test pieces without the layer of dichro sheet. These should have more pop.

[Paul Tarlow]

You'll get different effects depending on if the coating is up or down. Dichro down will "sink" into the black - dichro up will end up with the dichro more on the surface.

Does that make any sense??

- Paul

[quill]

I have found you will get different effects up or down but also depending on the colors you use.

I realize that the problem could be dichro floating up and making a rough spot on the surface. If they do this, I'll grind them down, recover and fire again.

Instead of grinding any dichro away why not just cap it all with a layer of clear and refuse it if 'floaters' are a problem? (Or would this ruin your design? This is what I do & I like the depth it adds as well.

[rodney]

when you get those little BURRS, on the surface from the dichro,,,,you should be able to just hit it lightly ( by hand ) with a piece of 120 grit sand paper, and not even worry about refiring, this works to make the surface smooth enough to avoid snags, but it just depends on what you want for a final finish
rodney

[Kitty]

i put a quantity of dichroic frit into a plate project, a casting inside a stainless steel ring, and nearly all the coating floated to the top, which i didn't expect. you gotta cap it; and that saves fooling around with the burrs. however, kinda tricky to use dichro frit with a cap and not have bubbles. it's kinda chunky, as you know. if you're going to cap it, i guess i would use the coated side up -- might be brighter that way, but slightly less deep looking. kitty.

[Barbara Muth]

Bert, I have found that sanding or blasting of the surface when a coating comes up doesn't always solve the problem. When I refire, the coating comes up again. A sheet of clear should solve that.

Man will those ever be expensive tiles! Lucky you.

Barbara

[dee]

Ok dichro doobies

I'm about to cook a batch of tiles. I picked an incredibly labor intensive design, but they are now almost prepped. I made dams using 1/4" ES board that I got scraps of. I cut out the shapes leaving a border intact. The tiles are 1' x 8" and 2" x 2". I cut strips of BE black irid 5/16" wide for a border they will go irid side out. Then I cut pieces of black irid (irid side to the shelf) that go inside the border strips. Then I cut the same size pieces of dichro on thin clear. Then I will dump on some dichro frit in the same and contrasting colors. Finally they will be capped with clear frit and cooked until the frit on top just starts to flatten out.

I realize that the problem could be dichro floating up and making a rough spot on the surface. If they do this, I'll grind them down, recover and fire again.

My questions are these: Does it make a difference if I put the coated side or the uncoated side against the black? Will using the same color dichro frit over the sheet disappear or make it more interesting. There will be a contrasting color and an accent as well.

I did test pieces without the layer of dichro sheet. These should have more pop.

bert - are you planning on covering the irid with dichro? i'm not sure that dichro will fuse into irid, it may be the same as firing irid to irid - but for depth my personal choice would be to put the dichro side agains the black. i do this with a series of components. this will also ensure your dichro frit will fuse to the layer under it - dichro to dichro doesn't fuse. i haven't fused dichro frit on top of a layer of dichro but it should add alot more depth. as for getting coating floating to the top which sounds likely, by capping with clear after rather than removing you will get added depth and interest as one of the other responses indicated - be aware that to fire down the dichro frit it has to go hotter than regular frit.....

D

[Bert Weiss]

Ok dichro doobies

I'm about to cook a batch of tiles. I picked an incredibly labor intensive design, but they are now almost prepped. I made dams using 1/4" ES board that I got scraps of. I cut out the shapes leaving a border intact. The tiles are 1' x 8" and 2" x 2". I cut strips of BE black irid 5/16" wide for a border they will go irid side out. Then I cut pieces of black irid (irid side to the shelf) that go inside the border strips. Then I cut the same size pieces of dichro on thin clear. Then I will dump on some dichro frit in the same and contrasting colors. Finally they will be capped with clear frit and cooked until the frit on top just starts to flatten out.

I realize that the problem could be dichro floating up and making a rough spot on the surface. If they do this, I'll grind them down, recover and fire again.

My questions are these: Does it make a difference if I put the coated side or the uncoated side against the black? Will using the same color dichro frit over the sheet disappear or make it more interesting. There will be a contrasting color and an accent as well.

I did test pieces without the layer of dichro sheet. These should have more pop.

bert - are you planning on covering the irid with dichro? i'm not sure that dichro will fuse into irid, it may be the same as firing irid to irid - but for depth my personal choice would be to put the dichro side agains the black. i do this with a series of components. this will also ensure your dichro frit will fuse to the layer under it - dichro to dichro doesn't fuse. i haven't fused dichro frit on top of a layer of dichro but it should add alot more depth. as for getting coating floating to the top which sounds likely, by capping with clear after rather than removing you will get added depth and interest as one of the other responses indicated - be aware that to fire down the dichro frit it has to go hotter than regular frit.....

D

The irid is against the shelf. I'm capping with clear frit. On my test, a couple of pieces had the jagged dichro float to the top. Most of them were clear capped and good. We liked the ripply surface of the frit, but this time I'm going a bit hotter so it smooths out a little more.

I was thinking that dichro up relative to the black base would give more depth, but dichro down would give a better surface, eliminating the dichro to dichro problem. As I think about it the dichro frit doesn't have that much dichro surface, so it will probably work both ways. I'll do some of each.

This is a job for some friends. I told them that I would match commercial prices, which were pretty low compared to most. It is more for the experience than for the money. I don't think anybody trying to make a profit would do the border thing. It adds 5 steps the process (the strips need to be cut double width first)

My next project will be to make drawer pulls for myself. I got stainless steel pulls to glue the glass to from Lee Valley Hardware. Thanks to whoever gave me that suggestion. They were priced reasonably and will do a good job.

[dee]

The irid is against the shelf. I'm capping with clear frit. On my test, a couple of pieces had the jagged dichro float to the top. Most of them were clear capped and good. We liked the ripply surface of the frit, but this time I'm going a bit hotter so it smooths out a little more.

ok, wasn't sure if you were gonna cover the border with the irid up with dichro

I was thinking that dichro up relative to the black base would give more depth, but dichro down would give a better surface, eliminating the dichro to dichro problem. As I think about it the dichro frit doesn't have that much dichro surface, so it will probably work both ways. I'll do some of each.

are you using the cbs dichro frit? that has ALOT of dichro surface - and takes alot of heat to fire out w/o sharp jaggies if it's on top. you are gonna post pics here of the finished pieces for all of us dichro junkies aren't you?

This is a job for some friends. I told them that I would match commercial prices, which were pretty low compared to most. It is more for the experience than for the money. I don't think anybody trying to make a profit would do the border thing. It adds 5 steps the process (the strips need to be cut double width first)

lolol the whole thing sounds expensive with the dichro added in but it sounds like something one might want to do for accent tiles for one's own abode

My next project will be to make drawer pulls for myself. I got stainless steel pulls to glue the glass to from Lee Valley Hardware. Thanks to whoever gave me that suggestion. They were priced reasonably and will do a good job.[/quote]


lee valley has in interesting selection of hardware - i've gotten a couple of the chrome bottle stoppers but they have this screw coming out of the top so am thinking how i want to engineer the top....
D[/i]

[Terry Ow-Wing]

if you want to make expensive more expensive...try flipping the tiles just to flatten the dichro down and fuse at a just above slumping temps to flatten then flip over again and add clear cap. Did this for a large plate and it's impressive but hasn't sold yet - but if it's for yourself go for it.

best of luck - Terry O.