MIXING POWDERS

[Havi]

Hello everybody,
I use BE glass , powders, frit and all..............

Eventhough the choice of colors is almost inifinite, it seems to me that some times I would like to mix my own .

Recently I mixed BE 1334 Gold purple [in reality its glass looks black...] with 0421 petal pink, and it produced a very nice violet/lavendar shade, do'nt know exaCtly how you would call it.

This leads me to ask you guys, whether you are mixing powders, and if you are willing to share what new colors / shades you got, by mixing what with what.

Also, I think that I must have some white powder with which to mix the darker colors, the choice suggested to me by a very experienced GURU was to use BE 0113. Yet in one of the classes I took, it was said that 0113 is a little bit reactive. Has anybody outhere experienced this?
What white shade would you reccomend?

I'd be more than grateful for your wonderful invalueable experience...

Havi

[jim burchett]

I havent found 0113 to be reactive

[Brad Walker]

Also, I think that I must have some white powder with which to mix the darker colors, the choice suggested to me by a very experienced GURU was to use BE 0113. Yet in one of the classes I took, it was said that 0113 is a little bit reactive. Has anybody outhere experienced this?
What white shade would you reccomend?

According to Bullseye, 0113 frit and sheet glass is not reactive, but 0113 stringers contain lead and may react. I've never experienced a reaction between 0113 sheet or frit and any other glass, but haven't tested the stringers to determine if they react. I do find it interesting that the stringers would have different chemicals than the sheet and frit.

[Al Bray]

Also, I think that I must have some white powder with which to mix the darker colors, the choice suggested to me by a very experienced GURU was to use BE 0113. Yet in one of the classes I took, it was said that 0113 is a little bit reactive. Has anybody outhere experienced this?
What white shade would you reccomend?

According to Bullseye, 0113 frit and sheet glass is not reactive, but 0113 stringers contain lead and may react. I've never experienced a reaction between 0113 sheet or frit and any other glass, but haven't tested the stringers to determine if they react. I do find it interesting that the stringers would have different chemicals than the sheet and frit.

Brad I can confirm that the 0113 stringers will react with 0137 French Vanilla much the same way Dense White (0313) sheet glass/frit/rods react with French Vanilla.

There are no 0313 stringers available so I am really glad that this reaction does happen with the 113 stringers.

Havi, if your into deeper blue/green tones, try a 50/50 mix of 0147 Deep Cobalt Blue Opal and 0145 Jade Green powders. Deep Cobalt Blue by itself is non-reactive, but because of the copper in the Jade green, this new deep blue/green color mix is also reactive.

- Al

[Morganica]

White powder tends to deaden colors it is mixed with, and often produces more of a salt-and-pepper effect than a lightening. Mixing frit is more like mixing light than mixing paint. If you want to dilute a dark color, try mixing it with clear powder instead. The transparent doesn't interrupt the color the way white does.

The tint colors--anything in the 1800 BE color numbers--are marvelous for really subtly influencing the final shade--I use Coral Orange to slightly warm things up, Indigo to cool them down, for example.

Reactivity is one issue with mixing colors;the other is that a dark, saturated color may do something entirely different when diluted. Golden Green, Butterscotch, Cinnabar and Sienna are really fun to play with this way. Light Peach Cream makes beautiful, pale honey shades when it is diluted.

[Havi]

Good morning everbody!
Thank you so very much for your really invaluable imput.
I shall use it, I promise.

As a printmaker, I used to always mix my own inks. There was no violet ink available [at that time - the 80's], so first I would mix red and blue , only certain tone were good for that, and then, I would devide the violet that came out to 3 parts. One part I kept as is, 2nd part I mixed with more red to get reddish violet, and third part mixed with more blue - to get blue'ish violet. Then, I would start printing.

Diluting colours with clear is a very good idea, thanks Cynthia.
And thanks, Al and Brad for your imputs - they will all be put to use....
And of course these ideas will influence my choice of powders that I shall buy.

Yet another specific question - if I want to achieve the shade plum striker [BE 0332,] - reddish violet - what powders would you suggest for me to mix???

Many many thanks,

Havi

[Mel Archer]

I starting mixing over 8 yrs ago and now have over 1200 little tubs of frit with formula labels and samples on top of the cap. Don't be afraid, what have you got to lose. If one is to paint with glass, one needs lots of colors. Spring green is quite radical to paint with but you can dilute it many ways, with all of the neutrals. I mix with 01 in various ratios, pour out on the kiln shelf, flatten and compress with a rolling pin, melt at 1500 and then crush in my frit maker. or forgo the crush and use the little sheets you have made. I cut off small 1/2' pcs of the sheets and use for samples in my binders, along with the formula. I could seive it if I wanted but most of the time i just spoon out the size that i want to use. shake the tub a little and the fines go to the bottom with 02 or 03 coming to the top. I start with 01 because i want to see remnants of the original color.

take a look if you like at www.melarcher.com
be fearless.

[Valerie Adams]

One of the most exciting presentations at BeCon 2013 was Judy Tuwaletstiwa and Erick Whittemore's. They've amassed over 2000 samples through experimentation during a year-long residency in 2012. They were available to view at Bullseye and will soon (soon in Bullseye-time!) be made public as a guide. Can't wait!

From the program:
It's Not Me. It's Not You. It's a Process.
Judy Tuwaletstiwa and Erik Whittemore

For more than 20 years, Judy Tuwaletstiwa painted exclusively with variations of the colors black, white, and red. It was time to move on, but how? In January 2012, Bullseye Glass offered her a one-year residency at Bullseye Resource Center Santa Fe. She began her year as a student in Painting with Glass, taught by Erik Whittemore. It provided an opportunity to look at color through the lens of glass. Tuwaletstiwa and Whittemore went on to collaborate in the studio to develop a systematic palette of glass colors by mixing powders in specific increments. They created over 2000 distinct and subtle hues in an effort to better understand the unique color properties of low-fired powders. Join them as they share their collaborative journey from the past, into the present, and on to the future.

[Havi]

I know I should have gone to this Conference. But I had already registered to a tour in Wash. DC. and thought that twice flying to USA on such short time would really kill me. [about 20 hours or more one way...]
However, because of coming in October, I had the wonderful opportunity to enjoy Ted Sawyer's class in Santa Fe, which was a real gem.


I'd like very much to read the results of Judy and Erick's research.
Thanks Mel for your imput, enjoyed surfing your site.


THank you all, as always,

Havi

[kgordon]

I am working on replicating a wooden African inlaid wood piece including a girl, a hut, a basket and some leaves in glass. Its been a long process and I have done and re-done several components as I've grown with my glass skills. I am having doe trouble with the leaves - getting them to come out the right color. Since the piece is mostly all neutrals, I need the leaves to be dark green, khaki, brownish/tannish. They are behind the grass hut roof which has triangles of woodland brown, sienna, cinnabar... I have a black border around it all. so, I need help with mixing powders to come up with the right colors. Mel, I love your work and would love any suggestions you may have to find a good color. Of course I will experiment, but don't know where to start since I don't have much experience with powders. thanks for any help you all may have. Kim

[Charlotte Kay]

I just purchased this mold to experiment mixing powders and frit. Think maybe I should buy a few more in order to fire all at once in a Skutt Firebox 14.

The first trial is using pure reds, both opal and transparent, each in its own square. Dilution and mixing trials will come later. Mold in the kiln now. 5 grams per square.

http://www.colourdeverre.com/product_de ... =16377&c=8

[Morganica]

I like the colour de verre molds, but they're a bit small for my purposes; I need to see how that particular mix will behave with different levels of detail, if it's consistent throughout the sample, etc. I build a set of silicon molds to do that, with different shapes (mostly to keep from getting bored):

The raised designs give me some indications of color at various thicknesses and shapes.
http://www.morganica.com/bloggery/2009/ ... ss-blocks/

The other way to do this is to make your own trays from scrap clear glass. I cut a square and some 6mm strips of 3mm clear, then superglue the strips on edge to make cells, like this:

Then I fill the cells with frit mixes, add a dot of colored glass to one corner for orientation, and fire. I wind up with a flat sheet that shows gradations of color, relatively quickly.

I have close to 8,000 samples, though, and most of them are made from an old ice cube tray:
http://www.morganica.com/bloggery/2007/ ... -de-verre/

http://www.morganica.com/bloggery/2007/ ... -de-verre/

[Havi]

Thank you ALL!!!

THanks Charlotte, a very good advice - I'll buy this from CDV
And thanks Cynthia for your enlighting remarks, as usual.

You guys and your experiments! I admire you all. I envy you for your being so systematic, and getting wonderful results, because of that.
I assume you need special librarians to organize such big collections of samples

Having been a librarian, before the digital era, I can't do that.

So I rely on your wonderful and much appreciated input, and forever indebted to you for that.

Many many thanks again

Havi

[Mary Kay Nitchie]

I know it has been awhile since anyone posted on this thread, but I wanted to share the link to a video of Judy Tuwaletstiwa and Erik Whittemore's BECon 2013 presentation: http://www.bullseyeglass.com/education/ ... emore.html

Mary Kay