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I am aware that dichroic glass sometimes shifts color when fired, so I fired samples of the twelve colors in the primary color pack (on black COE 96) so I'd have a reference set. The colors of eleven of the twelve samples are similar before and after firing.

However, the black cherry fired to a deep silvery green. First, I fired a sample on a black base with a clear cap in one step, and there's one tiny speck of black cherry in the middle of the silver. Then I fired a sample on a black base with no clear cap, then clear-capped in a second step. These were full-fused at 1450 with a short hold.

Is this what I should expect when I fire black cherry? Is there a way to keep the black cherry color instead of getting silvery green?

What you have may not be black cherry. I got some from pacific that was so dark it looked like xr from dichro magic. Try firing it hotter?
John

Dr. John,

The glass came directly from CBS and they labeled it Black Cherry. "Black cherry" is a reasonable description of the unfired color. Suppose it's possible it's not black cherry...

I have found that depending on the light and angle, Black Cherry from CBS will give you flashes of the color you describe. When you look at it straight on it is a very dark red, but catch it at an angle - even a very slight angle - and it is the greenish color. I really like that about the color. The first time I came across it was in some scrap, and it took me a long time to finally find out what it was so I could get more. If you want a red that does not play color games with you, try Dark Dark Red from CBS.

Susan

I buy dichro all the time from CBS and have found after extensive talking with them that each color - weather it be pink/teal, cyan/copper, etc all can have a 30% value (which is the lightness or darkness of that color) that is acceptable to their guidelines. For instance cyan/copper could yield a range from a burnt orange to a very yellow gold. It all depends on what their particular mix was in creating that color run.

So not only is firing important, but the value of color can be important if you are trying to capture certain colors. I don't know if the other manufacturers of dichro are as precise as CBS. This might be why that particular sample piece may be darker or include a different color than what you would expect.

Hope this helps.
keiko