reusche vs Fuse Master vs ?...

[brottworks]

Need few lbs. of transparent enamels for a commission- and have used many from Cerdec, Ceradel, Drakenfeild, to most recently Reusche- never used Ferro or Fuse Master-
Pieces get fired twice- first to 1560F then to 1200ish to slump (1275 at the highest if needed)
Will be 2 layers of 1/4 plate sandwiched to cable slump like I have pictured.[img]

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path=/Verbage%20and%20Content/Color%20charts/TransparentSeries.jpg
and go as fast as possible up and down on my slump when most of painting gets done- luckily it's mostly blues/greens, some yellows so I can overpower to prevent burn off.
Will probably stick with Reusche Transparents
http://www.reuscheco.com/showColorCharts.asp?
But their damn honest and say 1080F on high end, while others say... and physics is physics and oxide=color
Any suggestions of other transparent brands that can take 1200ish for 5 min better?
Will also have Sn sides of plate facing out, with a lite borax spay on my 1560F, has anyone ever had issues with tin side and or borax hurting blues/yellows.greens?
Thanks and best from New Orleans,
Andy Brott
http://www.brottworks.com

[Bert Weiss]

Andy, it is hit or miss, mostly miss. I had a transparent yellow made by Hereaus (now owned by Ferro). It was good to 1500ºF. However most transparents will burn out if over fired.

FYI, Drakenfeld became Cerdec, which became DMC2 which became Ferro, who merged with Hereaus. Last I knew, Ferro made transparent colors in Germany but did not bring them in to the USA. They had to be bought in Germany.

You're best bet may well be Youghiogheny EZ fuse transparent, which are good in the 1400 - 1500º range and are compatible with PPG float made in Carlisle PA or Fort Worth Texas. I tested a lot of these colors and they did not react at all with the tin side, which expands your options. They do flow a lot more than the float.

[brottworks]

Wow thanks, will give them a look.
I was spoiled to work with Udo Zembok so that's how I know the Cerdec

Drakenfeld became Cerdec, which became DMC2 which became Ferro, who merged with Hereaus

Whew....!!!!
+ one my favorites was Debitus stains- and just used my last of copper red, and need to look for that again later...
I've never had COE issues with painted transparent enamels on float, and rarely if ever can get PPG.
I get OMG (oh my gosh- where did this come from) from our biggest sheet glass supplier here in NOLA, and gave up asking years ago the who-what-where, and worry instead about using number sheets- all from the same crate in the order they are removed- and to carefully keep them marked. Then only mix 1a with 1a, or sometimes a 1a with 2a if i'm in a pinch, but never a 1a with 1c- as I don't trust the COE of OMG. AP? I soak and use 1025 to 1011 and SP = LONG
Gotta get at this ASAP.
THANKS BERT!!!! To any newbies reading, Mr. Weiss (+ Mr. walker and others) are AMAZING experts to freely share their hard earned knowledge and have my utmost thanks and respect.
Best from NOLA,
Andy Brott

[Bert Weiss]

Andy, transparent glass colors are intense colors that only require a thin layer, so no compatibility issues. The catch is that they are designed for glassware to not slump when re-fired. So, they mature around 1050ºF. If you can do a final firing, these are a good choice. Going hotter is a crap shoot with diminishing returns.

The Yough colors are simply ground up colored glasses. These require a thicker application, at which point, compatibility is an issue. There are a few other companies with comparable products like Thompson Enamel in the USA, and some European ones as well. These sorts of colors generally require about 1400ºF, and can handle hotter.

I got lucky for a while and my wholesaler in Maine was getting most of their glass from PPG Forth Worth. I think they switched, so now I have to test all over again. These guys buy a container load every week, from a primary supplier, and then keep the other suppliers around in case they need them. So yes, glass is just a commodity, and we often don't know.

I think Peli, in the Netherlands, carries the copper red you are looking for.

[Don Burt]

Debitus still sells copper red and will sell direct. But allow 40% for your bank to make a transfer to theirs, to pay their VAT, and to pay our import duty. They have a website

[brottworks]

THANKS!!!
I stuck with the same Reusche low fire trans I used in the past with 10 lbs it's way-
+ lucky I still have D211513 Ruby2776 from years back- DAMN!!! Gold has gotten expensive- $1140.00 for a pound today on what I paid $500ish years back.
Yes there only rated to 1080F, but have found by sandwiching between glass layers for my 1560F- + painting it thick on on the bottom to slump in a top fired oven - it works if I rocket fire from AP to bend- then rapid down to 500ish before I shut the lid and stabilize they work well.
Although I still wonder if borax is worth it.
To me it's back to the basics Doug Johnson taught us at UWRF- Doug was in Harvey Littleton's first glass class at UW-Madison- and founded the glass program Jim Engebretson took over when Doug gave up glass and went back to cermics/sculpture-
"Silica+ flux + color= ceramics glaze"
Dick Huss taught me the same was true for batching glass colors, along with time/temp/atmosphere basics.
So- is borax a flux in this equation?...
I use it to stay extra safe and extra clear, but is it's risk vs reward worth it?
And damn glad I can buy off all off the shelf what our pioneers mixed on their own.
Thanks Don and Burt!!!!
and best from NOLA,
Andy

[Bert Weiss]

borax is a water soluble flux. Consequently, acid rain is enough to dissolve it, making it fugitive. Back at the turn of the 20th century, they made vitreous colors using borax as the flux. I once had a job fixing and matching one of these panels. I ended up making a new painting and exposing it to a strong enough acid to degrade it enough to match.