Newbe Pot Melt

[Sharon Lee]

I have been reading this forum for a while now but have never posted until now. I am experimenting with pot melts and have a question. I have done three melts so far all with transparent glass, two with Bullseye and one with Spectrum. Can someone tell me why the transparent glass is no longer transparent? It looks almost muddy, for lack of a better description. Is this normal? I have pics of the last pot melt, using Bullseye red, yellow and purple.

[Jon Wunderlich]

Sharon,

Great pot melt. I've just started experimenting with this also and had the same question. I used all transparent glass too and had the same result so I guess it is normal, though I'm not sure why.

Keep up the good work,

Jon

[JimV]

Without knowing the temps you Pot Melt at which, this may or may not be applicable.

Many of the colors used in hot glass strike to their final color when they are heated to working temps. This is also true with powders sold for enameling.

Enamels for silver and copper go to +/- 1500 f; hot glass is worked in the 1800 -2250 range. If these are beond what you used, heat may not be the factor.

Some colors muddy in a reducing atmosphere. Just thought I'd add that to spice things up a little.

Jim V

[Sharon Lee]

Thanks for the replies. The schedule I used for this pot melt was
650dph to 1650 hold 80 min Then off while I reached in with tongs and removed the pot, not fun I might add, then back up to 1450 hold for 20 min. AFAP to 965 hold 30 min. then 250 dph to 750, off and cool to room temp.
Sharon

[Cynthia]

The transparent red can strike to a brick red opal at high temps or with repeated firings. I suppose that can also happen with yellow and blue, although I've not had it happen...doesn't mean it can't

Nice end result. Working hot can create unexpected results, color strikes and even shifts in COE, but it's worth the bumps in the road to explore.

[Dale Grundon]

I would assume that if you did just one color they muddy situation would not occur. Since one of your colors is purple and becomes mixed with the other two some transparency would disappear. I would also suspect the degree of transparency would greater if there was a smaller quantity of the purple.

Sort of like mixing lemon and grape Jello.

[Rob Morey]

Cynthia said

The transparent red can strike to a brick red opal at high temps or with repeated firings. I suppose that can also happen with yellow and blue, although I've not had it happen...doesn't mean it can’t

Oh but transparent yellow will strike to opal, especially at high temps, and when you least expect it. Not always on the first fire, or even the second. Try using lots of clear next time. You will get transparent, but diluted color. Stay away from the reds, oranges, and yellows for the most successful results if transparency is a must. Other wise, enjoy the happy accidents. In this case, I would be overjoyed with the results. But now what? What are you going to do with it? Also, wait until everything cools down and then lift the melt, pot and all, out of the kiln. You can cut off the stem of glass, coming out of the pot then. Score with your glass cutter and then tap to break. Much safer than using thongs.

Rob

[Cynthia]

...wait until everything cools down and then lift the melt, pot and all, out of the kiln. You can cut off the stem of glass, coming out of the pot then. Score with your glass cutter and then tap to break. Much safer than using thongs.

Rob

That's what I do, but I never work at the kiln in a thong, it's just to risky, or is it risque?

Okay...waste of bandwidth, but I just couldn't resist the joke.

[Dani]

Now, Cynthia, you could have said that *before* I bit my tongue so hard, you brat! Or was that my tong??