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Note: the following method is only one of many
that can be used.
This is how "I" am using the various paints to make "my" painted
beads.
Follow all product safety instructions !
Black Trace Lines
I prefer a black trace line on my
beads - basically painting a black outline and filling in those
lines with color or mattes to give the bead color or depth. This
can be accomplished in many ways, but my preference at this time is
using a Reusche Trace Black powder and mixing with Squeegee Oil.
There are many types of binding mediums that can be used to mix this
trace powder but I use the Squeegee Oil due to the fact that there
is little smell while painting and during firing. You are using an
oil to give you more time to use the paints and I find the oil gives
you a really nice "flow" to the paint. I am also using Reusche
brushes purchased directly from Reusche.
Materials list for Trace
Lines:
Brush Method
Squeegee Oil (Thompson
Enamels A-4)
Reusche Trace Black E-401 (Delphi Glass,
Reusche direct, many sources for
this)
Reusche Tracing brushes (I got
from Reusche)
 
Another option could
be the Paradise paints in powder form that is now available
Pallet Knife (for mixing), Eye
Dropper (for adding Squeegee Oil)
Sheet
of glass (for mixing on) Turpentine (for thinning mix for painting)
 
Its hard to say how much
paint to use - depends on how much painting you expect to do - It is
easier to make more than it is to have made too much and waste it.
I take about a teaspoon
of E-401 and put into a pile on the mixing glass and add squeegee
oil, using an eye dropper, till it is a thick paste.
 
I mix using a pallet
knife. Once made you can either paint or use this thick paste on
stamps - I tend not to thin the paste for rubber stamps.
   
If I am painting I take
a little turps on my brush and pull some of the paste from the main
pool of paint and thin out enough that it is still dark when applied
to the glass.
I use a roller to apply
to the stamps but again whatever works for you.
 
Materials List
Painting:
Pen/ink method
Using the same Reusche E-401
I mix with Clove oil to a consistency that gives a solid
black line when used with and ink pen nib - I am using an
inexpensive ink pen and nib for fine lines. Came as a set.
You just have to get used to how
to mix your paints and how to use the pen - Took a couple of times
not to get big blobs of paint on the glass - but at least it wipes
off.
After a while its pretty
easySamples of the ink drawing: Easy to get fine lines
 
Glass
When using
morretti rod - use morretti sheet glass (I got from Frantz) so what
ever you have in flat use in Rod - Compatibility issues
Clean your glass
and either stamp or paint the trace line
The best part of
painting on glass is that if you make a mistake you can wipe it off.
FIRING
Fire piece -
painted side up
I fire the Reusche up to 1325F but you only need to fire between
1100 and 1425 for it to adhere - so to save time you can fire above
1100 and shut off kiln - and you can cool quickly -
I am using a HOAF
infrared kiln that runs on Propane and it take about 6 mins for it
to get to 1325 and about 10-15 min to cool enough to grab out of the
kiln for the next step.
At this point I
now have a permanent trace line on my glass that will not come off.
I can either continue to apply mattes (part of traditional glass
painting and you should really look into classes) or I will paint
with colors.
PAINTING WITH COLORS
 
Currently I am
using Paradise Paints as they can come premixed (with Pine Oil) The
only drawback is the smell - you really do need good ventilated area
to use and when you fire. (To purchase go here:
http://www.paradise-co.com/paints/pricing.html ) They now have
powder form to mix with whatever medium you want to use. I am gong
to use the squeegee oil for less smell - testing will let you know
how they work out.
Another option may be using the
Paradise Paints powder form in the same way - Works great with
squeegee oil and or pine oil- just mix well and thick
There are
Fusemaster,
They have a
larger color pallet than Paradise. A lot of tranparents.
Thompson and
other various enamels on the market you can use or try. I would use
the squeegee oil with them also - I am currently purchasing the
Paradise paints in powder form so that when I finish using up the
premix I will mix my own with the squeegee oil and I will not have
to deal with the smell. !
PAINTING
The Paradise
Paints are thick and cannot be thinned with Turps (that your using
with your Reusche) they suggest not thinning or it will give a
thinner and less opaque color on your glass. (But if you do thin you
use Pine Oil) and they require Mineral Spirits -paint thinner,
lacquer thinner or acetone for clean up - do not use these to thin
the paints or any other thinner you may have used with paints. I
have been using directly from the jar - thick and applying. Since
you have your trace line - its like a coloring book and you fill in.
Paradise also advised that if you warm the paints they will thin out
in consistency but not in color opacity.
(Reverse
painting)
   
If
you make a mistake you can wipe the color away and your black trace
line will still be there !
I fire these
paints at 1325F also - only to be consistent - you can fire these at
a lower temp to get them to adhere - you need to vent up to 500F for
binders to burn off and to keep your red - red (read paint info).
I have tried
putting pieces into my bead kiln and then using - bead kiln is only
up to 950 but it burns off binder - makes area stinky ! so I rather
get rid of the smell all at once and this way I can make a lot of
pieces and torch at a later date without worry that I may scratch
the paint off.
So you may
choose to do a day of painting when you know you have to get up and
do other things and be able to walk away knowing you can come back
and resume where you left off.
Works in progress - various stages - fired -
unfired - painted unfired
APPLYING TO A
BEAD
Now comes the
tricky part (not the hard part) the tricky part. You can put pieces
into your cold kiln but I found I could introduce them to the edge
of the opening and push them in - being such flat thin pieces they
have not broken or shattered on being introduced to a hot kiln (mine
is 950 or so) NEW HOT PLATE TECHNIQUE. I bought an industrial hot
plate that goes up to 1000 degrees F and this allows me open sides
and top to be able to see my painted piece and line it up better
(they must be painted
side up !) 
Here are options
for making bead - you can either eye it or before you put piece in
the kiln/hot plate or mark your mandrel for the length of the piece
your applying - I have been using a permanent black marker on my
bead release on the mandrel - you do not need a big mark - just
enough to show where ends are. I put the pieces in the kiln on an
angle so when I place the bead to stick to it I get a better angle
on how to attach.
The worst part is
figuring out how much glass to apply to your base bead - before you
wrap your flat piece on - can be tricky but remember - if your piece
is too big once you apply (and hope you get most of your design on)
you can use glass shears to cut off the piece (cool huh !). I have
been outlining the piece on my marver and rolling my base to see if
it fits within the parameters.
Once you have
your base bead made (and I try to make that base a little smaller
than what is necessary so I can tuck the ends of the flat glass
piece in to make a neater bead) here comes the really tricky part.
I heat up my bead
to glowing but not runny and you know that the glass is going to
stick to anything glass you touch - open door to kiln and touch it
down on your piece to grab - you need to line up where you want to
start the attachment, as it is difficult to re-center once attached
- you can heat up an move but you may distort your picture.
I try to center
on pic so that I have main area of pic attached to bead and work
from center out applying . I did try to use tweezers but trying to
open the door grab - hold onto hot bead was really a tricky
balancing act this way one hand on door one hand on bead and glass.
Quickly remove
from kiln and into end of flame and heat up - start from center and
heat up glass (keeping bead hot but try not to have direct flame on
painted side as you can burn off paint as torch is much higher than
the enamel firing range)
See the black lines in
face - I did not apply enough paint and I burned off in flame
Now work side to
side heat up glass (working from center) and using any tool that
feels good (I use my Sharon Peters razor tool) to push slowly down
and work the glass onto the base bead - working from center and
making the most out of the pic till the edges almost meet - here you
judge if you have to trim any glass - and get the edges together -
heat and melt - heat and melt keeping them from overlapping and
giving a lump.
Work your bead
and keep it good and hot - you need to make the outside glass one
with the inside glass - marver shape and do edges - I heat ends and
work till done
Get it good and
hot - wait till ready for kiln and put into kiln and anneal
and you too can
have too many painted beads lying around !
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AZTEC ALPHABET PAINTED BEADS |
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