I'm testing Frit and Cane for Valorie Cox and posting my results for you here. Please feel free to email me with questions or requests for color combinations. If you spy some beads you'd like, let me know and I can remake them for you...

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Gypsy Soul

To order frits from Val: GlassPoet

Gaffer Cane

finished necklace using the beads in the first picture...

test date 2/23/04

Top Left Picture:

1. Ruby Gold Cane heart, Lt Iris Gold stringer decoration
2. Olive Cane spacer beads, Lt Iris Gold stringer decoration

Top Right Picture:

1. Upper left heart (10:00)- Gold Amethyst cane, Lt Iris Gold stringer
2. Top heart (12:00) - Olive cane, Lt Iris Gold stringer
3. Upper right heart (2:00) - Clear cane, Lt Iris Gold stringer
4. Lower right heart (4:00) - Ruby Gold cane, Fuchsia stringer
5. Bottom heart (6:00) - Ruby Gold cane, Lt Iris Gold stringer
6. Lower left heart (8:00) - Ruby Gold cane, clear stringer

test date 2/23/04

All beads are 96 COE using 96 COE Gaffer frit

Row 1: Ruby Gold Cane beads with the following applications:

1. (moretti white base), ruby gold encased, silver foil strips, Copper Blue frit melted in
2. Fuchsia size 0 frit raised on surface (frit is 90 COE)
3. paladium blue frit melted in
4. tuscany olive frit melted in
5. (moretti white base), ruby gold encased, silver foil strips, copper ruby frit left raised, slightly reduced.

Row 2: Olive Cane beads

1. (moretti white base), olive encased, silver foil strips, paladium blue frit left raised
2. (moretti white base), olive encased, silver foil strips, apricot sorbet frit melted in, reduced slightly
3. same as bead 2, frit is left raised
4. carribbean frit melted in
5. fuchsia frit left raised
6. tuscany frit left raised

COMMENTS: This glass is fun to work with and I'm very excited to have a glass that I can use my frit stringer on, and not worry about compatibility issues. I prefer to pull my frit into stringer and apply it and this glass makes it possible to do that. I like the soft transparent colors it comes in, and although it is slightly streaky, I don't find it unattractive (or even that noticible). The glass seems softer than Moretti, and it will bubble and burn similar to Dark Aqua if you leave it in the flame too long - so I work further out just a bit, and keep the rod moving and its fine.

I have noticed one of the white core beads has cracked - but its a cooling crack - I may have been looking at the bead for too long. I need to give the white core beads more time to see if they can handle each other, but so far there's no compatiblity cracking at all.

NOTE: Val tells me there WILL be a 96 COE white cane from Gaffer, so you'll be able to make whiteheart beads that are completely compatible...I hope to be testing this in the near future and will of course post my results!

Cashmere

Zen White

Mint Julep

test date Feb 9 2004

All beads are COE 104

COMMENTS: I tested all the frits at the same time, and that's why all the base colors are the same. My basic testing consisted of encasing the frit, swirling the frit, melting the frit in and leaving it raised. All 3 colors are very stable, no bleeding or reducing, although I do get a neat sheen from Cashemere if I reduce it...and it reacts with ivory, which tells me there must be a little metal in it...I like how the frits react with Copper Green - the Zen White will give little black outlines around the frit - a reaction that most of us like.

Glow

test date 1/19/04

ALL beads are COE 104

Red Hots Red

test date 1/19/04

ALL beads 104 COE

1. yellow base, frit melted in, encased in clear
2. white base, encased in lt topaz, frit on top, melted in
3. white base, frit melted in, swirled and encased in clear
4. periwinkle base, frit melted in, encased in clear, frit on top melted in
5. EDP base, frit melted and swirled, encased in clear

COMMENTS: I took two pics of this frit, in shadow and full sun just because it was a sunny day. This is a nice frit, I know Val is already selling this on her site and I hope folks are enjoying it. Its a nice, bright, pretty red that is intense and behaves very well, no reduction or bleeding, a slight striking needs to take place to bring the color out but its very easy - just take the bead out of the flame for around 5 seconds, then introduce it into the backflame and the color pops right up. I prefer this frit encased for it's optimal enjoyment, but that's just *me*. Your mileage may vary...

Tutti Frutti

test date 1/14/04

ALL beads COE 104

1. white base, frit left raised
2. white base, encased in lt amethyst, frit left rased
3. EDP base, frit melted/swirled, encased
4. same as 3, only Sage opaque base
5. same as 4, only not swirled
6. white base, encased yellow, frit on top, melted in
7. same as 6 only lt amethyst encasing
8. same as 7 only lt teal encasing

COMMENTS: Oh, I really do like this frit! In the jar its pale lavendar with a few specs of yellow frit, but on the bead it turns this fabulous rich magenta with green dots - that also turn olive or gold depending on the glass you use it on. I will definitely be using more of this in the future!

I have noticed that bead 4 has cracked with incompt cracks - it could be the sage base or that I used too much frit, but the rest have held up, even after I dropped it on the cement floor of my studio..way to go.

Amethyst Gold - Intense

testing date: 12/22/03

Top row -104 COE

1. Ivory, frit melted in and slightly reduced.
2. Ivory base, frit melted but NOT reduced.
3. Sage base, frit melted and not reduced. You can see the purples and blues here.
4. Copper green base, frit melted in, then encased
5. Dark Grey base, created stringer w/ frit and made dots -then reduced.

Bottom Row - Bullseye

COMMENTS: I prefer the beads on the bottom to those on the top, the additional fuschia and peach intense frit, along with the bullseye colors make for bright, pretty beads. I was surprised to find the color reduces, but took advantage of it in some of the Moretti beads. Bead 2 in the Bullseye set cracked with incompatiblity, but am not sure what the problem is. No other bead in this frit test has cracked.

testing date: 12/29/03

ALL beads 104 COE (moretti, lauscha, czech)

1. yellow base, frit melted in
2. same as 1, and encased
3. orange base, frit melted in
4. same as 3, and encased
5. 274 violet, frit melted in
6. same as 5, frit also swirled, and encased
7. ? base, frit and cherry red frit melted in, encased, add'l amethyst gold frit melted on top
8. red base, frit melted in and swirled, encased
9. olive base, frit melted in, encased
10. white base, frit melted in, encased in lt teal
11. coral based, frit melted in, encased
12. white base, med topaz case, frit pulled into stringer, applied and reduced slightly
13. EDP base, frit pulled into stringer, applied, slightly reduced
14. white base, frit left raised, reduced slighlty
15. white base, lt amethyst encase, frit not melted in, heavily reduced
16. white base, 088 gray encase, frit not melted in, heavily reduced
17. ivory, rolled in silver leaf, burnished and burned off, frit melted in
18. same as 17, only flattend into tab

COMMENTS: not a single bead has cracked, regardless of the frit application, whether beads are encased, frit melted in, ontop, left bumpy, pulled as stringer. Seems very compatible. I even used Coral, which can be a troublesome color. I like this frit, its got personality and makes a nice deep purple color when needed, plus it reduces very easily.

January 7 2004

"Newberry English Roses"

COMMENTS: Named for a customer who requested beads like numbers 3 and 4 on the first pic, second row, I think these are a nice representation of what the Amethyst Gold (aka Gold Purple) can do. there is a little aurora peach and fuchsia on the base bead, but very little.

Iris Yellow Lustre - Reduction

testing date 12/22/03

ALL beads are 104COE (moretti, lauscha, czech)

All beads were made the same - base bead, frit applied as stringer or dots, then reduced

1. rubino
2. ivory
3. clear
4. dk rootbeer
5. black

testing date 12/29/03

COMMENTS: the name in this frit says its 'yellow', but the color you get from it vary from platinum-silver to bronze and blue. I received the #5 chunk, which I'm finding to be my favorite size because I prefer to pull stringer and apply the color that way. I think this is my favorite of all the frits I received because its unpredictable, and I can make it go where I want it.

Saffron Yellow - Intense

testing date 12/22/03

1. ivory, silver leaf, frit melted in, encased
2. ...
3. ...
4. white, med topaz, frit left raised
5. ivory, silver leaf, bands of aqua and topaz, frit left raised
6. white base, rubino cased, frit melted in
7. orange bullseye, frit melted in
8. EDP, frit melted in
9. white, frit melted in, encased

COMMENTS: I need to revisit this frit again and test it some more. I really love bead 1 and how they came out - the frit turns blue and orange and looks like silver pools inside the bead - very nice. Bead 6 came out pretty nice. Beads 4 and 9 have cracked, probably from too much frit. I tend to be heavy handed.

Gold Ruby - Intense

testing date 12/22/03

1. ivory base, silver leaf, rolled in frit, encased
2. black base, silver leaf, rolled in frit, encased

COMMENTS: I really like the results of this frit on both Ivory and Black, with silver leaf and then encased.

testing date 12/29/03

ALL beads are 104 COE (moretti, lauscha, czech)

1. denim base, frit on top
2. steel blue base, frit on top
3. capri blue, cased in clear, frit on top
4. white base, sage encase, frit on top
5. ocher base, frit melted in
6. same as 5, and encased, frit melted on outside of encasing
7. same as 6, swirled in frit, no frit on casing
8. 274 violet, frit melted, encased, frit melted on casing
9. white base, frit melted in, encased in 008 yellow, frit melted on casing
10. cobalt base, encased, rolled in silver leaf, burnt off, stringer of frit applied and melted in
11. white base, sage transparent encased, frit melted on encasing
12. cobalt, rolled in leaf, burned off, frit melted in
13. ivory base, frit raised slightly
14. EDP lentil, frit pulled into stringer, applied
15. same as 14, using sage 211 base
16. white lentil, frit raised slighlty
17. ivory base, frit melted in, clear stringer wrapped around bead

COMMENTS: This frit is JUST like using Moretti 456 Rubino Oro - it behaves exactly the same way in all things - it looks like it, it reduces like it, it turns brown if you don't give it enough O2. I really like this frit, it pulls into nice stringer. Overall I'm happy with how these beads have turned out. So far, not a single one has cracked, regardless of encasing, how much frit was used, whether its melted in or left lumpy. These are pretty good results. I seem to be drawn to bead 9, its so orangy and tangy with the yellow and pink mixture, plus the frit melted on the outside gives a kaleidoscope effect when you spin the bead. I also like bead 3, the capri blue and pink frit make for a nice color combo. I was sorry that the reduction that I originally pulled out didn't stay on beads 14 and 15, it went away in the kiln.

Cherry Red - Intense

test date 12/22/03

1. EDP, frit raised
2. ocher, frit melted in
3. copper green, frit pulled into stringer, melted in
4. ivory, frit melted, golden brown stringer melted in, reduced

COMMENTS: I like this color, its very vibrant and intense. It does not reduce at all (something I love to do), but instead stays firey red. I need more time with it to get its full potential going. So far it does exactly what it says - 'its cherry red and intense'. I'm not big on it as a stringer, though.

test date Jan 1 2004

ALL Beads are 104 COE

1. EDP base, frit melted and swirled, encased
2. sage base, silver leaf burnished and burnt off, rolled in frit, melted in
3. same as 2 with base of dark ivory
4. white base, frit melted in
5. same as 4
6. yellow base, frit melted and swirled, encased
7. orange base, frit melted in
8. pea green base, frit melted in
9. ocher base, frit melted in, encased and melted on top
10. same as 9, but 274 new violet base
11. coral base, frit meted in, encased in lt teal, frit melted on top
12. white base, frit melted in, encased in lt teal

COMMENTS: A little more cracking with this one, beads 6 and 11 have compatibilty cracks in them. Could be the base color or frit - but i've not used much frit in either, and other encased beads haven't cracked, so I don't know what is at fault. But they aren't cooling cracks, I can tell that much. on bead 5, the heart bead, the frit has a nice orange color with the bright red.

Regarding beads 1, 2 and 3 - they are separated from the rest because they react with the frit. Bead 1, on EDP has a nice navy blue outline around the red frit - where I swirled it, all you can see are navy lines running thru. Beads 2 and 3, in the silver leaf, have turned the frit from red to navy blue - again, i think the silver in the EDP and the silver leaf is reacting with the red to cause a blue color to occur. I rather like the results with this - the blues are very nice and the bright red on the other beads is eye catching.

Golden Brown - Reduction

tested 12/22/03

1. dk ivory base, frit pulled into stringer, applied as dots, melted in and raised, reduced
2. ivory, stringer applied, melted in, bottom half reduced
3. ivory, rolled in frit, melted in, reduced
4. copper green, rolled in frit, melted in and reduced
5. same as 4, only on orange base
6. orange base, melted frit, encased

COMMENTS: Golden brown is a nice reduction frit, but it doens't do much on the beads otherwise. I think the pulled stringer on bead 2 is kinda fun, like woodgrain. So far I haven't had much reaction with this frit to other reactive glasses, I'm going to play around with it some more but I think what you see is about what you'll get on your beads.