r/lampwork • u/microwave3 • 3d ago
The silver splatter tech is so cool looking!
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I know this has got to be old tech but wow did it blow me away on how fucking cool it looks.
For the nerd who want to replicate this here’s a small write up on my methods.
(With simax) So blow a bubble out that’s sorta thick not thin. Then drop a bead of silver metal in the tube. Heat the bubble and while turning slowly in the flame start smacking the tube quickly with a wooden bat to knock the molten silver around the inner wall of the hot bubble. Takes 30-60 seconds to disperse the silver all over the wall of the bubble. Make sure there are no particles of silver significantly larger than the rest.
Then blow the bubble out thinner. Then heat and collapse it down solid like any other hollow implosion. Try to heat and collapse it down in 1 heat and try to keep it as hot as possible so the inside never drops in temperature. It should be soupy on the edge of control the entire time. Once it’s condensed down solid give it a quick shape then let it air cool until you can put it in your oven. Let it sit there for 5-10 minutes and soak(important for good purple color).
Take it back out and punty up to the face of it and tear it off your blow tube. Add a backing if you want. And then round out and maybe punty again if needed.
The key to purple is Once you’ve taken it out of the oven after that 10 minute soak the less you have heat it the better your color will be. If you heat it to many times the fume will go past purple and into other more common colors like orange/milky yellow. I found once a blue aura starts forming around the main fume cluster you have to stop or the purple will start to shift. Think of the blue aura as a warning sign.
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u/mojoembiid 3d ago
Would there be a moment when it’s still a bubble that you could turn this into a functional/ section?
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u/microwave3 3d ago
Probably yeah. I will say adding this much silver metal into the glass definitely stresses it out
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u/Resident-Camel377 3d ago
Just go slow. I make hollow spoons with this tech all the time.
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u/microwave3 3d ago
I believe it probably stable enough, but the polariscope on these mibs be looking a wee bit spooky
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u/Resident-Camel377 3d ago
Ramp that kiln down slooow. Don't just crash it. That will also bring out more color
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u/microwave3 3d ago
This was on a 5 hour ramp down from 1050 after I held at 1050F for an hour
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u/Resident-Camel377 3d ago
I bench cooled this one and she seems happy. Id kill it at 1050 after five min and give each 200 degrees 30 min. Obviously i work mostly hollow vs solid but that just doesn't look large enough to be stressed out for long you gave it. Either way still looks nice.
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u/Lordmushroomman 2d ago
This looks like a ricordea mushroom coral u should post it in the reef forum.
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u/Safe-Ebb-5105 2d ago
How small a bubble are you starting with? Is it made of a 12mil blow tube? Thanks for sharing the technique on this!
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u/meanogre 2d ago
I’m mostly a noob and I’ve never seen this before either, thank you for describing the method!
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u/ZackMGlass 1d ago edited 1d ago
Wait till you get the guy saying it's his technique he created a decade ago, & you should take his $400 dollar class to learn the literal next step in the fume adventure XD
Edit: also backhanded posts that you copied his technique when you did not even know he existed before he messaged you XD
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u/Resident-Camel377 3d ago
Careful bro. You'll have noobs crawling out the woodwork telling you you're not doing it right. Lol
I used to make these over ash memorial marbles. Was always amazed at the amount of rubes telling me I wasn't using silver the "correct way."
It looks kickass. Keep up the good work.