My grandpa(whom was like a father to me) died during the pandemic. Struck with grief I made the very out of character decision to buy a skydiving Groupon. I had always been consumed by fear but my abuelo wasn't. He came to America with 500$ in his pocket, he traveled the world as a missionary doctor, bought a Toyota land cruiser, had 4 children and 13 grandchildren. He was the American dream and I miss him everyday but what I learned was that life is about experiences not accolades. This piece sold through a local gallery, but I'll never forget coming home from jumping out of a plane and the inspiration it gave me to sculpt this in my garage.

Hey everyone,
iam quite new to lampwork and i was wondering how this effect is made.
Thanks for everyones help

I bought some Glass Alchemy Eclipse a while ago, because I was looking for a good consistent black to back my pendants. Previously I had been using whatever scraps of black I had from various different odds&ends bundles, and was therefore getting wildly inconsistent results (understandably).

It was my understanding that Eclipse is a very durable and workable black, and lots of people say it doesn't have much (or any) issues with going gray/matte like lots of other blacks do.

GA says "Described by many as “bullet proof”, Eclipse does not contain any chrome, so graying and checking are not a major concern." They also say "Working Tip: This color can handle different flame atmospheres but as always, we recommend working in a neutral flame."

I've tried just about every single flame chemistry my torch can offer, and I keep getting graying/matte finish on the backs of my pendants. Not every time, and to different severity, but almost always.

Obviously, I'm doing something wrong 😅

For context, I'm using a GTT Cheetah on propane and 20LPM@20PSI oxycons (right on the low end of what the torch is rated for, I know). If someone wants to tell me that this torch/oxy setup is the problem... I'm definitely willing to believe it haha. But if there's any "skill issues" I can work on while I save up for equipment upgrades, I'd greatly appreciate some tips!

Thanks yall 💛

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