Lumiere Lusters™ for Lampworking. At the heart of our business lies our branded product; Lumiere Lusters™; gorgeous specialty color shifting, heat resistant metal oxide powders and flakes that are magical in lampworked glass (and a multitude of other mediums too). As a lifelong lampworker, I searched for a cost-effective alternative to the very expensive dichroic powders. In 2016, having finally found a great manufacturer and product, we decided to share it with our fellow glassworkers. We test each color and product thoroughly in our own studio and our tester’s studios before they are released.
These flakes are rated to resist heat up to about 1400F, and can be worked in soft or hard glasses, in the flame, in a glory hole and even in fusing. They do not seem to have a specific COE, but testing is always recommended. Our flakes are non-toxic, and made of non-volatile metallic coatings on a mica/silica hybrid substrate. They are high quality, and vividly colored. Similar to Dichroic Extract powder, they offer a lot of color-shifting sparkle that changes at a viewed angle. The larger particle sizes create a lot of shine that you cannot get from other micas, and give quite a different effect from powdered extract. They're also a great cost effective alternative to dichroic coatings on COE specific glass, and are more heat tolerant than regular powdered micas. We work closely with manufacturers that bring us a superior, ever evolving product for you, the artist, to add a unique flair to your craft.
Safety Notes:
Common sense safety practice includes wearing a dust mask while using our flakes and powders in lampworking, and keeping them covered while not in use (they are incredibly lightweight!). MSDS shows there is little health hazard such as off-gassing when used at high temps. Regardless, when using metallic oxides, it's a good idea to have good ventilation anyway. However, be sure to not have any fans blowing directly at your bench as the flakes are EXTREMELY lightweight and will blow around at the slightest draft.
Our flakes are also occasionally used in the cosmetic industry in certain products, so you can rest assured that they do not contain heavy metals that are dangerous to skin. However, some versions of our flake may be irritating to very sensitive skin, so please do not get them into your eyes.
Check our next blog entries to learn more about how to use Lumiere Lusters™ in your artwork!
