Reichenbach Aqua RL 4015

Lampwork Glass Color Review

I am not an official color tester for any glass companies, not that I would turn down the opportunity if it was presented. I am just a beadmaker trying to get a handle on the bundles of unorganized and uncategorized glass in my studio.

If I am ever to get my act together and determine which colors I absolutely must have in my collection, I need to start taking notes. Since I am taking notes for myself, I thought I might as well share them with everyone else just in case you might find my ramblings interesting or useful. So here is my first color review: Reichenbach Aqua [RL-4015].

In rod form this glass is a very pretty pale aqua with a slightly more greenish tint than Effetre pale aqua. There are really no surprises when melting it and it stays true to color in bead form. I didn't bother to do any reactive testing with silver, sulfured glasses and the like because I was really most interested in the how the glass itself works up, although I bet it would be gorgeous with some fine silver.

It is stiff. Very stiff. I sometimes like to use Effetre pale aqua as an encasing glass, but I would not do the same with the Reichenbach. It took too long to melt and never got nice and buttery, which is a quality I like for encasing. 

It took a fair amount of heat to get it malleable enough to press. Admittedly, it took me three attempts to get enough heat in the bead to squish it cleanly - which is a tricky balancing act when pairing it with heat sensitive pinks and purple like I did.

The color is sharp and crystal clear like most of the transparent Reichenbach glass I have worked with. It did not bubble or scum for me at all and retained is beautiful clarity though all the tormenting I gave it. 

It is a very pretty color, but at nearly 3 times the price of its Effetre counterpart, I cannot justify making it a staple in my palette. Perhaps if it was a little more dense and not so pale and worked up a bit softer I would reconsider.

I've developed a fondness for Reichenbach Glass over the years. If you want to learn more about their lampwork glass in both 104 and 96 COE, follow my blog and check out these additional posts:

• Mystic Devitrification - Avoiding Devitrification with Reichenbach 104 Mystic Glass
• Mystic Success - Getting that Shampoo Sheen from Reichenbach Mystic Glass
• Reichenbach Glass Color Reference - Part 1
• Reichenbach Glass Color Reference - Part 2