CiM: Messy Color™ Leaky Pen, An intense transparent ink blue.

Messy Color™ Leaky Pen

511508 -

An intense transparent ink blue.

See why Kandice named Leaky Pen "Best Color of the Year" in 2008. – Kandice Seeber

Click here for other interesting Leaky Pen discoveries.

Kimberly Affleck

Sue Stewart

Sarah Hornik

Carol Oliver

Yulia Trubitsyna

Lisa St. Martin

CiM Tester Feedback

Leaky Pen is a dense and saturated blue that is unique to the 104 palette.

"Leaky Pen is such a saturated and gorgeous color - and I really love that about it. It doesn't fade out when used with lighter opaques - like many of the dark transparents in 104 COE glasses tend to. I also love that Leaky Pen is not a color that is close to anything else in the same COE - it's a brand new shade." – Kandice Seeber

“This is my favorite of all Messy Colors. I love intense transparents that I can use layered over white to make encased beads. This color holds up to making designs over white.” – Gail Witt

“To get the blue color to look anything but black, I found that I had to put it over another color. I liked it over both white and clear. When placed over a white core, the bead took on an opaque multi-toned midnight blue color. When placed over clear, the bead became more transparent.” – Jan Whitesel-Keeton

“Silver glass loves Leaky Pen! It is very dense and needs to be thinned out by applying over a lighter color.” – Janice Laster

Some testers reported Leaky Pen "boiling," "scumming," or "sparkling."

“Leaky Pen boiled probably once out of A LOT of rods.” – Elasia

“Like most blue colors, I had to work it really cool, or it would boil. I had to take my time but the results were worth it!” – Gail Witt

“Since I turned down my flame considerably, I don’t seem to have a problem with boiling or scum.” – Jan Whitesel-Keeton

“I think I have run across this issue with Leaky Pen, but to me, this is more of an issue of learning the techniques of working with CiM glass in general. I find that you need to warm CiM colors more carefully to avoid the cracking, boiling. Even though I have observed bubbling and frothing, I find it’s from working the glass too hot. When I move it out a little further, the issue resolves. CiM seems to need to work just a smidgen ‘cooler’.” – Jennifer Borek

“My experience with Leaky Pen is that it likes to be treated on the gentle side, not using lots of heat. I have found with Leaky Pen if it does boil, I can cool and gently re-heat and it will lose the bubbles/pitting.” – Leslie Anne Bitgood

“Leaky Pen has boiled for me and is somewhat temperamental at first, but it will settle down after it gets melted in the bead. Sometimes it is difficult to pull stringers because it boils, but I know once it gets on the bead or murrini gather, it'll smooth out.” – Renee Wiggins

"It doesn't bubble, and melts very smoothly." – Kandice Seeber

"If you are having problems with Leaky Pen, use an oxidizing flame. That will keep the sparklies down. The sparkle spots didn't affect my finished beads. They still have a nice smooth texture." – Genea Crivello

"I had great luck with Leaky Pen, but I worked in a cooler flame." – Donna Dorman

Special thanks to Debora Cox, Teri Wathan, Kimberly Affleck, Elasia, Maija-Leena Autio, Genea Crivello-Knable, & Carol Oliver for providing the photos in this section.

See beads Darlene Collette created with Bordello and Leaky Pen on ivory.

Darlene Collette used a base of Leaky Pen, Effetre sage & dark ivory, with various silver glasses.

Check out Darlene Collette's beads made with Olive & Leaky Pen.

Join Trudi Doherty's FB group Lampwork Colour Resource Sharing Information for a catalogue of color study.
Claudia Eidenbenz’s "Vetrothek" (glass library) is a great resource for color comparisons.
See Kay Powell’s frit testing samples.
Browse Serena Thomas’ color gallery.
Check out Miriam Steger’s CiM color charts.
Consult Jolene Wolfe's glass testing resource page.

Check out Maria's YouTube video on Whirls Swirls & Twirls using a filigrana made with Effetre light blue and Leaky Pen.

– Maria Schoenenberger

"The bottom row contains the test beads of each of the nine glasses, the bottom bead of that glass alone, in the middle covered with clear and top on white. The beads on the other mandrel are my typical test beads that I do when I want to know how colorful some translucent glass is as a thin layer. Even though I tried to capture the colors as truthfully as possible, the shades are a little different than what they are in reality. At least on my screen." Read more at Maikki's blog.

– Maija-Leena Autio

Melanie uses Leaky Pen frit in her blend "Ode to Blues." See more of her 104 compatible FrittyBits blends.

– Melanie Graham

"Here we have, from the top, Leaky Pen, the unworked rod, hand-pulled white-cored cane, and on the left, a white bead with the white-cored cane applied and melted in. From the bottom, we have Slytherin, the cane, and on the right, the bead. These two nearly black colours have been transformed into a lovely denim and forest colours." Read more at DragonJools blog.

– Dwyn Tomlinson

"First bead is a base of clear, covered with Unique Great Bluedini -1, dots of white covered with Leaky Pen and then a little back and forth action between the colors." See more Leaky Pen beads at Chris's blog.

– Chris Sanderson

See why Kandice named Leaky Pen "Best Color of the Year" in 2008.

– Kandice Seeber

DH Gaia and Leaky Pen.

– Kitty Bozzini

"You can use a base color like Leaky Pen with Kalypso and you will get a whole other range of colors." All four beads are Leaky Pen and Kalypso- not just the one that looks blue.

– Kitty Bozzini

“Messy Colors so lend themselves to making bell flowers."

– Leslie Anne Bitgood

"This bead appears to be an etched Leaky Pen bead, but is actually Leaky Pen over white encased in Messy Clear. 15 minutes works better for etching Messy."

– Genea Crivello

Leaky Pen over Clear. Read more at Two Glassy Ladies’ blog.

– Amy Hall

"Leaky Pen is so dense and saturated it's very difficult to photograph, but I hope you will get the idea. Nothing can give you a better look at them than holding them in your hands." Read more at Genea's blog.

– Genea Crivello

“I have been experimenting for a while with using some of the denser Messy Color/CiM transparents as shards over clear beads to create brighter, lighter versions of these beautiful colors."

– Patricia Frantz

Watch Laura Sparling's video on how to make an encased silver wire bead using Leaky Pen.

"One of my favorite colour combinations – Leaky Pen on top of light turquoise. Leaky Pen is a SUPER saturated dark blue that just pops when put over light turquoise." See more at Two Glassy Ladies' blog.

– Amy Hall

"There's some fun to be had with Seashell Swirl and Leaky Pen. Around the blue stringer and dots, an outline of pink formed that is at odds with the rest of the bead's streakiness. This is sort of cool, and worth remembering." Read more at Melanie's blog.

– Melanie Graham

"Leaky Pen is a really dark, very saturated transparent glass, I had heard it works well over top of something else but is too dark on its own." See more beads made with Leaky Pen at Two Glassy Ladies' blog.

– Amy Hall

"Leaky Pen is a very saturated transparent color - almost black looking if you’re not paying attention. It’s a pretty stiff glass to work with - it reminds me a little of Lauscha in that regard. It can also get a little bit scummy - but that scum tends to burn off quite well." Read more at Kandice's color blog.

– Kandice Seeber

"This is the color I’ve been looking for! It makes beautiful flowers and pairs well with Montana Blue Swarovskis.”

– Dianna Trout