Further Adventures in Glass Fusing
October 5th, 2008 07:39 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kalihaAfter the disaster of the soldering iron I decided to go back to something I did have the hang on (plus the fact I need to go out and buy a new soldering iron tip and haven't had chance to yet.
My first pendant today is a mixed media attempt with copper stars punched out of very thin copper sheet with a pendant loop at the top which the glass will fuse around. I have high hopes for this one.
Number two is three layers of thick opaque glass topped with two pieces of clear frit. The hanging loop at the top is sterling silver wire.
The last pendant is 'reed' glass with coloured stringers in the indentations in the reed pattern. The two pieces in the middle are dichroic and it's been topped off with another piece of plain clear glass.
All the glass sat in the kiln waiting to go.
The kiln on fire, the pendants are looking pendanty now.
The after photos:
The copper has discoloured due to the high temperature but I will the antique look to it. It matches the copper findings I've got to finish this off. the bit of the pendant loop sticking up the top has polished up to proper copper colour again. I really like the faint pattern on the copper, it looks a bit like scales, I don't know what caused it though so I don't know if I can recreate it, unless it happens all the time.
Bit annoyed by all the bubbles between the layers, but it's something I can't seem to fix. Pah.
Pendant number two, all the colours have sunk into each other and due to the amount of glass it's also spread out by nearly three millimetres. The sterling silver got so hot during the fusing process that it burnt the fusing paper.
Pendant number three. This hasn't photographed quite so well, in real life the colours are still very separate. I really like it. Trying to figure out how to get a hanging hook into it as part of the fusing process.
I also dragged out the microwave kiln to rattle off some tiny pieces of glass, these are half a centimetre square, for a pendant project I have in the planning stages.
Four minutes later I have tiny balls of glass (obviously this isn't the same batch as in the previous photo). Unfortunately I had a bit of a *headdesk* moment when clearing the first batch off the kiln base so I could start the second batch and dropped the still hot glass into my cleaning tub which was full of cold water.
Oops.
All the glass pieces cracked due to the thermal shock. I haven't the faintest idea if I can salvage them or not, or if they're now much too delicate to be used in anything and I should finish what I started and break them down into frit and recycle them.
In other glass fusing news I've had my first commissions. His Lordship's aunty wants me to make her six pendants in blues/purples/shiny to give as presents to people at work, so I'm going to make a start on those next week. (I'm going to book a day off work and get some cutting and firing done). And His Lordship's Grandma wants the copper star one above as her Christmas present from us.
(BTW, a fair few of you will be getting glass stuff for Christmas :D)
My first pendant today is a mixed media attempt with copper stars punched out of very thin copper sheet with a pendant loop at the top which the glass will fuse around. I have high hopes for this one.
Number two is three layers of thick opaque glass topped with two pieces of clear frit. The hanging loop at the top is sterling silver wire.
The last pendant is 'reed' glass with coloured stringers in the indentations in the reed pattern. The two pieces in the middle are dichroic and it's been topped off with another piece of plain clear glass.
All the glass sat in the kiln waiting to go.
The kiln on fire, the pendants are looking pendanty now.
The after photos:
The copper has discoloured due to the high temperature but I will the antique look to it. It matches the copper findings I've got to finish this off. the bit of the pendant loop sticking up the top has polished up to proper copper colour again. I really like the faint pattern on the copper, it looks a bit like scales, I don't know what caused it though so I don't know if I can recreate it, unless it happens all the time.
Bit annoyed by all the bubbles between the layers, but it's something I can't seem to fix. Pah.
Pendant number two, all the colours have sunk into each other and due to the amount of glass it's also spread out by nearly three millimetres. The sterling silver got so hot during the fusing process that it burnt the fusing paper.
Pendant number three. This hasn't photographed quite so well, in real life the colours are still very separate. I really like it. Trying to figure out how to get a hanging hook into it as part of the fusing process.
I also dragged out the microwave kiln to rattle off some tiny pieces of glass, these are half a centimetre square, for a pendant project I have in the planning stages.
Four minutes later I have tiny balls of glass (obviously this isn't the same batch as in the previous photo). Unfortunately I had a bit of a *headdesk* moment when clearing the first batch off the kiln base so I could start the second batch and dropped the still hot glass into my cleaning tub which was full of cold water.
Oops.
All the glass pieces cracked due to the thermal shock. I haven't the faintest idea if I can salvage them or not, or if they're now much too delicate to be used in anything and I should finish what I started and break them down into frit and recycle them.
In other glass fusing news I've had my first commissions. His Lordship's aunty wants me to make her six pendants in blues/purples/shiny to give as presents to people at work, so I'm going to make a start on those next week. (I'm going to book a day off work and get some cutting and firing done). And His Lordship's Grandma wants the copper star one above as her Christmas present from us.
(BTW, a fair few of you will be getting glass stuff for Christmas :D)
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: Sunday, October 5th, 2008 07:04 pm (UTC)now for the science bit:
Date: Sunday, October 5th, 2008 07:11 pm (UTC)In my little kiln when the glass goes molten the glass sort of sucks in, pulling in at the corners as it flows into a ball.
Re: now for the science bit:
Date: Sunday, October 5th, 2008 07:26 pm (UTC)That is SO COOL!
You have so much fun. Haha!
(no subject)
Date: Sunday, October 5th, 2008 09:14 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: Sunday, October 5th, 2008 09:42 pm (UTC)I'm addicted to buying glass balls. I have waaay too many! But they're darn cute.
(no subject)
Date: Sunday, October 5th, 2008 10:51 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: Sunday, October 5th, 2008 11:03 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: Tuesday, October 7th, 2008 04:24 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: Monday, October 6th, 2008 12:14 am (UTC)And congratulations on your commissions! Go you!
(no subject)
Date: Tuesday, October 7th, 2008 04:25 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: Monday, October 6th, 2008 08:03 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: Tuesday, October 7th, 2008 04:25 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: Monday, October 6th, 2008 10:04 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: Tuesday, October 7th, 2008 04:25 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: Monday, October 6th, 2008 08:45 pm (UTC)