Help!

I think the best advice is "don't do that then." Like most metals, silver and copper oxidize more readily when they're hot, so if there's oxygen in your kiln (and there is) it's going to oxidize. Colored glass gets its color from metal oxides, so if you've got molten glass in close proximity to metal oxides, you're likely to get some discoloration. Many artists use silver foil or leaf in glass work specifically for the effects it has on the color of the glass.

You can probably use any old silver polish to fix up the parts that aren't inside the glass, but there's not much you can do about the effects of the silver on the glass, short of trying to incorporate the inevitable discoloration into the piece somehow.

I've heard that nichrome wire doesn't discolor so badly, so depending on your design constraints, you might be able to make findings from nichrome and fuse them into the piece. Unfortunately, nichrome doesn't tend to be available in sheets or even square wires. And, of course, it has nickel in it, so it may not be suitable for people with bad reactions to nickel.

Something else you should consider when fusing metals into a piece is that you should avoid sharp corners and edges. Dissimilar materials will tend to introduce stresses into the piece, and sharp corners will tend to concentrate those stresses and provide a good starting point for a crack.

One of the better places to find out about this is the forums at

A couple of things to be aware of

- if you've tried the 'fusing silver into a glass pendant' exercise, and ended up with the dreaded 'silver stain' - be very careful when using that same kiln-shelf for anything else. The 'stain' seems to work its way into the shelf - and _will_ reappear the next time you're making something that's either expensive or not repeatable

Maybe mark the shelf so you know which side is 'polluted' and use the other side for day-to-day stuff, or buy another shelf ??

- apparently Bullseye 'Crystal clear' (I think !) glass does not react with silver - but I've not tried this....

- once I get the new studio set up I'm going to try fusing some of the new Argentium silver into some pendants to see if that make any difference - it's claimed to have an inert outer layer - so maybe it doesn't react in the same way that Sterling does...

Apart from that, it's either wire-wrapping, drilling a hole, fusing in a pre-made glass bail or sticking on a metal bail..... ....and 'cold fusing' always sounds much better than 'glued' when showing one's art to a prospective customer

Have fun Adrian

I think pure silver resists the fire scale since it doesn't have copper in it, It will still stain the glass. In glass painting silver is used to "stain" the glass a nice amber color. Nichrome wire works but is a grayish color.

Thanks everyone for your advice, back to the drawing board then!

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