Because of my health problems, making lampwork beads is out of the question for me. However, I might be able to fuse glass, if all it entails is putting all the pieces together and then firing up the kiln. Can the kiln run unattended in the garage? If I have to babysit it, and there are fumes, that's the end of the whole fusing idea.
Most of the dichro pieces I've seen are blob shaped, and many don't have holes. Am I stuck making blobs, or is there a reasonable way to make beads or pendants? Are there ways of shaping the glass (like molds, possibly) to get nicer shapes than blobs? Can I fuse metal (like findings and decorations) into the glass?
Where do I start? I have a lot of experience with clay sculpture in the past, although I did get rid of my old clay kiln. Could I buy a little kiln like the ones I see advertised for beads?
Any wild guesses what startup costs might be? I figure it will be in the $2,000 range - is that way too low? (I'd be delighted if it were way too high, but I doubt it)
Please point me in a happy direction, you wonderful people.
I can answer these questions too. Wahoo....I'm actually helping.
Can the kiln run
If you have a kiln with a digital controller this should not be a problem. When I upgraded to my Caldera I wanted to make sure I could fuse and anneal. I love the fact when I'm done the program takes care of everything and I can go to bed.
No you are not stuck. You can place mandrels with bead release between pieces, use kiln paper between pieces, or use high temp wire to make findings.
Yes, that's what I did. All I needed was the kiln, kiln wash (comes with new kilns), a haike brush (comes with most new kilns) for applying the wash, and glass. I think when I got started with my basic kiln it cost less than $500 for everything. I did have to babysit the kiln though.
The biggest cost is the kiln. It depends on the size of kiln you want and the pieces you want to make. If you are making jewelry I think the Caldera would be wonderful. I think it's $650 without the bead door and includes the digital controller. Of course, there are tons of kilns out there that could suite your needs. I'm just really happy with mine.
$2000 is a generous budget. I could see pounds of dicro purchased with that much. I could get you in touch with Jim at Blue Moon Glassworks and he could give you a breakdown of everything you need.
You also need a glass cutter ($30ish) and cutting oil. That's really all the basics. I do have a circle cutter, but I rarely use it. Most of my stuff is cut with my regular pistol grip cutter (which is the bestest).
Harry, darlin' . . . . i love you. but it would have to be way under $200 for me to try it!!!!!
----------- @vicki [SnuggleWench] (Books)
formatting link
newest creations:
formatting link
----------- I pledge allegiance to the Constitution of the United States of America, and to the republic which it established, one nation from many peoples, promising liberty and justice for all.
Maybe you can get one of those Bead Buck jars and use it to save for the other item. :) I am thinking hard on it and may give it a go. I want to try something different and I think melting glass would be a lot of fun. lol I am also thinking of just buying a torch and melting some in my backyard just to see how it does. lol
]I am also thinking of just buying a torch and melting ]some in my backyard just to see how it does. lol
i'm going to be getting a torch - but it will be for silver work only.
----------- @vicki [SnuggleWench] (Books)
formatting link
newest creations:
formatting link
----------- I pledge allegiance to the Constitution of the United States of America, and to the republic which it established, one nation from many peoples, promising liberty and justice for all.
I saw one of those the other day on the web somewhere. It was really cool and it was used for PMC and it came with a fire brick. I thought about getting that one, but I think it was pretty costly. May be why I don't remember where I saw it?
]I thought about getting that one, but I think it was ]pretty costly. May be why I don't remember where I saw it?
the one i saw wasn't - and it was very small - and refillable, like old cigarette lighters. i'm hoping to get lessons soon from a lady nearby.
----------- @vicki [SnuggleWench] (Books)
formatting link
newest creations:
formatting link
----------- I pledge allegiance to the Constitution of the United States of America, and to the republic which it established, one nation from many peoples, promising liberty and justice for all.
I may have to do another search and see what I can come up with. I also need to go to the hardware store and find out just exactly what a hot head torch is. I am thinking they are just a regular torch plumbers use to sweat pipes? I know I am probably wrong.
vj found this in rec.crafts.beads, from Shirley Shone :
]I have two of those mini torches that I use for my PMC.
okay - HOW do you use it for PMC????
----------- @vicki [SnuggleWench] (Books)
formatting link
newest creations:
formatting link
----------- I pledge allegiance to the Constitution of the United States of America, and to the republic which it established, one nation from many peoples, promising liberty and justice for all.
I was going to ask why you'd use a torch only for silver. But it looks like you're getting a very small, very hot torch just to do some small solders for your silver. Right
vj found this in rec.crafts.beads, from "Christina Peterson" :
]I was going to ask why you'd use a torch only for silver. But it looks like ]you're getting a very small, very hot torch just to do some small solders ]for your silver. Right
right - until i decide if i want to get into casting. the engraving looks like fun, too............... and i've always got more ideas than time or money.
**sigh**
----------- @vicki [SnuggleWench] (Books)
formatting link
newest creations:
formatting link
----------- I pledge allegiance to the Constitution of the United States of America, and to the republic which it established, one nation from many peoples, promising liberty and justice for all.
I'll take a stab at this for you, Kathy. I love fusing but just didn't take the time in the past year to continue learning more about it. And it should cost you MUCH less than $2000 to get started, or a LOT more, depending on how much glass you want to buy and other little toys to shape and sand.
First you need a kiln. Duh, right? I have a Skutt bead kiln with a digital controller that's located out in my woodshop. All I have to do is put the glass in, set it and walk out. No babysitting required. If your kiln has a digital controller there's no need to baby-sit it unless you want to crash vent it after the fusing time is done so the cycle takes less time. The size of the kiln pretty much limits the size of your projects. If you ever want to do major slumping work, you'll want a much larger kiln than I have although I can do small slump projects in mine. A small kiln can be used to fire PMC also.
In addition to the kiln, you'll need some kiln shelves, shelf wash and a couple of haik brushes. If you're feeling flush, you should get protective glasses and welding gloves or something like them. You can buy lots of molds for slumping or you can make your own from fiberboard or refractory fiber. I also use 1/8" thick shelf paper to make the channels in my pendants and bracelet links (I cut thin strips of this "paper" and layer it inside the glass layers - it washes out after firing).
You need an area where you can cut glass without worrying about the inevitable little shards that flake off and go everywhere. Get a good
*pistol grip* glass cutter that holds the cutting oil. Both your glass and your hands will thank you for it. You need some running pliers to help break out your glass pieces. A glass cutting system is helpful, but not necessary if you have steady hands. Don't forget the bench brush to keep your work area clean.
Nice to have but not absolutely necessary are a glass grinder (use a dust mask even though it's a wet grind), a diamond blade glass saw and a trim saw. Expensive pieces of equipment, but well worth their cost if you do a lot of glass shaping. For instance, I make my pendants from a 6" long bar I make up and then cut into smaller sizes. They get ground and then a second (or third) fusing to round off the edges.
Absolutely necessary, of course, is a nice array of glass. Bullseye puts out a nice line of fusible glass as does Uroboros - both are 90 COE, but Bullseye also puts out a 96 COE line - not compatible with the 90! Dichroic glass is available in both COE's. You can also get stringer, noodles and frit in different sizes. Glass is my downfall. I'd rather buy glass than food. LOL!!
You can fuse in High Temp wire OR fine silver wire. Any other metal might melt or discolor from the high temperatures.
Call or go online and request Delphi's hot glass catalog. They have everything you might need and you'll get a good discount on your first order. My best advice, though, is don't skimp on your kiln. I'm so glad I spent the extra for the Skutt. It really is a neat little kiln and with the bead door (an extra that you can decline to have on yours) I could anneal beads if I ever decide to give it a try. I love my kiln!
Any other questions?? LOL! I'm going to have to dig out my work area in the shop now that the weather is warmer and play with the glass!
On Fri, 16 Apr 2004 18:04:39 -0400, Shirley Shone wrote (in message ):
In the US, you can buy them at cooking products stores. They're used for carmelizing the sugar on the top of creme brulee. If you aren't in the mood to go to the mall, my favorite store, American Scientific and Surplus also has them
]You will never be able to make much with a little torch for silver. It takes ]heat to solder silver to make jewelry.
maybe we define "little" differently. i watched the silversmith doing it every chance i got last weekend.
formatting link
the picture actually shows the torches she uses.
----------- @vicki [SnuggleWench] (Books)
formatting link
newest creations:
formatting link
----------- I pledge allegiance to the Constitution of the United States of America, and to the republic which it established, one nation from many peoples, promising liberty and justice for all.
On Fri, 16 Apr 2004 20:48:50 -0400, Mj wrote (in message ):
Sounds remarkably like beading.
I am considering buying a little bigger kiln than that one. (I love the 14" one, but it's a little pricey) I used to do a lot of pottery, and my sister is still a pottery fanatic. A kiln that could be used for pottery and glass would be fantastic, even if the initial outlay were more expensive.
Strangely enough, I have them. My father in law was a welder for better than
50 years. He still has all his stuff in the garage. (We have room for everything in the garage but the cars!)
That sounds more like my style than premade molds, although the leaf one I saw online was pretty nice.
More stuff for the garage. I have the least steady hands in the world (I look like I have Parkinson's), because of the huge number of meds I have to take.
I saw that stuff. It looks highly addictive.
Would Fine Silver findings work, like with PMC? Those are starting to become a little more available. I'd love to make pendants with Fine Silver bails. The wire could be very useful as well, especially in making bracelet links.
Thanks for the tip. I just ordered the catalogs. I'll have to drool over them for a while before making up my mind, though. Here are the pluses and minuses, as I see them right now.
Pluses - - another new skill - Creative outlet that doesn't mess with my lungs - Could possibly sell finished stuff, if I got good. - Could get sister to pay for part of the kiln - Love all kinds of glasswork
Minuses - - Not a lot of space in the house or garage for glass shards - Bob. (not even remotely amenable to another of my space hogging hobbies) - Bob again. His lack of enthusiasm for these things cannot be overstated.
This one might have to wait, simply because of space constraints. I've been promised a workshop for all my stuff in the next house, as well as a library. The ideal situation would be a garage-type building with electricity and plumbing, but I'll probably have to settle for a space in the basement.
I think I'll have to take a little trip to the library this week, while the family is out of town to investigate my options. heh, heh, heh
Place the silver clay piece on a fire brick. Light the torch and play the flame over the silver and keep moving it around. Smoke comes off when the clay burns off. Heat the silver until it turns into a cherry red. Turn off the torch and leave silver to cool.
I had some pieces break and when I went to an expo I asked why that had happened. I was told that I had not heated it long enough. I was told that I could put the pieces back together using some slip. Leave them to dry then fire again. Shirley
InspirePoint website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here.
All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.