How to Make a Fused Glass Bead

© GeltDesigns 2009 All rights reserved.

Fused glass bead are a wearable form of art. This tutorial will show you how to make your own fused glass bead.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Fusible glass
• Glass cutter
• Glue (Glastac, Klyrfire or Elmers)
• Small kiln (glass kiln, jewelry kiln, enameling kiln)
• Shelf prepared with kiln wash

1. 

   Cut three 2x2 inch square pieces of glass.

2. 

   Cut a 3 inch length of thermal ceramics refractory fiber rope. Lay the rope across one sheet of your 2x2 inch square. The rope will create the hole for your bead. You can change the shape of your bead by placement of your hole. For example, a square bead will become a diamond if the rope is placed across a corner rather than directly across the bead.
   Place a drop of glue on the rope to secure it in place. [Note: Be sure the glue is completely dry before placing the piece in the kiln. Wet glue will boil and cause whatever it is holding to roll out of place. Be aware that the glue will evaporate in the kiln before the glass has begun to fuse; so object placement, even with glue, is an approximation when fusing.]

3. 

   Lay the second 2x2 square on top of the rope. The rope should now be sandwiched between two pieces of glass that are exactly the same size and shape.

4. 

   Arrange the stringer and frits into your design on the third sheet of glass and secure with glue. Let dry. [Note: you can use a heat lamp to hasten the drying process. Do not use a hair dryer since the force of the air will likely upset your design.]Place the third sheet with the completed design on top of the first two.

5. 

   Place in prepared small kiln. Fire to a full fuse using the following schedule as a guide:
   Ramp ºF/Hr Target temperature Hold for
   1 Full 1550 15
   2 900 960 12

   Be sure your fired objects have returned to room temperature before removing them from the kiln. Removing the items from the kiln before they are at room temperature may cause then to shatter, even if they are not to hot to touch.

6. The fired bead will now be larger than your original 2x2 inch square. If you are pleased with the results, your bead is complete.

7. 

   If you would like a smaller bead, the edges are not straight or you are otherwise unhappy with the shape of the bead, then your have the option to "cold work" the bead. Cold working requires grinders or other tools to cut and smooth the edges of the bead. Once the bead is shaped, it must be washed thoroughly. Any grime left from the grinding process may cause devitrification in further firings. Devitrification leaves unattractive stains in the glass. Grind the bead hole with a mechanical device such as a flex shaft or dremel and diamond burr or bit under water to smooth hole.

8. Place the bead back in the small kiln for a fire polishing using the following schedule as a guide:

   Ramp ºF/Hr Target temperature Hold for
   1 Full 1450 15
   2 Full 960 12

Tips & Warnings

• Varying time and or temperature in the kiln will create different effects for your bead. At full fuse, the design will be completely fused into the bead. If you reduce either time left in the kiln or the temperature of the kiln, then the design will "tack fuse" and the design will be three dimensional on the surface of the bead.

• Never leave a kiln unattended while it is firing.

• Wear eye protection when cutting and grinding glass.

• Wear a dust mask when grinding glass.

• Be sure to hold the glass under water when grinding the bead hole smooth so that the glass does not shatter. Exercise care when using water with a mechanical device to avoid electrical shock.

Resources

• GeltDesigns
• Index of Jewelry Making & Glass Tutorials by Topic
• How to Drill Glass
• How to Fuse a CZ into Glass
• How to Stamp on Glass
• How to Make a Glass Paperweight
• How to Use a Ferro Goldrush Pen on Fused Glass & Ceramics
• How to Use Photo Transfer Paper in Glass Fusing
• How to Use a Titanium Pen
• How to Melt Wine Bottles into Jewelry