How to Make a Glass Pendant

Glass pendants

Pendants are a decorative form of glass work that can be worn on their own or strung onto a more elaborate necklace. You can creat a pendant by using the lampwork process: a method of melting and shaping glass in the flame of a torch. Any shape you dream up can be turned into a pendant. This article focuses on how to make a heart pendant, a very popular design.

Things You'll Need

• Torch kit with propane or MAPP gas Oxygen (not required for Hot Head torches) Didymium safety lenses Ventilation system Colored or clear glass rods: 10 mm and 8 mm Clear rod: 6 mm Masher tool Graphite paddle Graphite reamer Tweezers Kiln or vermiculite

Instructions

1. Rotate and heat the 10 mm rod in the flame of your torch. As the glass gets hot, it gathers into a ball. The larger the gather, the larger your pendant will be.

2. 

   Place the gather in your masher tool and squeeze to flatten the ball into a disk.

3. 

   Heat the top portion of the disk (away from the rod) and push the edge of your graphite paddle into the center to form a divide. Flip the disk over and repeat this process on the other side. The goal is to form a "V" shape in order to create the two sides of the heart.

4. Rotate and heat the manipulated disk and, when glowing, flatten the glass in the mashers again. This will round out the corners of the heart and smooth out the overall shape. Lightly heat both sides of the heart in order to polish out any scuff marks that the masher may have left behind.

5. Heat a spot on the corner of the heart and a half-inch section of the 8 mm rod until glowing hot and molten. Take the rod and heart out of the flame and attach the rod to the heated spot. Gently pull the rod up and around and then touch it back down to the heart to form the pendant loop. Lightly heat the base of the new loop, to ensure a smooth seal, and stick the graphite reamer inside the loop to refine the shape, if necessary.

6. Take your 6 mm rod (punty) and attach it to the top of the loop as a cold seal. Do this by strategically heating the rod and the heart to different temperatures. The heart should be glowing more than the rod so that the two pieces will be tacky enough to stick together, but not so hot that they are permanently welded.

7. Hold the punty in one hand and the heart in the other. Heat the bottom portion of the heart and, when glowing, pull the glass out of the flame and begin to stretch very lightly. Continue to pull out the bottom until you have the shape you want. Melt off the original rod.

8. Use your tweezers to hold the heart and, still holding the punty in the other hand, tap the rod against your torch to separate the two. Lightly heat the spot where the punty was removed to polish out any marks.

9. Place your pendant in a kiln or bury it in vermiculite to anneal it.

Tips & Warnings

• Pushing the paddle past the middle of the disk (Step 3) will create bigger corners of the heart. Lightly heat your tweezers before grasping the pendant to prevent possible cracking in the glass.

• Never begin lampworking until you understand all the health and safety considerations and are set up with a proper ventilation system.

Resources

• Lampwork, Etc.
• Corning Museum of Glass