How to Make a Fused-Glass Pendant
Making a fused-glass pendant is a fun, creative and sometimes profitable endeavor. The most expensive piece off equipment you will need is a small kiln to fire and fuse the glass pieces. Aside from that, all you need to make beautiful, colorful and unique pendants are small pieces of fusible glass in the colors of your choice and a few small tools. Once you have the glass pieces arranged in layers to your liking, just fire them for a few minutes and voila, you have a beautiful, one-of-a-kind glass pendant.
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Things You'll Need
- Small pieces of fusible glass
- Glass cutters
- Running pliers
- Soldering pad
- Firing paper
- Alcohol
- Tweezers
- Kiln
Instructions
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1
Decide what shape and what size you would like the pendant to be. With the glass cutters at the edge of the glass, push the glass cutters away from your body and across the glass. This will score the glass so it will break where the score is.
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2
Position the top of the pliers with the score line on the glass while holding the opposite side of the glass with your other hand. Squeeze the handles of the running pliers to break the piece of glass along the score line.
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3
Repeat Steps 1 and 2 with a piece of clear glass. This will be used for the top of the pendant.
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4
Position the base piece of glass onto a soldering pad over which has been placed a piece of firing paper. Select the other pieces of glass for your pendant, and thoroughly clean them with alcohol. Place them onto the base glass with tweezers in a pleasing arrangement.
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5
Place the clear glass piece on top, aligning it with the base piece of glass, and place the soldering pad with the pendant pieces into the kiln.
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6
Fire at 500 degrees Fahrenheit to 1500 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, open the door to the kiln approximately one-half inch. Once the temperature in the kiln has dropped to 1050 degrees, close the kiln door and allow the kiln to fully cool.
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7
Remove the glass pendant and clean with water. Now you're ready to set the pendant and add a chain.
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Tips & Warnings
Mark Nelson of Rio Grande jewelry-making supplies suggests finishing your pendant by wire wrapping it or attaching a pendant bail using a jeweler's adhesive.
Goggles should be worn when cutting the glass pieces to protect the eyes.
