Unlocking Time and The Grind Goes On

Down in Studio B (Basement) it's messy but productive. All the glass cutting, chemicals, etching and torch work goes on down there, plus the kiln and the soldering station.

And the grinder for the glass. Noisy, wet, messy - but lots of fun. To watch solid glass shaped right in front of you. Very exciting.

Today the glass for the next group of clasps is being shaped and ground and the hole drilled for the toggle to go through. That is nerve-wracking, and there is a deep breath taken before plunging into the hole drilling process. And whoosh - a big exhale when it works out okay.

This photo show the fronts of the glass clasp pieces after grinding and beveling. See the scuff-marks and rough edges? That's why they go back into the kiln for a fire polish, to smooth them out and make them all glossy again. They have three firings, in all, to make the finished glass clasp.

You can see the back of the key design clasp here, and the front of the clock glass clasp. The backs have very faint writing designs on them, very subtle. These are substantial pieces of glass even after I shaped and ground down the edges, 2 7/8" x 1" wide.

The grinder I use has a beveling station on top of it, so I can put an angled edge on the glass.

When the glass comes out of the kiln from the second firing (capping the enameled image with clear glass) it's not very square on the edges and sometimes the clear cap slides around a little. That's one reason why I fuse the enamel design on the glass in the first firing, so it won't smudge if the clear glass slips or flows in firing to a full fuse at 1500 degree F.

When I use the grinder the glass has to be kept wet, to protect the diamond carbide grinding bit, and to keep the heat from building up in the glass. The glass might crack if it gets too hot during grinding. And it creates a kind of soupy glass particle spray that can't help but go everywhere. I always put on a heavy vinyl wrap-around apron to keep from getting soaked, and to keep the glass particles off my clothes.

Most important of all - I wear these glasses. To protect my eyes from little shards of glass getting anywhere near them. I can feel the grinder spray on my face sometimes, so I know it's getting up that high. The safety glasses aren't good looking and I look like a geek wearing them, but they are ultra-super-important!

Safety first! Always wear any safety gear you need when you are creating. There are links on the side of the blog for my posts on different equipment safety posts, if you need a refresher.

So, off I go to pop these two pieces in the kiln for their fire polish, to spiff them all up. But I thought you might like to see them in their 'before' state.

What do you think of them?

Grinding Onwards

Winding Down The Gears

These are quaint little square beads, all shaped and ready to have the fittings applied. Made with a black glass back and a wispy, handmade clear glass cap. See the little whispers of white going across? They are little hearts, cogs, gears, winding stems and silhouettes of other symbols and shapes, encased in glass. These are ready to be wrapped in metal and have hanging loops added, think these four will have two loops on each side so they can be joined into links in a bracelet.

These peach background ones are the same size squares of glass, really small at 1/2" square. More little windings, cogs and gears, in a faintly mechanistic feminine sort of design.

These peach and gold colored squares are 3/4" size, with goldtone square shapes encased in clear glass, the edges all ground and ready to be wrapped in metal.

These may become earrings, either dangles or posts. Might torch some large earwires on them so they hang straight and don't wiggle and wave like dangles tend to do. The backs are deep coral peach color, so they could be reversible.

Want to try stamping some phrase into the brass and embedding it into the glass, like an affirmation, possibly to hang on a necklace.

Update on the two enameled glass gems that came out of the kiln.

They have been beveled and scrubbed hard to clean super-well, and are going back into the kiln for a fire polish on the bevels, to make them crystal clear and smooth, and remove the grinding wheel marks.

The extra clear glass on the sides from the fusing has been ground off, the edges squared up so they are regular clean edges. Could stop there and wrap with metal, but wanted to bevel these to make them more gem-like visually.

The bevels show up really clearly at this stage, because the beveling grinder leaves tiny scratches on the glass where they have had the 45 degree angles applied.

The next firing session in the kiln will remove all the scratches, polish the glass and leave a beveled but super shiny smooth edge on the fronts and sides.

Didn't bevel the back edges, just left them nice and flat. The fronts still have somewhat of a curved shape where the glass fused. It will take a couple of hours for the fire polish and the glass to cool down slowly (anneal), before these are ready again for more work.

Bronze Flower Crowned Glass

Hot Glass, Cool Designs

The glass pieces are coming out of the kiln, the colors are gorgeous. Like the fact of the background color creasing and crackling inside the glass, the main designs are clear and vivid and it gives them a vintage antique look.

Have a load firing now, using traditional woodcut and batik images, these are substantial glass focal pieces. Translucent when light is held behind the open glass back, wrapped with metal on the sides only.

This one with the fleur de lis pattern on the front, has already been wrapped in patinaed metal and silver soldered, the reverse side is another woodcut pattern with a tudor rose and crown design. It's large in scale, 1 1/2" x 2" tall, and 1/8" thick. This is unusual for glass, fusing it usually takes it to 1/4" thickness. This is a sturdy glass cabochon with an inner golden bronze glow, really lucious.

Want to combine with the etched brass, to make a gemstone piece with cogs and wheels, a machine age image combined with the conventional or traditional elegant design.

Have been grinding bevels, no matter how carefully, still getting the lopsided 'grinder manicure' on the thumb and forefinger. Probably going to have to clip all the nails back, may not be able to save the shape. A small price to pay for the lovely glass gems.


These two, the armor and the compass rose designs, just came out of the kiln for fusing the clear glass on front and back, but haven't been edge ground and beveled yet.

The deep vibrant blue one with the compass rose design has light images of lettering on the reverse but the main image area is on the front. The compass rose is the directional image on a compass with the eight directions, and this has some nice line designs around it with light lettering.


The brass-bronze one with the armor design has the main design on the front with the old english style lettering and the woodcut of the helmet of armor on it. The reverse side has lettering in an antiquated style, it's illegible but visually interesting. At this stage the glass pieces are 1 1/4" wide x 2 1/4" tall, have to allow extra area for grinding the edges flat and, depending on how they shape out, possibly putting the beveled edges on them.


In the close up of the reverse side the extra clear glass around the edges shows up, this is the part that will be ground smooth to square it up and make a place to attach the metal, whether it's a bevel or a wire wrap.

On some pieces holes were drilled to allow wire wrapping through, but these have such nice images that would be marred by drilling, these won't have the drilled holes in them.

Will take photos as the process goes along, to show how the multiple firings, grinding and beveling and finishing takes these rough glass pieces and completes them.

Also have some small beads with metal cogs and gears fired inside, have to grind and fire polish those so they can be finished off tomorrow. Some of those have a black glass back, and some have a peach color back. Will put silver loops on them so they can be used as connectors, possibly for a bracelet.

These glass pieces are so pretty, smooth and translucent, almost like they have an internal glow to them.

After every step, the enameling, the clear glass caps, the grinding and beveling, the glass goes back in the kiln for another firing.


These two have been fired twice - once to set the enameled design, and once to fuse on the clear glass. They will be fused again after grinding and beveling, to fire polish the edges of the bevel.
Each time the glass has to cool down slowly, to prevent thermal shock and to make certain the glass is annealed well so it is sturdy and won't crack.

Lots of work, lots of steps. The results are great, though. Have always been a big fan of colorful glass.

Venus Four Ways

Backlit the glass really shows the enameled image embedded inside, the translucent fused and beveled glass looks a lot like old gemstones. The heavy chain adds weight, as the four glass gems make a large focal pendant. Like the way this came together.

While making it, was thinking of a story of a sailor out on the sea for months, going to exotic places and gathering souvenirs and putting them together into a necklace for his sweetheart back in his hometown, picturing the day he would give it to her and explain all the charms, beads and gems picked up during his time away.

Might not be for everyone, a standout piece, but very unique and special. Have been planning for quite a long time how to use the enameled fused beveled glass pieces, wanted to keep them together in one visual combination.
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Later will mix up the metal etching solution if the weather is nice, all the research reading says to do that outdoors and wear lots of protection for hands, eyes and clothing. Would be good to write up the safety rules for metal etching.

Eye protection - goggles
Clothing protection - leather or vinyl apron
Skin protection - latex gloves, long sleeved shirt, no open toed shoes
No metal containers, plastic only

No metal tongs or tweezers, plastic or bamboo only
Cover work surface with plastic
Have baking soda (neutralizer) mixture handy at all times
Don't breathe fumes, only use outdoors
Don't pour residue in drains, will eat plumbing and septic tanks
Always add acid to water! Avoid splashing
Keep away from pets and children - label clearly and keep locked away

Three Kingly Gems

All three cabochons after shaping, beveling and a fire polish. Very pleased with the results.

These three, or at least the crown and golden beowolf, are planned for jewelry making. Might post the blue-green latin gem to Etsy, haven't decided.

Have just the right charm to go with the crown gem, have to decide about the setting and the bail. Want to make something outstanding. And find time to fire a few more, maybe later today.

Gifties and Swifties

Got the red faceted glass piece with
'L-O-V-E' stamped into it put together in a sassy necklace, with red glass, crystal and ceramic beads on each side.

Added some red pressed glass flower beads onto hand balled headpins and dangled from the sides of the beveled red centerpiece.

Okay, love this one. Little silver flower shaped beads on the chain. And a bright red pressed glass tulip dangle on the toggle.

Must have spring on the mind, have L-O-V-E of flowers coming up all over.

Usual Grind

Got the three pieces shaped, beveled and fire polished. Carrying them around in a pocket, thinking about what they want to become. Turned out great, want to make some memorable things with them.
Also want to cut and make up a small reliquary treasure box charm. Need to etch some more glass for that, have the image in mind.

Got two spring and bird-related ideas today driving, can't wait to get the time to try them out.

The blue-green colors on the beveled crown turned out great, and the line quality is good. Still learning about using the enamels, the order of application and the amounts for color saturation.

Saving Daylight

Souvenier Francais

Carte Postale - or post card in french - are the words fired into this little pendant with the Eiffel Tower attached. The glass is deeply beveled on the front, turned out great. Amazing what can be made from a clear piece of glass. Going to post on Etsy. Difficult to photograph so that the bevels show, as they are quite slanted at 45 degree angle.

Have the 3 new pieces out of the kiln after 2 firings, one tack fuse for the enamel design and one full fuse for the cap on top. Need to shape, bevel and fire polish. Hope to use these three beveled gems myself, instead of posting as loose cabochons on Etsy.

Have some ideas involving chain, crystals and metal findings to try out with them.

Wedged Blue Two

Beveling the dichroic fused cabochons gives a beautiful glow. Maybe the light strikes differently, maybe it's just the angles.

These two are blue, orange with a touch of green.

Have two more to grind and polish, they have red and silver dots. Will be interesting.

Liking these results a lot, worth the work. Will list these on Etsy as loose cabochons, but the next set polished will be to make something from.

Springing Winter Again

Tiny Boxes

The studio is cold again, glad the windows were opened when the temperature was 78 degrees, to air things out, since everything is closed up tight again today.

Learned a new way to make boxes, fun and quick. The collage boxes take a while to assemble. If there was a die-cut way to get them cut out it would speed things up, but this way works. Tiny little boxes for earrings, larger boxes for necklaces. And even fun to make, portable.

Hope someone notices the Venus Rising pieces of faceted glass before the temptation to use them is too overpowering. Will focus on making something with the blue shard pieces now that their edges are faceted also.

Four From One Venus

Gleaming Gems

The long glass piece in the earlier post, Venus Rising, has been turned into a set of gems. Can't believe how they turned out. The one long piece was cut into four, shaped and beveled. Then all four were fire polished.

The bevels turned out great, love what it did for the edges in reducing the bulk and making the pieces faceted like gems.

See the light bouncing off the bevels on the edges? Complex and deep bevels, but the backing of the cabochons is opaque, a pinkish color glass. Could be a necklace, earrings and a bracelet. Or could be a multi-part necklace with chain and faceted gemstones.

Can't decide whether to use them to make something myself, or post them as loose gems and see what someone else decides to make from them.

Need to use this same technique to make more like it. Very vintage, interesting and definitely one of a kind.

Could be wire wrapped like a gemstone, or set into a bevel setting. Or used with precious metal clay to make a setting for them. Thinking about possibilities creates desire to start in on them!