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Bending Glass Stringer in a Candle
A standard glass stringer is approximately
1mm thick, which is thin enough that it can be bent and shaping
using an ordinary candle.
Light the candle. Then hold the stringer at
each end, so that the middle of the stringer is in the flame.
(You can hold the stringer with pliers or tweezers if you prefer.)
After a few seconds (usually ten or twenty), the stringer will
soften and you can bend it in the heat.
The hardest part about this technique is
learning when to bend the stringer. Too little time in the
flame and the stringer won't be hot enough to bend. Too long
in the flame and the stringer will burn through or distort in the
flame. It usually takes people two or three tries to learns
just how hot to get the stringer before the glass will bend easily.
Once the stringer is bent, you will probably
notice black soot marks around the bent area. These can be
cleaned off when the stringer cools down, but soot will almost
always burn off in the kiln so cleaning isn't usually necessary.
It's also possible to use an alcohol burner
and denatured alcohol to bend the stringer, but alcohol burners are
much more dangerous than candles, so use special caution if you
decide to use a burner rather than a candle.
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Copyright 2005 Brad Walker.
All rights reserved.
These suggestions made by
various posters on the Warm Glass board. |
