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Fusing Wire Inside Glass Jewelry
Although there are other ways to combine
wire with glass jewelry (such as drilling holes and gluing on
bails), one popular method involves fusing wire inside the jewelry.
This technique generally fuses and seals the appropriate wire
between two layers of fused glass, so it's critical to select a wire
with the right characteristics. Here's what we usually looking
for:
1. The wire must be capable of
withstanding the heat of the kiln.
2. The wire must emerge from the kiln
in a relatively pristine condition, or at least in a form that can
be easily cleaned.
3. The wire must also retain the
desired flexibility and pliability. If it's too soft or
brittle it may not work well as jewelry.
4. The wire must not react with or
contaminate the glass. In most cases color changes and metal
flakes are not desirable.
5. It's a bonus if the wire is
reasonably priced (even inexpensive). Glass is expensive
enough without also spending a fortune on the wire.
Click here for a list of
wires that work well (and some that don't work well) in glass.
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Copyright 2005 Brad Walker.
All rights reserved.
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