Fused Glass Pendant

 
This is project was featured on PBS's Beads, Baubles & Jewels series! Tune in to your local PBS station to catch new episodes or, if it's not available in your area, call PBS and request it be added to your programming. 
 

Add all the colorful glass ingredients you want. Layer them up. Then fire in a kiln. And just like that tried & true baking recipe, all the pieces come together. They complement and enhance each other. Some provide the base; others vie for attention and add astonishing depth. The result? A single piece of glass, perfectly combined, that commands all the attention.

Steps:   CREATING THE PENDANT
Determine the size of your piece. Using the Toyo pistol grip glass cutter, start at the edge of the glass and push the cutter to the other end of the glass, away from your body (fig. a). (You will hear a faint “scritch” sound as the blade scores the glass.)   Only a little pressure is necessary to make a clean score.
Line up the mark on the top of the running pliers with the score line you made in the glass sheet. (fig. b). Hold the glass on the opposite side of the pliers with your other hand.
Squeeze the plier handles, applying just enough pressure to snap the glass (fig. c). This will be the base of your pendant. Repeat these steps to cut a piece of clear glass to the same dimensions as the colored glass. This will be the top of your pendant.
Select the kinds and colors of glass you want to put in between these two pieces; clean all the glass thoroughly. If it seems necessary to hold the components together, apply a layer of Rio Enamel Adhesive, then use tweezers to place the small pieces of glass onto the base.
Lay the clear piece on top and align the edges with the base piece (fig. d). If you used the Rio Enamel Adhesive, it will temporarily secure the smaller pieces in place and will burn off during firing. Cover the Solderite™ pad with a sheet of firing paper and place the pad inside the kiln. Place the glass piece in the middle of the pad.
Ramp at 500°F/hour to 1500°F and hold for 10 minutes. After the hold, open the kiln door 1/2" to crash-cool. Once the kiln temperature drops to 1050°F, close the door again and allow the kiln to cool completely.
Once the kiln is completely cool, remove the fused piece and clean it with water. To finish, try wire-wrapping the piece into a unique pendant. You can also attach a sterling pendant bail to the fused piece using E-6000 adhesive.
Steps:   WIRE-WRAPPING THE PENDANT
Measure your finished glass piece by wrapping painter’s tape around the outer edge (fig. a). With a permanent marker, mark the tape at the center of each side, at the bottom and on either side of the place where the tape meets. Remove the tape and measure the distance between the two furthest marks; add three inches to get your total measurement.
Cut three pieces of 21-ga. square wire the length of your total measurement. Place the tape next to the wires and transfer the marks to the wires. Using your pliers, wrap the pieces together at three center marks with 21-ga. half-round wire (fig. b).
Place your wire bundle around the outer edge of your glass piece (fig. c). Make sure the wire is snug against the piece.
Bend the wire around the top corners of the piece, then overlap the remainder at the center of the top of the piece. Use the marker to mark the wire at the center of the piece. Bend wire at this mark so all the ends of the wire are pointed away from the piece (fig. d). Once the wire is shaped, remove the glass piece and set it aside.
Gather the wire ends and wire-wrap them at the point where they come together at the top of the frame. Wrap around the bundle four or five times with half-round wire (fig. e).
Separate the wires between the wire wraps using your pliers (fig. f).
Place your glass piece back into the shaped frame and turn it over. Using a pair of pliers, bend the separated wires inward, shaping them to your desired pattern (fig. g). Repeat on the front of your glass piece. Your piece will lay snugly inside the frame.
Using your pliers, bend the four front wires at the top of the piece into individual spirals or into any shape you like (fig. h).
Bend the remaining two wires backward and down into a single small loop (fig. i)—this will form a bail for your finished piece.