The Pendant Project

Some friends helped me out with a problem; and as a thank you for their time and suggestions, I made geometric pendants based on the dominate colors in their wardrobe.

I cut, glue, stack the glass, and place in a kiln to fuse the pieces together.

Using a six segment program, the kiln is ramped up to 1425 degrees and then cooled down to 100 degrees. When programing the kiln, particular attention is given to sufficiently cooling down or annealing the glass so stress fractures will not appear months or even years later.



Each pendant is capped with a piece of clear glass in a second firing, following the same type of six segment, ramp up and cool down schedule. The cap glass is slightly larger than the piece to be capped -- appears bigger in the photo than it actually is. While the second firing is in progress, I start on the bails.

I begin with a flat piece of 24 gauge silver, a ruler to set the width, and a scribe to mark a line for me to use when sawing then divide the strip into three bails.












After sanding the strips to get a straight edge, I wrap each strip around something that will give me an opening large enough for a jump ring and chain to go through. Next, the bails go into a tumbler filled with water, a few drops of Dawn liquid soap and stainless steel shot. After four or five hours in the tumbler, the bails come out smooth and shiny.


When the pendants come out of the kiln after the second firing, I use sandpaper to scruff up the silver bail so the epoxy will have something to adhere to and stick the bail on the pendant.

And that, dear people, is how I make fused glass pendants. :D

Until next time, God bless.

Safety First

As I've mentioned several times, it has been three-four years since I've picked up a torch to fabricate a piece of jewelry. It is, therefore, understandable that I ran into problems with the equipment from an empty oxygen tank to a split oxygen hose to a leaking propane tank. All malfunctioning equipment is replaced and/or repaired and in good working condition. After connecting the propane and oxygen hoses, a soapy leak detector is swabbed on all connections - the gauge connection, the hose connection and even the opening and closing valve connection on the tanks. When the tanks are opened, bubbles will quickly form if there is a leak. If there is no leak, the next step is placement of the tanks.


Fuel tanks need to be securely anchored when placed under the work surface so the fuel hoses come from below, preventing an
accidental torching of a hose which, of course, can cause an explosion.

It is now a matter of getting your solutions ready. There is a solution of boric acid and denatured alcohol which is used as a pre-flux and offers some protection to the metal during the soldering process. There is another light acid solution in a crock pot that removes some of the gunk and oxidation on the metal after soldering. There is a solution of baking soda and water which neutralizes the acid solution in the crock pot, and then there is a simple water bowl for final rinsing.

This may appear involved, but after a few times, it comes naturally to dip, flux, solder, dip, dip and dip. lol Next up is the soldering process.

Until next time, God bless you.

Not Just Yet . . .

I was sure I would be on my way with working on the ring after church. Last night I decided to fire up the torch to do a couple of silver elements to be soldered on the ring. I turned on the propane tank and what did I feel and smell? A swishing of gas blew across my hand then the smell of propane filled the air! I disconnected the propane, put it in the car to do a refill swap which as I found out is not available at Tractor Supply. Our little town now boasts of a Home Depot but it was back to where I came from and decided to forget until later. I did call Home Depot and they do carry propane refills. Since I discipline myself to combine errands when leaving the house, I cannot go tomorrow, Monday, but have three specific errands on Tuesday. So Tuesday is the day to begin work on the ring, I hope.

In the interim, here's a recipe for Stir Fry Chicken, or any meat in the leftover category, or fresh category for that matter. Nothing is measured; if it it looks like the right quantity, that's it. If it isn't, I try to readjust the next time it's on the menu.

Chicken Stir Fry

Ingredients

Two-three cloves garlic, minced
Sliced onions, we prefer purple
Sliced carrots
Sliced green peppers
Chicken (it can be leftovers or raw -- sirloin or flank steak, pork loin)
Broccoli florets
Sliced zucchini
Sliced mushrooms
Chopped fresh tomato(s)

Seasonings

Sea salt and pepper to taste
Mrs. Dash

Garlic powder if garlic cloves are not on hand

Soy sauce, low sodium if possible

Directions

Saute garlic and onions in olive oil, add meat, then each of the above ingredients as listed to allow enough cooking time for each vegetable. It doesn't take much time for mushrooms or the tomatoes so they are always added last. Also, I start seasoning after the meat is added.

Serve over cooked rice, white or brown.

Until next time, God bless you.

The Ring

I have not fabricated jewelry for several years, so when a friend mentioned that she wanted a ring to go with a fused glass pendant and a pair of earrings, I got excited at the prospect. She lives in another part of Texas; therefore, I decided to do an adjustable ring. When one's silversmith skills are rusty, you look for ways to do a piece where you do not have to be exact!

I envy those that can at an instant visualize a finished design; I am not one of those. I came up with the first step, picture to the left about three or four weeks ago. The past few weeks I've been mulling over how to finish the ends and mount the cabochon because normally the ends would be soldered together. I wish I could post a drawing, but alas, I'm not one of those people that can draw -- the idea exists in my mind which ultimately is transferred to the finished product, but no way can I draw it out. I think I made a D in Art when last in school.

There have been several roadblocks to even begin working on the ring from sawing into my finger when cutting the ring stock, blood dripped everywhere, to running out of oxygen within ten minutes of lighting the torch, to a split oxygen hose after connecting the oxygen refill tank. I am ready to work, I hope! Surely, nothing can stop me now, can it?

You know what is truly wonderful about retirement? Nothing has to be done on schedule because there is none. :D

Until next time, God bless.