Copper Fused Glass
Inclusions Pendant
Fused glass inclusions can be added to many jewelry pendant designs inclusions can be metallic or organic as outlined on our inclusions page.
In this particular tutorial very thin copper has been used, thin material is normally used to prevent the glass from breaking during fusing.Thin copper sheet is available from some art glass supply stores.
Shapes can be cut with scissors or scrapbook shape cutters, there is a very wide range of scrapbook cutters available.
The leaf shape used in this pendant is a commercial product from www.thatfritgirl.com, normally used for handmade beads.
Provided it is not exposed to direct heat copper fuses very well in a glass fusing kiln.
This small pendant has been made from a black base and a clear cap.
One of the issues that can arise when fusing metal is unwanted air bubbles. To avoid this, the bottom layer was cut in half and the pendant was then fused on fiber paper.
This technique allows air to escape through the separate pieces whilst fusing. During this stage the base pieces will fuse together and air bubbles should not appear.
This can be influenced by the size of the inclusion and overall size of the item.
Materials List:
Black and clear glass
Copper sheet
Cutter
Fiber paper
Kiln shelf
Fusing kiln
Cutting & Fusing:
1. Cut one piece of black glass 7/8" x 11/16"
2. Cut in half
3. Make clear cap slightly larger than the base
4. Put base pieces on fiber paper on kiln shelf, make sure pieces are closed up and square.
5. Place inclusion across the split base. Center cap on top of inclusion, put shelf in kiln.
6. Bring temperature up quickly to about 1000° F, hold for 10-15 minutes. Raise temperature to 1500° F, hold for 15 to 20 minutes
7. If pendant is nicely rounded turn off kiln and allow to cool to room temperature.
It is not unusual for copper to change color, changes can be unpredictable.
The back of the item will probably have a rough texture from the fiber. This can be smoothed out by re -firing on thinfire paper and gently fire polishing the pendant.
Return From Fused Glass Inclusions To Glass Jewelry Projects
Return To Home Page
