10/21 Intro to Glass Clay for Jewelry

Saturday, October 21, 2023 
10:00 am - 12:00 pm PDT

Instructor: Helen Cowart

All Levels

Zoom link and instructions for joining the call will be emailed 1 day prior to class.

The class supply list is below and contains links to buy the supplies you need.

Glass is a magical material - it refracts light and color and transmits it in so many intriguing ways. In this class, we will discover how you can mix frit powdered glass with a binder to create a moldable glass “clay". With this glass clay, you can make jewelry and components for jewelry.

Demonstrations will include:

• Using molds
• Tools to shape the glass clay
• Decorative additions

Supply List for Students

The links below will take you to RioGrande.com or other suppliers. To see prices for precious metal items, you need a free Rio Grande account. Registered Little Metal Foxes students can access the Rio for Schools program for significant savings (discounts and flat-rate shipping). This site may contain Amazon and other affiliate links. If you purchase something through the link, at no cost to you, we may receive a small commission on qualifying purchases.

Recommended Materials and Tools:

NOTE: When choosing your glass, please pay attention to the CoE number, typically 90 or 96 for fusing. CoE, or coefficient of expansion, is a small but very important factor in fusing. Glasses of different CoEs generally cannot be mixed and will result in stress fractures and breaks.

• Glass Bird Modeling Clay kit
• A selection of 1-4 different colors of powdered glass frit. Delphi carries Bullseye (CoE 90) and Spectrum (CoE 96) glasses.
• Distilled water
• Standard kitchen measuring spoons
• Small bowl for mixing the glass clay
• Small spatula, craft popsicle stick, or other stirring/mixing tool
• Jewelry cabochon (or other shapes) silicone mold, choose something simple
• N95 dust mask
• Safety glasses
• A kiln, this list starts with the least expensive:  **
  • Ultralite Beehive Pro Studio Kiln, Rio Grande. I strongly recommend purchasing the dial controller ($33).*
  • Skutt FireBox 8 Kiln - (dial/pyrometer), Clay-King
    
  • Rapidfire Standard Pro-L - (digital temperature setting, but not programmable better than a dial-controlled kiln), Tabletop Furnace
    
  • Rapidfire Standard Pro-LP - Tabletop Furnace
    
  • Olympic Hotbox HB64 Kiln w/3 Key Controller - Soul Ceramics
    
  • Olympic Hotbox HB64 Kiln w/3 Key Controller - Sheffield Pottery
    
  • Evenheat Studio Pro STP Kiln - Rio Grande
    
  • Olympic Hotbox Kiln w/3 Key Controller - Sheffield Pottery
    
  • Olympic Kiln - Hotsie - Soul Ceramics
  • Paragon SC-2 - Delphi Glass 
• Kiln shelf - this depends on the size of your kiln and it will usually come with your kiln.
• 1/2" Kiln Posts - 4 Pack (ceramic supports) - also usually comes with your kiln.
• Kiln separator paper - Use Bullseye Thinfire or Spectrum’s Papyros
• Glastac by Bullseye. Elmers or wood glue will also work but use sparingly or it will leave a residue.
• Pencil and paper for sketching and note-taking
• Cling wrap
• Small airtight container

Optional Materials and Tools

• Fine frit
• Coarse frit to make frit balls or as a decorative addition
• Quartz sand - this will be used to support certain 3-dimensional objects
• Container to hold quartz sand (stainless steel, unglazed porcelain, or terracotta container)
• Triple Ripple diamond drill bit
• Diamond drill bits (coring bits)
• Bullet burr diamond drill bit

* I think this is a good piece of equipment to try. It can also be used for PMC, keum boo, and enameling. I also strongly recommend getting an infrared thermometer (Amazon) to monitor the kiln's temperature. 

** I recommend a small enamel kiln with a digital controller. You can use it for fusing, enameling, PMC work, and heat-hardening metals. You can use a kiln with a dial, but you will need a pyrometer and to watch it constantly which is very time-consuming and inconvenient.

There are quite a few kilns that can be plugged into a regular 15-amp household receptacle. It is essential to check your work space’s circuit panel to make sure it can handle the amperage of the kiln you want to buy.