cubic zirconia

[borntobeadnz]

Hi all,

trying to find tips on using CZ's in my glass beads. I know it can be done but what issues or difficulties do I need to be mindful of?

Lisa-Jane

[Torcha]

CZs are a lot of fun to use in our beads. I have found it very important to make sure the bead is hot enough to have the CZ stick to the bead and then make sure to really heat that area before putting in the kiln. You can also encase over the CZ and again, be sure to heat the area well.

[alexm]

For easy placement on the bead, I glue the CZs to the end of a 1/16" mandrel and let dry over night. Then all I have to do is spot heat the bead and poke the CZ in. Don't worry about the glue, it'll burn right off.

[bellabeadz]

I was just surfing thru and checked out this post. Cool tip about glueing the CZ to a mandel the night before. I've never used CZ's but might like to give it a try now.
:) Linda

[borntobeadnz]

Hi all, wow thanks for the response everyone, would you suggest using wood or project glue?

[kramdas]

White Elmers glue works well. Also watch the size of the czs. I've heard 3mm. max. Anybody use anything larger than that with any luck?

[alexm]

The largest I've used are 2.5mm. Any kind of glue is fine. I use superglue because it sticks the CZs right to the mandrel and they don't fall off. Some people just use Elmer's white glue or wood glue. Any kind will do because the heat from the glass vaporizes any glue residue right off.