Imbedding metal loop into bead???

[CreditRiverArtGlass]

I want to make some BHBs & imbed some kind of metal "u" shape or loop into the glass (as I'm making the bead) to use as a BAIL ...hanging a pendant from the loop... understand?? (BHB would be for the cord/chain to go through, of course)

What kind of metal wire could I use? I'm thinking some thin (24-26 gauge?) 316LVM stainless steel wire (https://www.smallparts.com/products/descriptions/gwxx.cfm) would work (same stuff our mandrels are made of), but will it?? Will it rust? Will I burn it off if I have to touch up the glass around it??? :-D

Best way to make it permanent?? Figured I would kink the end so it wouldn't be able to slide straight out (somehow).

Could the loop be done out of 104 glass?? Would it be tough enough to withstand a focal bead dangling from it??? (how thick would it have to be to be so???)

Any thoughts? Suggestions??

Thank you!

[glasshouse]

My friend makes BHBs and, after they're cleaned, drills a hole through one side, electroforms around the drilled hole and then wire wraps through the hole to make dangles from it. I'm sure this would work for you too. I have not had a successful experience embedding wire while the bead was hot. Hopefully someone else will chime in!

:) Kelly

[jaci]

I think you have a better chance with epoxy, or making a glass loop similar to vessel handles. just pick a 'bottom' and take a rod of what ever color you want (or clear) and make a little loop. it will want to get smaller naturally pulling to the middle but can be expanded if you have enough glass with tweezers or a other tool. just make sure it is well attached and you will be fine. the beads mistymade (i think) makes in the gallery lately have these glass bails to them. they are really neat!

[Sherry]

Di East regularly imbeds thin stainless rods into her beads while the glass is molten. It's intrinsic to some of her designs. So it's do-able.

I've done it, I used 1/16th inch stainless mandrel pieces and had no problems. I think the idea of making a bail with stainless is fairly brilliant, actually.

[chrisann]

buttons are made all the time by imbedding copper wire shank. You want to use a compatible metal, copper, ss, stirling, fine silver. You just have to shine up the wire after it comes out of the kiln. make your bail and make sure you don't have just straight wire going in to the bead, you want to have a u shape or something like that so the glass will grab on. set it aside, make your basic shape but (you want to be able to add more glass after the bail is stuck in) grab the bail with pliers or tweezers heat it red and the spot you will plunge it in as well, and stick it in, get it the position you want and add some more glass to ancor it if needed. reheat bead and anneal
hth
chrisann

[Tink]

I've had good success with high temp Nichrome wire.

[CreditRiverArtGlass]

Thanks, guys...

Kelly... I like the electroforming idea... might even be able to electroform a ring to the bead itself!!! Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm........time to pull out my electroforming kit!!

Jaci...thanks for your response. I've seen Misty's cute links w/ the loops... if those are stong enough to link to other things, I would think a glass loop for a pendant would be doable, huh??

Thanks Sherry!! I'm going to go check out Di East's pieces!!! I figured stainless "should" work... don't know what fusing wire is made out of, but thought of that, too... it's pretty thin, though, if I recall. I have some "somewhere"! :-D Maybe I'll have some bails to show off (maybe demo?) @ GS!!

LOL!! My 13yo son says...
"why don't you just go see if it'll work!"
& I said "I don't want to waste a nice bead just to find out that it'll crack!"
& he responds "Mom, just go make a lump of glass, shove the stainless in & see if it works!"
LOL. Duh. :poke:

[volkanokaren]

Out of the mouths of babes,and totaly on track too,hahahahaha.

Karen
Volkano Exotik

[DaveF]

Hi Julie,

Fine silver wire won't tarnish too much. Sterling will. I'd try a loop made by bending a wire over a 3/32 mandrel, then twist the ends tightly for a 1/4 inch or so and cut off. You'll get a nice round eyelet that way. Then stick that into the glass. Thicker wire would be easier to keep from melting accidentally. Cloisonne enameling is a very old art form that uses fine silver to form sections, say a 5 petal flower. Then the sections are filled with ground enamel and fired. So we know that works OK. Copper enameling is also commonly done and a very old art. Enamel fired over copper plate. No cracking problems there either. Whatever you use, it should stick fine. Glass melted onto copper or silver sticks very well, not surprising that stainless sticks well too.

I've found it's a lot easier to make glass loops for off-mandrel pendants by forming the pendant on the end of a rod, then heating till it starts falling, making a long thick stringer. This makes a pleasing teardrop shaped thingy. Then I BARELY punty from the bottom end, and burn off the stringer, and using a round-nose pliers, just grab it and turn it back on itself, and fuse the end onto the back of the pendant, snap off the punty and flame polish. It's a bit of a trick to get that all done before your loop gets thermal shocked, so heat your pliers a bit first and flash again if needed, or better, make the loop big enough for a 3/32 mandrel to pass through, and transfer it to the mandrel from the pliers while still attached to the punty. That way you can keep it toastier than you can with the pliers, (regular steel conducts heat better than stainless) and take your time. Careful, don't let it slide down to your fingers! You can prepare a mandrel for this in advance by winding a small glass bead directly onto the mandrel a couple inches from where your fingers will be so it will prevent the pendant from sliding that far.

It's a trick to figure out how to get the punty off without bending the loop. Or if you cool the loop enough not to bend, to keep from breaking it. Some kind of holding tool should be handy. I usually avoid it because I seem to always end up grabing a bead that I thought was cool enough not to deform, and finding out I was wrong. That's why I said BARELY attached. Keep something clean and heat-proof underneath while doing this so you won't end up with a bead-release-debris-and-frit-decorated bead if it drops. :)

Take care,
Dave

[CreditRiverArtGlass]

LOL, Karen! No kidding.

Thank you for the great info, Dave!! I appreciate it. I didn't think about fine silver... that makes sense. Will you be coming to the MO bead retreat again this year?? I need a new 3/32" BeaDreamer. :-D

[patienthand]

HI,

I have used solid brass screws to make small drawer pulls from, using soft glass like 90 or 104 coe with no problems. Copper also works, and I have seen various metals imbedded, then there are always the glass to metal graded seals used in lab glass applications. But thats a pretty complicated isue, and it isnt always pretty glass that makes the graded seals, so not best for ornamental appications.

Hope this doesnt muddy the waters too much more

Candice King-Palgut

[CreditRiverArtGlass]

No Candice... not too muddy. :-D Thanks!! Sounds like all sorts of metals work... just have to try it, huh? (w/ blobs of glass, of course!! LOL!)