Polishing glass
 

Can anyone please tell me what you use to polish the inside of beads done on a large size mandrel, (where the bead release was)? I was thinking that there may be some rubber/silicone carbide or rubber/ceramic bits that would fit into a dremel that would be capable of producing a shiny surface on soft glass. It would also be great if there was a skinny one for the insides of all transparent beads. I'm not liking the nail polish idea as it does wear down over time. If there are any bits that work well, would you please also suggest a source for them? Thanks.

This isn't a polish, it's dye & doesn't come in clear - but might be of interest. They do have a sealer that is also used w/dye. I haven't tried these, but maybe someone else has some feedback.

https://www.devardiglass.com/beadcoredyes.htm

dj

I don't make many large hold ones. I did polish the inside of one by heating it well in the kiln, then holding it with heated tongs/tweezer things and fire polishing it in the flame. I decided for what I do it probably wasn't worth the time and effort though.

I know there is a glass coating that is quite pricey but did a good job if you do a lot of them (you have to buy a lot, doesn't come in like an ounce or three size from what I remember) I have it written down someplace if I can remember where...

Thank you for your suggestions! I will try the kiln method, for sure!

I’m under the impression that folks use progressively finer grits of diamond tools, then polish with cerium carbide or something. All done with water to dissipate the heat. However I haven’t done it myself.

Those dyes are interesting, DJ. I wonder whether the sealant could be used alone to keep the hole clear.

Eileen, are you thinking of renaissance wax? I believe that Amazon sells relatively small jars now.

I was wondering that as well. Seems like it might seal the 'frosty'/etched look in instead.

I couldn't clearly tell from that pic on site what the dyed ones looked like. But thought the etched look was sort of highlighted by the dye a bit.

Might want to ask them about results using just sealant.

dj

No, this was a liquid that was painted on. We used it on one bead in a class I took after we cold worked it.

You can spend time with a wet finger or a damp cloth smoothing the surface of the bead release before melting the glass onto it.

You can probably also get polishing compounds and bits to buff the inside of the bead holes as well.

But the question I would ask is "To what end do you want this done?'

If you want to hide the rough surface inside simple things like thinned clear acrylic nail polish can be painted on the inside with little effort and the outer ends can be cleaned up with polish remover.

Anything more permanent than that would have me looking at coring the bead with silver tubing.

You might try abrasive rubber points - I use these to tidy up my pate de verre, they work well at slow speed on a Dremel, or you can use them in a pin vice as hand tools. No water needed, so you can see the result you are getting.

This is a UK supplier but I'm sure they are available world-wide: http://www.master-abrasives.co.uk/su...bber-bond.aspx

I've been using my Dremel with EverRun diamond and finishing bands from HisGlassworks: https://www.hisglassworks.com/shop/c...&y=0&q=everrun. They come in 3/8" and 1/2" sizes.

If you buy them, I'd suggest buying a drum for each band--they fit tightly on the drum and it's too time consuming to try to take a band off and put the next grit size onto it.

I've used wet silicon carbide grit from large size to small, with the mandrel the bead was made on. Maybe a finish with cerium if it needs it. Lot of work but it looks nice.