newbie questions ....

LampworkingGirl · #1 2009-05-16, 2:33pm

hello i have a few questions for you all.

1) I made an object out of boro and it broke, I did NOT anneal it, can i torch it back together?

2) what types of metal are ok to use with glass, I have a few copper dies my father gave me, they're used with gold foil stamping, so they used to getting hot and not melting, but i don't know if glass will stick to them.

thank you for you time.

theglasszone · #2 2009-05-16, 3:16pm

Hi LG! Welcome to LE...

I don't work in boro, so I'll leave question #1 for someone else with experience; I can tell 'ya from what I know, though, that the copper dies would DEFINITELY turn ugly ash from the heat/flame and the glass would for sure stick to then, so maybe coming up with a different application would be my recommendation!

Good luck and have fun!

De

Wonker · #3 2009-05-16, 3:35pm

Hiya Lampworking Girl,

You can fix boro a lot of times. It's best if you put the pieces in a kiln and get them up to working temperature before you try to repair them. Of course pattern matches are going to be tough. You might want to spend a little bit of time trying to figure out what caused it to break. If it's a glass incompatibility you can weld it back together, but it'll break again, if you didn't melt the glass in well the first time, make sure you get it melted in good, that sort of thing. Good luck.

LampworkingGirl · #4 2009-05-17, 7:25am

thank you for the info so far, on the copper question - I would be rolling or pressing the glass on to it, not putting the copper in the flame .... But I'm guessing the glass would stick either way ?

gmkcpa · #5 2009-05-17, 1:04pm

With boro I have occasionally fixed loops that have broken off. First I make a new loop, out of clear or color-whatever, and have a punty on the top of it. Then, as Wonker said, put the broken piece into the kiln first and heat it to 1050. Take it out with tweezers (real big ones) and stick a punty onto it. Now attach the loop just like you would if you were making it for the first time. Put it back into the kiln. anneal again, and it's fixed. Actually, loops are the only thing I ever fix. I make mostly marbles, then beads, and a few pendants. The only things ever fix are pendant loops - everything else, just make a new one.