iKandies Does Hot Glass

A few years ago at the Bead and Button Show in Milwaukee, iKandies took a lampworking class in which they attempted to make glass beads.  iKandies has always been fascinated with glass and thought this would be a fun way to experiment with it. We learned about the properties of glass, torches, marvers, glass rods, safety...  We found out this art is much harder than it appears!  Although our beads weren't that great, and we haven't attempted to make any more, this class has given us a much greater appreciation for the skills and talent of the glass bead makers we meet!

Recently iKandies had the opportunity to try our hand at glass blowing.  Akron Glass works held a class where we learned some of the basic techniques and had a chance to get the feel of what is involved in this art craft while we made a glass pumpkin with instructor Jack Baker.

Jack walked us through the basic steps - quite a lot involved in making this pumpkin!  He described the procedures and tools, then let us pick glass colors we could use for the body and the stem.

 

 You don't realize how hot these ovens can be until you get real close to them! Here we are heating up the pipe to prepare it for our instructor, Jack, to gather hot glass from the oven.


Jack has now added several layers of glass, including the colors we have chosen, and reheated it.  The oven behind him is where he gathers the molten glass.  The temperature is around 21000 degrees! We are using Jacks (the tool in my hand) to carve a line at what will be the bottom of my pumpkin so that it can be broken off the pipe.


All the layers of glass have been added and we're setting it in the pumpkin mold.

It takes a lot of air to help coax this pumpkin into shape, but here's the final product.  We keep the top hot with a blow torch while Jack prepares the stem.  After he adds it, the pumpkin goes into the kiln for overnight baking.


And here's the final product!



Kriss' Pumpkin!

Watch this YouTube video showing some of the steps involved in making our glass pumpkin, demonstrated by Debi and our instructor, Jack:



iKandies and Glass Fusing!

iKandies tried something new over the weekend: glass fusing!  A local glass studio, Akron Glass Works, began the annual offering of glass fusing and glass blowing workshops.  At the last minute, iKandies decided to sign up for a glass fusing class, and we're glad we did!

Pistol Grip Glass Cutter

We thought glass fusing involved using a torch so we were surprised to learn the process is done in a kiln.  Layers of glass are heated to a temperature from 1100 to 1700 degrees and as the glass reaches a molten state, the pieces are fused together. Since not all glass expands or contracts at the same rate, the glass must be compatible. We learned about the coefficient of expansion - COE - or the rate at which glass expands when heated. To prevent the glass from cracking during the cool down process, he COE of the glass being used must be the same. We also learned about some new tools like running pliers - a tool used to break glass by hand along a scored line made on the glass and a pistol grip cutter which is used to score the glass before breaking it into pieces.



  

Glass pieces, copper foil and tools

Then we discussed patterns, cutting the glass and positioning it on our base piece.  We were shown how to layer the glass and add decorative features such as copper foil, glass frit (crushed glass) and glass stringers (long string like pieces of glass).

Running Pliers used to snap off scored glass

Scoring the glass wasn't hard, but cutting anything other than a simple shape was!  So we stuck with a simple design: a tree made with fall colors.



 

Positioning the glass

We chose transparent glass so that we could layer copper foil between some of the leaves and the base glass.  Then we applied glue to tack the pieces in place before firing the project in a kiln.  The kiln is a large floor model that is heated to 1480 degrees in order to fuse the glass properly.




Ready for the Kiln

We learned about glass slumping or allowing the glass to heat and then "slump" into a prepared mold while in the kiln.  The molds are made of clay or stainless steel.






The finished product!  



Out of the Lab and onto the Jewelry Designer's Bench

 Those new to Jewelry design usually begin with simple components - Czech glass and plated metal beads, stringing wire, crimp beads and a clasp.  But as they soon discover, beading includes a wide array of options that often surprise and inspire the designer to attempt new techniques and materials.  Often, they are surprised to learn the background of some of the materials commonly used.  For instance, iKandies often uses boro glass in its designs.  Boro glass teardrops were used in our Copper Leaf and Glass Autumn Necklace and boro glass cubes were used in our Raspberry Seed Bead and Boro Glass Necklace.  What is boro glass?  


Boro glass is borosilicate glass, a type of glass that consists of about 10% boric oxide. The boric oxide makes the glass resistant to extreme temperatures, and also improves its resistance to chemical corrosion. This glass is very popular in the manufacture of scientific instruments and in the scientific lab. This glass is also used for reflecting telescope glass mirror components because the optical surfaces change very little with temperature fluctuations, resulting in very precise measurements.


Borosilicate glass is thought to have been created by a German glassmaker in the 19th century. In 1915 a famous line of borosilicate kitchen products was released under the Pyrex label.  Borosilicate glass is usually without color, but colored borosilicate was introduced into the market in 1986 and is used by jewelry design artists today.

iKandies is blogging again!

Well, it's been a long time since I posted on iKandies Beads on the Block blog. Been working on our website and Etsy site, and boy, did they need a remake!  Our website, iKandies, has been reduced to just a few informational pages.  A sample of our jewelry designs that are for sale appear on the home page but traffic is being redirected to our Etsy site.  The iKandies site provides information about our company, our designers and our shop policies.  We also feature new designs we've added to the Etsy site. 
   Over 60 items are now available for sale on our Etsy site.  We've added newer, more descriptive photos of our designs.  We are featuring a sale at least once a month and are offering special coupons for first time buyers once they make a purchase. 

Abalone and Sterling Necklace

Fall Acrylic Necklace

Here's a sample of two of our newer listings:






We plan to add new items on a regular basis so please visit  iKandies and our Etsy shop today!