Glass Inlay

[Dean McKay]

While reading Alex Bealer's book "the Art of Blacksmithing" I noticed a section on doing glass inlays. So I thought I would give it a try. I used a test chunk of steel with a hollow in it. I filled the hollow with broken chips of glass from a green beer bottle, and took my propane torch to it. Once I had the glass glowing, I pushed it in with the back of an old coldchisel. It actually was quite plastic. When it cooled I still had a green blob of glass in the hollow, so I guess the experiment was a success. When I shook it, it sounded like a marracca. I think on the next try I am going to try to pound the glass into smaller bits (slightly bigger than sand), in hopes that it will melt easier and more evenly.

Have any of you guys tried dong glass inlays before?

Any tips or things I should watch out for?

[Adlai Stein]

Dean I have not done myself but I watched Thomas Powers do it. He used eneamiling powder. I'm sure you can find some at a place like Blick’s or another art supply shop.

[Greg Thomas Obach]

hey Dean

I think your cooling the glass too quick.. .. i read an article about viking bead making and it said you have to cool the beads very slowly..... so they were placed on the edge of a fire..... otherwise glass builds up too much stress and cracks..

 

 

Greg

[Adlai Stein]

Greg,

Good thought. It didn't occur to me until you mentioned it but my friend who makes beads lets them cool in vermiculite over night otherwise they crack.

[BSchermann]

I watched the wife of one of the knifemakers at a recent hammer-in making glass beads. She went one step further with the vermiculite. She had it in a "Crock-pot" slow cooker and kept the vermiculite heated while she was making the beads.

[Dean McKay]

Cool Ideas.

Thanks Guys!

[tsterling]

I have little experience with metal, but some with glass. Here's a link to a web page about annealing glass:

 

Bullseye Annealing Chart

 

Two problems I'd worry about: different rates of shrinkage between the glass and the metal (causing the glass to crack during cooling), and what happens to the metal during a long soak at the typical glass annealing ranges of about 1100 down to 900 degrees F.

 

One thing I've noticed when working with frits (small bits of broken glass, from chunk size down to powder) is that the smaller the size of the glass fragments, the more air there is trapped between the particles. Powder comes out with an opaque look (zillions of bubbles), large chunks look clear with a few air bubbles.

 

Check out the Bullseye glass web site for more information:

 

Tech Notes and Tip Sheets

 

Hope this helps - at least it's something else to think about.

 

Tom Sterling

[Dean McKay]

I have little experience with metal, but some with glass.  Here's a link to a web page about annealing glass:

 

Bullseye Annealing Chart

 

Two problems I'd worry about:  different rates of shrinkage between the glass and the metal (causing the glass to crack during cooling), and what happens to the metal during a long soak at the typical glass annealing ranges of about 1100 down to 900 degrees F.

 

One thing I've noticed when working with frits (small bits of broken glass, from chunk size down to powder) is that the smaller the size of the glass fragments, the more air there is trapped between the particles.  Powder comes out with an opaque look (zillions of bubbles), large chunks look clear with a few air bubbles.

 

Check out the Bullseye glass web site for more information:

 

Tech Notes and Tip Sheets

 

Hope this helps - at least it's something else to think about.

 

Tom Sterling

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Thanks Tom!