Friday Night Fusing Clinic
April 7th, 2006 ... Metal Inclusions in Glass
You can layer metals between 2 layers of glass. Use harder metals like copper, brass, stainless steel, silver, gold, or platinum. Do not use aluminum, or regular stained glass copper foil with an adhesive on it. The 2 glass layers should completely cover the piece of metal.
Put a few small bit of F3 Medium sized frit, the same colour as your top layer, in the corners of your project. The frit will hold up the corners of the top layer, making it drop in the middle first when fusing, pushing air out from the middle, and not trapping it in the middle around the piece of metal. You will still get some air bubbles, but they shouldn’t be too big. If you are getting larger air pockets, try adding small lines of frit to help create an escape path for air around the metal pieces in the center of your project.
You can try to use metal wire to create a hole in jewelry. Make the wire as straight as possible, and have it extend out well past the edges of your project. Put a second layer over top of it, and fuse. Then try to pull the wire straight out. A thicker wire should work better. If you are trying to make a hook out of wire, curl the ends that are in the glass so they can’t pull out easily.
One thing you should be careful of is that if you over-fuse your project, the glass could continue to spread out, and the metal could "float" up and begin to be partially exposed through the top glass layer.
After Firing
Hector, the copper mesh on the right side creates a very nice small bubbles in between the mesh strands. Some air bubbles flanking the Re-strip on the left.
Val, photo-etched brass musical instruments came out OK, copper strips OK too.
Katie, OK except for larger air bubble in middle of mesh clumps.
Peggy, air bubbles caught between loops of wire. Small bits of copper mesh at corners looks great, could do stick figures easily with it.
Chantel, few minor air bubbles, good mix of metals.
Chant, Great "Tree" out of copper mesh and small triangles of copper sheet.
Marie-Noel, the loops of copper wire she used here give you good small consistent air bubbles if that is the effect you are looking for.
Delfina - good mix of materials.