WI Meeting Report 21st March 2017 Margaret Harper Fused Glass Jewellery
Margaret gave us some background information on how she came to be making her products. Her career was as a Personnel Manager but she retired 20 years ago when the work place became technology orientated - something she felt she didn't want to be involved with! Margaret had always been involved in lots of crafts and whilst visiting a friend in Spain with similar interests she became involved in the production of cards for sale for the benefit of an animal rescue project, which culminated in an order for 600 cards - 200 each in Spanish, French and German.
Margaret learnt how to make jewellery from the dreaded computer and initially made beaded items but the idea of fused glass appealed. The equipment needed is fairly minimal - a floor standing kiln run off the electricity supply at a cost of about £1 for two hours, a grinder, glass cutter and tweezers. There are different types of glass used with a huge colour range from clear to black which is sourced locally - frit glass is in pieces, confetti glass is the type used in kaleidoscopes and glass powder which should not be inhaled. Copper sheets can also be used which turn red on heating.
Dichroic glass is either black or clear into which different colours are fired. There can be up to 30 layers and acts like oil on water changing colour at different angles. This type of glass is quite expensive, a 4" piece costing around £36 and is sourced from America. It has co-efficient expansion in other words expands and cools at the same rate. A metallic finish is achieved by firing without a covering, whilst a shiny finish requires a covering. The layers are set at different angles and one piece can take 2/3 hours to prepare
Firing temperatures produce the following:-
Up to 540 degrees it is fairly fragile
At 677 degrees it is soft enough to mound
At 725 degrees it becomes a sticky consistency
At 760 degrees it is more rounded and smoother
At 790 degrees it becomes one piece-fused
Heating takes about two hours but cooling takes ten hours during which time the kiln should not be opened. Mistakes can be modified by filing, grinding or melting down again. To fire glass at 760 degrees it should be a quarter of an inch thick as anything less than this will just 'blob'.
The final product can be made into jewellery, pictures, ornaments or dishes all of which are unique pieces.
Margaret now raises funds for the Beacon Centre (SURE) in Taunton and has so far raised £12.250 from the sale of her products
Margaret gave us some background information on how she came to be making her products. Her career was as a Personnel Manager but she retired 20 years ago when the work place became technology orientated - something she felt she didn't want to be involved with! Margaret had always been involved in lots of crafts and whilst visiting a friend in Spain with similar interests she became involved in the production of cards for sale for the benefit of an animal rescue project, which culminated in an order for 600 cards - 200 each in Spanish, French and German.
Margaret learnt how to make jewellery from the dreaded computer and initially made beaded items but the idea of fused glass appealed. The equipment needed is fairly minimal - a floor standing kiln run off the electricity supply at a cost of about £1 for two hours, a grinder, glass cutter and tweezers. There are different types of glass used with a huge colour range from clear to black which is sourced locally - frit glass is in pieces, confetti glass is the type used in kaleidoscopes and glass powder which should not be inhaled. Copper sheets can also be used which turn red on heating.
Dichroic glass is either black or clear into which different colours are fired. There can be up to 30 layers and acts like oil on water changing colour at different angles. This type of glass is quite expensive, a 4" piece costing around £36 and is sourced from America. It has co-efficient expansion in other words expands and cools at the same rate. A metallic finish is achieved by firing without a covering, whilst a shiny finish requires a covering. The layers are set at different angles and one piece can take 2/3 hours to prepare
Firing temperatures produce the following:-
Up to 540 degrees it is fairly fragile
At 677 degrees it is soft enough to mound
At 725 degrees it becomes a sticky consistency
At 760 degrees it is more rounded and smoother
At 790 degrees it becomes one piece-fused
Heating takes about two hours but cooling takes ten hours during which time the kiln should not be opened. Mistakes can be modified by filing, grinding or melting down again. To fire glass at 760 degrees it should be a quarter of an inch thick as anything less than this will just 'blob'.
The final product can be made into jewellery, pictures, ornaments or dishes all of which are unique pieces.
Margaret now raises funds for the Beacon Centre (SURE) in Taunton and has so far raised £12.250 from the sale of her products