I’ll be cutting the rim off that troublesome drop vase in this fused glass tutorial. Glass fusing can be trying at the best of times, but this project has tested me more than usual. The glass cutting method I finally used worked well, but there were a few problems along the way.
Stay with me as I finally, finally finish off that drop vase.
The Video
In the video description, you will find links to related videos, a chapter list with time stamps, and links to more resources.
You will also find a review and more information about the project, as well as the firing schedule, after the video on this page. Watch the video and then come back here to find out more.
WATCH THE VIDEO
Project Information
All of the glass, I’m using is Bullseye 90 COE. I normally use Thinfire fiber paper on my shelves and boron nitride spray, on moulds.
This is the final video on making this drop vase. Still, it had a lot to teach me so I hope you enjoy it.
The mini diamond saw I use in this I purchased a while back at a market. The pack contained a few blades of different sizes and shafts. They fit easily in my flexible shaft for the Dremel I have. The blades are only diamond plated and not sintered. Plated meaning they have a thin plating that contains the diamonds. Sintered is a much thicker coating that contains diamonds throughout, so lasts much longer.
My choice to use the small diamond blade first was more about seeing how well it cut and hedging my bet a little. If I had trouble with that I would have rethought the task and possibly used, awkwardly, the tile saw. I also didn’t want to cut the rim off in chunks if I didn’t have to, as I didn’t really know what I would do with it down the track. Keeping it whole would give me more options.
If you do this it’s important that you keep the handpiece vertical and the diamond blade as horizontal and as steady as possible. Any twist and it will tend to jam, as you will see in the video. Also, plunge the saw into the water below the cut and bring it back up to the cut to avoid marking the vase below the cut. If you do mark it you will have to grind the rim down further to have a nicer finish.
To finish the edge I used a diamond pad. I found it best to hold the pad at a 45-degree angle to the rim and move with the edge, not across it. Moving across resulted in chipping.
To determine where to cut the vase I felt the thickness just below the rim to determine where the thickness of the vase below the rim started to thin out. The curve was also a factor. I had to grind this later so having a curve out would have made this more difficult. Keeping the cut as high as possible but below that thick curve to the rim meant I had more height to play with when grinding.
Hope this all makes sense and helps. Any questions please ask in the comments section on YouTube.