Some time ago I made a video showing how to make simple fused glass cabochons with some ideas for using them in fused glass jewellery. In this video glass fusing project tutorial, I’m showing you how we take those cabs and make them into simple stud earrings.
If you want to see how I made the cabs this video on YouTube will help.
The Video
You will find links to related videos, a chapter list with time stamps, and links to more resources in the video description.
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 and dichroic 90 COE. I use Thinfire fibre paper on my shelves and generally use boron nitride spray on moulds, though not on this mould. In this case, I used a piece of Thinfire over the mould, mainly because the boron nitride is very slippery and I wanted some resistance to the glass slipping.
Have a look at this video on YouTube to see how I made the cabochons.
The glue I’m using is Araldite Crystal Clear. We use it for strength and because it dries clear. In my experience, and I’ve made a lot of these, the glue doesn’t yellow or go brittle and weaken. You may have something equivalent in your area.
By using something to embed the cabochons upside-down on, and then ensuring they are level, you minimize any sideways movement of the glued-on posts. Nothing worse than finding a nice sterling silver post glued off to the side of a cab. They’re very hard to remove.
If you get the placement wrong, don’t try and move it and clean up. I’ve found the glue gets everywhere and you end up with a messy result. Better to remove the fitting and cab and clean them up before trying again.
Be sure to rough up any cabs and fittings before gluing. This will give you a much better result. Smooth surfaces, which is what glass and silver are, don’t bond as well.
You will need very little glue. Just enough to cover the post and squeeze a little out the sides. But keep it minimal.
I use sterling silver because I’ve had a lot fewer problems with allergic reactions. Yes, some people are allergic to silver, but they seem to be very few.