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Fused Glass BarretteThey are made on high temperature metal barrette molds that cost any where from $14.00 to $19.00. Slumping a piece of fused glass over this metal form will give you the correct curve for a metal barrette clip. Barrette molds can be purchase on line. Just do a search for fused glass barrette mold to find the best price. You can also break a clay flower pot in half, cover it with kiln wash or fiber paper and slump the glass over it to form barrettes. Make sure that it is a good size pot, so the curve is only a slight bend.
Supplies needed:
Start out by making a base piece for your other pieces to lie on. This can be about 1"-2” by about 4"-5”, depending on the look you want to achieve. You can cut straight lines, or designs. Use your ruler and glass cutter to achieve a straight line. Wear your safety glass when cutting your pieces. You can use your glass cutter or mosaic cutters to cut small pieces. Select similar or complimentary colors of confetti, frit or stringers to add to your base piece. Be sure to clean all pieces before adding them to your base piece. Use thinned Elmer’s glue or GlasTac to secure any loose pieces. Make several fused glass barrettes at one time. Why waste kiln space and firing time with just one piece. The mold is large enough that you can do a few pieces at once, so why not fire them at the same time.
Arrange your pieces on a prepared kiln shelf. Turn on the kiln and fuse to either a tack fuse or full fuse. I prefer a tack fuse, because I enjoy keeping the texture of the different pieces in tack. Follow the directions or refer to your notes on what temperature you should obtain for your project. Allow the piece to fully anneal and cool to room temperature.You can now use a
grinder
if you wish to smooth and shape the edges of your piece, but it is not necessary. If you do use a grinder, you will need to clean the piece well and fire polish your piece in the kiln.
You will need to fire this piece until it slumps over your mold. Turn off kiln and allow the pieces to cool to room temperature.
Once your piece has cooled to room temperature, clean it thoroughly with glass cleaner or soap and water. Prepare your work space. I use freezer paper to place my items on while gluing. The smooth texture of the paper is great for mixing my glue and gluing my pieces. Glue your fused glass barrette to a curved finding using either E6000 or a two part epoxy.
I am hoping to see if these are great sellers at craft fairs, but with five daughters, it is hard to make enough to sell at the moment.
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You can either heat your barrette mold and apply kiln wash, or use a piece of thin shelf paper to protect the mold. Try to center your piece over the mold.
