The Odd Rod Project

In my workshop I have a box of glass rods, that when tidying up I have not been able to remember which glass is which and just chucked them into the "Odd Rod Box".

Now, anyone who works with glass will know the importance of matching the Coefficieny Of Expansion, but for people who don't - then in a nutshell, your glass has a number and the numbers have to match for the glass to stay together.

Now, there lies the problem.  Because I don't know what glass has what number I cannot use them together.  I can get away with frit (broken glass) and I can take a risk and try spots and lines, but the easiest and safest thing is to use them on their own.

So, to use up the box I have a cunning plan.  Each day I am to make 5 sets of beads from a lucky dip of glass rods that I pick out.  I close my eyes (only slightly as I don't want to spike myself on the glass) and pick 5 rods.

This was Sundays set of rods.

A caramel, clear, transparent teal, mid blue and a pearl grey.

I make as many beads as I can get out of each rod, sometimes there are just 3 to a set, and other times 9 or 10.

It can take a few hours to make a few sets, then they are in the kiln all night to cool.  In the morning the cleaning starts, of course the more beads I make the more I have to clean :(

First of all the caramel rod, I used "Glazed Ginger" frit and made some gravity marbles.

Next I used the clear and simply made 9 simple beads with no frit and no other decoration.  Once cleaned I put 5 of them in etching fluid and made them all frosty.

Then came the transparent teal, I took a risk with this one as I thought I knew what glass it might be, and I encased a black core.  I love the effect these make.

The mid blue rod was a gorgeous colour, but not very long, so I didn't get many beads out of that one.  Again I did a gravity frit bead.

Lastly came the pearl grey rod, which again, was a little rod, so I made little cute beads which I dipped into frit and melted in.

Here are tomorrows colours  :)