fusing glass beads?

[yahoo]

Hello!

I am a long time lurker (although have not been here for ages) having thought about learning lampworking when I used to make jewellery. 

I have since got into glass fusing, have attended some classes and bought a kiln a while ago but have been too scared to try it on my own.  I am waiting for my first order of glass to arrive and got to thinking...is it possible to fuse glass beads such as czech glass, or swarovski's?  If so would anyone be so kind as to suggest a kiln programme? 

I hope to be a regular participant on the board as I start experimenting with my kiln, everyone seems really friendly and fonts of knowledge!

Yv. 

 

[Pat from Canvey]

When fusing and making beads, you have to keep the different COE's (coefficients of expansion) seperate otherwise cracks will occur. Not knowing the coefficients of swarovski or czech glasses means that there is a great likelihood of cracking. Beads made from 104 COE glass will fuse with themselves and 104 sheet glass as a base.   Similarly, 96 COE glass will fuse with 96 sheet. Most bottle glass will fuse with agricultural glass used in greenhouses and it is cheap tp buy. When I first started, I used bottle smashed up with a hammer and fused it in a pattern to float glass (  greenhouse glass ) What glass have you used in your classes?

[yahoo]

Thanks Pat, I would keep swarovskis together and also czech, not mix them up in the same design, if they crack it doesn't matter that much as I have tonnes of the things hanging around, I just wouldn't know what kiln setting to use.  In my classes I used bullseye and spectrum (not together)

[Zeldazog]

I would have thought you'd be best to use the program the base glass you're using - I presume you're only using small inclusions?

[yahoo]

I was thinking more of a kind of pate de verre style, would this work?

[Zeldazog]

I've not done any proper pate de verre, so can't help you there  - but again I would think you'd use the recommended program for the base glass.  I think there's a recommended firing schedule for Bullseye pate de verre in the Bullseye tip sheet collection.