wire for hot glass

[mel]

Can anyone advise please. I need to be able to either make or buy a wire finding which I will apply to glass by dotting on some molten glass and plunging the wire in so it fuses. The finding will be a small loop, say a 6mm jump ring with a prongy bit, maybe 4mm long sticking out to insert into the molten glass. So the wire will be part of the piece when it is finished, and will have to go into the kiln as the piece will need annealing so needs to look good and not get tarnished or blackened. So, if I use silver (my preferred option), what will the heat do to it, likewise stainless steel or other metal. Any solutions out there? or suggestions? Thx.

[helbels]

I think you'll need to pickle it after it comes out of the kiln, but I'm no expert.  Hopefully someone else will be along shortly with more knowledge than me.

[Lakelady]

Sterling will blacken.  Try fine silver findings - the ones used for silver clay should be ok, so long as you don't melt the silver in!  I use fine silver wire for my headpins and that is fine after firing.

[mizgeorge]

Fine silver is OK, but will be very soft after use and especially after annealing, and it's almost impossible to work harden.

Nichrome would be the usual choice, but isn't suitable for jewellery use because of the nickel regulations.

[ajda]

If Mizgeorge thinks fine silver would work, except for being too soft, I imagine Argentium might be the answer. (As Mizgeorge knows I'm a big fan of Argentium, though I haven't tried anything like this with it.) You don't get firescale/firestain as with sterling, and once finished you can precipitation harden it in a controlled heating regime to a much greater hardness than either fine or sterling (only up around 280-300C, so shouldn't affect glass that has already been worked, annealed and cooled). It has slightly different properties to other silver alloys, so worth doing some background research first. You can buy it in a few places - I get it from http://www.alliedgoldltd.com/

[mizgeorge]

Unfortunately, argentium becomes very brittle at high temperature (ie anywhere near a flame, and even at annealing temperature) so would have to be used with a great deal of care. If it made it through the first stage, however, the age hardening properties could work. I've had mixed results with this, but have seen others use it very effectively, certainly on its own. I've not seen it used successfully with glass, however. I know a couple of people who tried to make glass headpins with it and it didn't work well at all!

[Shirley]

What about the Reflections Silver that Cookson Gold have. I've used it a little, although not with glass. Quite like it for making regular silver head pins.